President Barack Obama is expected to talk about a proposal to raise salaries by making changes to overtime pay during a visit to La Crosse that’s planned for Thursday.
In a teleconference with reporters, U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez said the overtime pay proposal is one of several elements that define the middle class.
“A roof over your head,” Perez said, listing other things he sees as integral elements of the middle class. “Health care for you and your children. Education. The ability to save for retirement and a fair day’s pay for a hard day’s work.”
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Obama wants to more than double the salary threshold under which workers qualify for overtime pay when working more than 40 hours in a week. The threshold would rise from about $24,000 now to just over $50,000. The president will formally announce the rule in La Crosse on Thursday afternoon. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is opposed to the changes.
The U.S. Department of Labor says the country’s share of full time salaried workers paid overtime has declined from 62 percent in 1975 to just 8 percent today.
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