Millions of workers will soon be eligible for overtime pay under a new rule finalized Wednesday by the Department of Labor (DOL). The rule takes effect Dec. 1.
The rule states anyone making less than $47,476 per year must receive time-and-a-half pay for hours worked beyond 40 hours per week, roughly double the current threshold of $23,660. The salary level will be increased every three years, starting in 2020, to match inflation.
The rule will make 4.2 million salaried workers newly eligible for overtime pay, NPR reports, and could affect millions of others who are technically eligible but not receiving overtime. Overall, the Economic Policy Institute estimates that 12.5 million workers will benefit from the new rule.
“Our whole mission here is about strengthening and growing the middle class,” Labor Secretary Tom Perez told NPR. “In order to do that, we need to ensure that middle class jobs pay middle class wages.”
The National Association of Landscape Professionals released an alert yesterday summarizing the rule and stating that it had joined the Partnership to Protect Workplace Opportunity Coalition, which educates members of Congress about concerns regarding overtime changes.
Photo: U.S. Department of Labor
