On the road of life, SAM and MATTIE both work hard to make ends meet.
Sam’s a manager at a retail store. Mattie heads up human resources.
They’re both trusted with very important responsibilities.
They put in well more than 40 hours in a work week
often 50, 60 or more – but without a dime of overtime
because outdated rules say they earn too much to qualify for time-and-a-half.
Sometimes their long hours break down to being paid even LESS on an hourly basis than the minimum wage!
Overtime regulations for white collar workers are out of date.
The current salary threshold is so low that it’s often hard for employers to determine who qualifies.
That’s why President Obama directed the Department of Labor to update the rules
– making them simpler for workers and businesses.
Now millions of Americans will be entitled to overtime pay when they work extra hours.
What does this mean for Mattie and Sam?
Well, Mattie earns $40,000 a year. Since that’s below the new threshold for salaried white collar workers
she qualifies for overtime pay.
Her employer must choose to pay her time-and-a-half when she works overtime
or raise her salary above the new threshold.
Mattie always works hard to meet the needs of her employer,
but without a bump up to the new salary level, now working EXTRA HOURS equals EXTRA PAY.
To meet the company’s needs, Sam’s boss shifted some of his workload to other employees.
Now Sam doesn’t have to work more than 40 hours per week without being paid more.
This EXTRA TIME away from work means EXTRA OPTIONS for Sam.
He’ll have MORE of his own time… to spend with family… or pursue other professional interests.
That’s the new Overtime Rule from the U.S. Department of Labor.
It’s a win-win for workers like Mattie and Sam,
helping ensure that workers who should receive overtime pay, get paid, for their extra hours.