Biden to extend overtime protections for 1 million workers
![Biden to extend overtime protections for 1 million workers](https://thehill.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/04/bidenjoe_040324ar10_w.jpg?w=900)
President Biden is extending overtime protections to 1 million workers who make less than the median individual salary and is vowing to take more action if reelected.
The executive action announced Monday will extend protections to workers making less than $43,888 per year, the White House said in a statement.
“That means higher paychecks and more time with family for millions of Americans,” Biden said.
The president pledged to extend the protections further next year if Democrats hold onto the White House, boosting overtime benefits to 3 million additional workers with an increased threshold of $58,656 — an amount that goes above the median individual salary of $47,960, as specified in Census data.
The new overtime extensions, which go into effect Monday, stem from a rule finalized in April in a section of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The changes are a result of an updated Labor Department calculation.
The rule change from Democrats is set to increase every three years starting in 2025, acting Labor Secretary Julie Su said in a statement.
Low-income workers saw their wages rise faster in the aftermath of the pandemic than the national average, a phenomenon known as “wage compression” that gave workers more freedom and was first identified by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of Massachusetts.
“Wage compression was accompanied by rapid nominal wage growth and rising job-to-job separations — especially among young non-college (high school or less) workers,” the researchers found.
The rise in lower-income wages may have had an effect on the 2022 midterm election, which many forecasters thought would result in a “red wave” of major wins for Republicans. Instead, Democrats kept the Senate, and Republicans only narrowly took the House.
While the economy was a top issue in 2022 as inflation soared to a nearly 9 percent annual increase, experts noted the boosted wages and more favorable working conditions may have translated into votes for Democrats.
“[Many voters] were better off than they were two years ago, so the electoral blowback was minimal,” Matt Darling, a fellow in employment policy at the Niskanen Center, a think thank, told The Hill in 2022.
The policy announcement follows a debate performance Thursday from the president that has rattled many Democrats and led to panic throughout party ranks, according to numerous media reports.
Biden has styled himself as one of the most pro-labor presidents in U.S. history, being the first to join an active picket line with the United Auto Workers labor union in their strike last year at the formerly Big Three U.S. automakers.
While Biden has supported the expiration of the Trump-era tax cuts, individual provisions of which are due to sunset at the end of next year, he has also pledged not to raise taxes on Americans making less than $400,000 per year.
Date: | |
Tag: | Joe Biden |
Filter
-
NBC News - Top stories
Judge’s order greatly expands where Biden can’t enforce a new rule protecting LGBTQ students
Enforcement of a federal rule expanding anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ students has been blocked in four states and a patchwork of places elsewhere by a federal judge in Kansas.Joe Biden -
GameSpot - Tech
Xbox Servers Are Back Up After Extended Downtime
Xbox's online servers went down on July 2, with some people reporting that they are having difficulty connecting to games and services on the platform. The issues were widespread and long-lived, as it took Microsoft hours to clear out the issues ... -
Los Angeles Times - Entertainment
The week's bestselling books, July 1
The Southern California Independent Bookstore Bestsellers list for Sunday, July 1, 2024, including hardcover and paperback fiction and nonfiction. -
CBS News - Top stories
Concerns over impact of high turnover among election workers
State election officials across the country are issuing warnings about high turnover among election workers. It could have a major impact on the November elections. A report by the Bipartisan Policy Center found turnover rose from 2018 to 2022 and ... -
ABC News - Health
As temperatures soar, judge tells Louisiana to help protect prisoners working in fields
A federal judge has ordered Louisiana to take steps to protect the health and safety of incarcerated workers toiling in the fields of a former slave plantation -
The Guardian - World
NBA free agency: LeBron James reportedly extends Lakers stay with $104m deal
39-year-old expected to re-up on a two year contractLakers drafted LeBron’s son, Bronny James, last weekLeBron James is making it official: He’s coming back for a record-tying 22nd season in the NBA, one where the league’s all-time scoring leader ...NBA -
MarketWatch - Business
2-year Treasury yield ends at almost three-week low after ISM data offers signs of waning U.S. growth
Treasury yields finished lower on Wednesday for a second straight session after the Institute for Supply Management’s index of services businesses produced its lowest reading since the height of the pandemic in May 2020. -
ESPN - Sports
Sources: Ingles, Timberwolves reach 1-year deal
Joe Ingles has reached a one-year agreement with the Timberwolves, where he'll join former Jazz teammates Rudy Gobert and Mike Conley, sources told ESPN. -
ESPN - Sports
Sources: Burks, Heat agree to 1-year contract
Alec Burks, who averaged nearly 18 points per game for the Knicks after OG Anunoby was injured in the playoffs, has reached a one-year deal with the Heat, sources told ESPN. -
The New York Times - Lifestyle
One Million Checkboxes, ‘Useless’ Internet Game, Lives Up to Its Name
The most “useless” website you can imagine has become a hit — and an unintentional case study in internet behavior.
More from The Hill
-
The Hill - Politics
Katie Porter: White House has 'clearly fumbled' response to debate
Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) on Wednesday said the White House "clearly fumbled" its response to the fallout from President Biden's shaky debate performance, as a growing number of Democrats express concerns with their nominee's ability to carry ... -
The Hill - Politics
Biden praises Civil War soldiers, Medal of Honor recipients for 'heroic deeds'
President Biden on Wednesday posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor to two Civil War-era soldiers who he lauded for defending America and the values it was founded upon. Biden, speaking from the White House, praised Pvt. Philip G. Shadrach and ...Joe Biden -
The Hill - Politics
Biden-Trump race is tight amid debate fallout: Poll
President Biden and former President Trump are in a tight race amid fallout from last week’s presidential debate, according to a new poll from The Economist/YouGov. The poll, conducted between June 30 and July 2, found that Trump garnered 42 ...Joe Biden -
The Hill - Politics
Evening Report — Can Biden stop the bleeding?
A second House Dem is urging Biden to step aside {beacon} Evening Report Wednesday, July 3 © AP Photo/Evan Vucci Biden tries to rally the troops as Dem panic consumes Washington President Biden began widespread outreach to Democrats on ...Joe Biden -
The Hill - Politics
'Lost' creator calls on Dems to stop giving party money until Biden steps down
Damon Lindelof, a co-creator of “Lost” and a notable Democratic Party supporter, called on fellow donors to withhold their money until President Biden ends his reelection bid, citing his struggles in the CNN debate against former President Trump ...Joe Biden