Michigan Families Speak Out for Fair Overtime Rules
In the Traverse City Record Eagle, Jamie Francisco had this to say about the her job and the proposed overtime rules in Michigan:
I work in direct care as a salaried manager of an adult group home. I regularly worked more than 100 hours in any given two-week pay period without getting paid any overtime. That would change under the plan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced to protect Michigan employees from working excessive hours by qualifying more salaried workers for overtime.
On salary, we make a fixed amount of money, but there is no limit to the amount of time an employer can make us work. Employers benefit tremendously from this, but we can never earn more from our hard work.
In the Alpena News, Peter Ruark of the Michigan League for Public Policy set out the facts on just how many families could be helped by new proposed overtime rules:
This past October, following heavy advocacy by the League and other organizations, Whitmer announced that…her Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity will be raising Michigan’s overtime threshold higher than the national threshold. The level of the threshold will be decided after discussion with labor and business stakeholders around the state.
The governor’s announcement is important, because, while Trump framed his increase of the overtime threshold to $36,000 as a win for workers, it actually leaves out approximately 200,000 Michigan workers who would have been covered under the Obama rule. Workers earning between $36,000 and $51,000 can be made to work 50, 60, or even more hours a week without receiving the time-and-a-half that nine out of 10 Michiganders support as a right.
So, this holiday season, we hope you will join the League in expressing our gratitude that the executive branch in this state is committed to improving the lives and livelihood of Michigan workers. That is sure to continue in the year ahead, and let’s hope legislative leadership will follow suit and do their part, too.
As we head into the holiday season it is important to remember that we will all benefit under these changes. Even if you do not personally get paid more, these workers who will start to get paid more for their hard work, will spend their overtime pay in communities all across Michigan. That spending will mean more jobs, raises, and vibrant small businesses which helps all hardworking Michigan families.
The wealthy and big corporations are making big profits, take a moment to write to your elected officials in support of fair overtime rules.