Civil and Human Rights Coalition Speaks Up in Favor of Expanded Overtime Pay Rules from Dept. of Labor

WASHINGTON – The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights filed comments with the United States Department of Labor that are strongly in favor of the Obama administration’s proposal to expand and update eligibility for overtime pay.

The comments, submitted on September 4, highlight the major impact that these updated regulations will have on the incomes of women, communities of color, and low-income people.

“Currently, 21.7 million salaried managerial and professional workers fall above the salary threshold and therefore are not covered by overtime protections,” according to the comments. “Those that would benefit the most from this increase include women, African Americans, and Hispanics… Under the proposed salary threshold, 44 percent of single mothers and 32 percent of married mothers who are currently exempt from overtime protections would be newly covered in 2016. More than a third of all currently exempt women workers, and nearly half of currently exempt Black and Hispanic women workers, would be covered.”

“This is an important step forward in updating our nation’s labor practices and will ensure a fairer overtime wage for more workers, including women, low-income people, and people of color,” said Nancy Zirkin, executive vice president at The Leadership Conference. “This overdue adjustment would provide overtime protections for 5 million people who currently work above and beyond 40 hours a week without any benefits. We urge the administration to act swiftly to implement final regulations.”

Click here to read the comments.

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its 200-plus member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.

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