MomsRising and our more than a million members are pleased to see the U.S. Department of Labor take important action to ensure that workers are fairly compensated for the hours they put in at work.

For too long, too many workers have not been able to qualify for overtime, forcing many families to struggle financially and pushing some into poverty. They have been missing out on the pay that could make the difference between being able to put food on the table and sending kids to bed hungry. The Department of Labor’s new guidelines for overtime would help address this problem by expanding the number of workers eligible for this crucial protection, by raising the salary threshold.

This is also a middle class issue. Raising the threshold for overtime pay will extend coverage to more people in middle management positions, many of whom are women and mothers. It will make it easier for more middle class families to fight wage stagnation, as workers will be fully compensated for all the hours they work.

MomsRising worked on many fronts to advance a higher overtime threshold. We educated millions of people about the Department’s proposed rule and solicited stories about the need for overtime. We partnered with the Institute for Women’s Policy Research on a report, How the New Overtime Rule Will Help Women & Families, that was covered extensively in the media, including the Wall Street Journal. We hosted a Twitterstorm about the proposal that made over one hundred million impressions, reaching tens of millions of people. We also sent a letter, signed by MomsRising members across the nation, to Department of Labor Secretary Tom Perez urging him to raise the salary threshold for overtime.

Among the stories we heard from our members were:

When I worked for the airlines as a computer programmer, we were classified as 'management' and on salary—and we were required to work as much as 60 hours of overtime a week without compensation. -Mercedes, Oklahoma

My husband was 'promoted' in the restaurant industry to a fancy title and lots more hours and responsibility but now brings home less money. Unbelievable! It has affected his self-esteem and has been tough on our 2 year old who misses his Dad. -Carissa, Texas

 
The Department’s proposal will help these parents and their families, and, according to a new report from the Economic Policy Institute, as many as 12.5 million workers – 6.4 million of them women, many of whom are moms – have greater financial security, by ensuring that they get paid for all the hours they work.

This isn’t just about fairness; it’s also an economically sound approach. When middle and lower income workers earn more money, they spend it in their communities. The higher overtime threshold could also lead employers to hire more employees or increase the hours of part-time workers, who will earn more money which generates more money to be spent in our local communities, helping our economy as a whole.