WASHINGTON — Concerned the White House may bend to Republicans and business groups, House Democrats are urging President Barack Obama to “make the bold choice” and aggressively expand overtime pay for the nation’s salaried workers, according to a letter from lawmakers viewed by The Huffington Post.
Last year, Obama directed the Labor Department to revise the rules governing overtime in order to raise wages for Americans, and the agency is expected to release its proposal next month. A key question is where the administration will set the so-called salary threshold, which will ultimately determine how many workers will be eligible for time-and-a-half pay when they work more than 40 hours in a week.
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Congressional Democrats have urged Obama in the past to be aggressive on overtime pay reform. Last year, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), now retired, proposed a bill with other Senate Democrats that would have set the threshold at $56,680 and then tied it to an inflation index.
“Plain and simple, if you have to work more, you should be paid more,” Harkin said at the time.
