Success: Obama Guarantees Overtime Pay To More Workers

Target: President Barack Obama

Goal: Praise the decision to guarantee overtime pay to 12.5 million workers.

President Obama recently issued a new mandate that all workers making less than $47,476 a year must get paid time and a half for overtime work. The Department of Labor’s old overtime rule only guaranteed overtime pay for workers making less than $23,660. Now, thanks to pressure from labor rights activists, and petitions including this one on ForceChange, the maximum salary for guaranteed overtime will nearly double.

The maximum salary for getting overtime has not been updated since the 1970s. Only seven percent of all workers qualify for guaranteed overtime with $23,660 as the maximum yearly income. This means that employers can easily take advantage of their workers, assigning them to work 80 hour weeks but only paying them meagre money for those extra hours. Obama’s new rule will update the maximum salary to reflect the current state of the economy and value of the dollar. The salary change will bring overtime benefits to 4.2 million more workers.

The new rule not only raises the maximum salary, it clarifies the other requirements and explicitly states which types of employees must get overtime pay. This means that 8.9 million workers who may or may not have qualified for overtime under the old rule will now be guaranteed it.

This rule is a necessary protection for American workers, especially those who are on the lower end of the income ladder. Sign the petition below to thank President Obama for protecting labor rights.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear President Obama,

I want to thank you for finalizing a new rule which guarantees overtime pay to 12.5 million workers. The previous requirements for getting overtime pay were wildly outdated and presented significant obstacles for workers to qualify. Your new rule will fix these problems and give millions of employees a significant boost in economic welfare.

Employers should not be able to take advantage of their employees by scheduling them to work 80 hour weeks, and paying them the same amount of money for the extra hours. With your new rule, workers will now have more money to spend or save. More money in workers’ pockets will be good for the American economy.

Your new rule is a victory for labor rights, and a step towards economic progress. I hope you continue to take similar action for the remainder of your presidential term.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

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