LANSING – Today the Michigan AFL-CIO released the following statement on President Obama’s new overtime rule, which will benefit 100,000 Michigan workers:
“This new rule will help 100,000 Michigan workers get the overtime pay they deserve,” said Ron Bieber, President of the Michigan AFL-CIO. “Restoring overtime protections and putting more money in working families’ pockets will help boost our entire economy.
“Since 1975, overtime protections have been gutted by inflation without a significant adjustment. By indexing the threshold for overtime pay to inflation, the new rule will help protect wages from being eroded by rising costs going forward.
“Make no mistake, this new rule is an important first step for the Raising Wages Agenda that will help level the playing field for women, African Americans, Hispanics, and younger workers under age 35. But many more workers will still be denied overtime pay by their employer. Moving forward, Michigan’s labor movement will keep fighting to make sure this proposal is fully implemented, until every worker is paid fairly for the work they do.”
# # #
