Should more workers be eligible for time-and-a-half pay?
"President Barack Obama is seeking changes in overtime rules that will make millions of workers eligible for time-and-a-half pay for their extra work," reports the Associated Press.
The rules would be aimed at salaried workers who make more than $455 a week and those who are ineligible for overtime because they are designated as management even though their supervisory duties are minimal.
The rules do not require congressional action but could take more than a year to implement.
Obama has put a focus this year on increasing worker pay, including a call for Congress to increase the federal minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $10.10. He also issued an executive order requiring federal contractors to abide by the higher minimum wage.
In his memorandum, Obama plans to direct the Labor Department to recommend new regulations that could increase the salary threshold for overtime eligibility and to change the definition of what constitutes a supervisor.
Obama's attention to overtime dovetails with his emphasis on correcting wage disparities, a theme that he has said will be central to the remainder of his presidential term. It also serves his political ends during a midterm election year, giving him a populist issue along with his calls for a higher minimum wage and better pay for women.
Today's Question: Should more workers be eligible for time-and-a-half pay?
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