DeLauro Hails Department of Labor Proposal to Extend Overtime Pay

Would Help Nearly Five Million Workers Nationwide

NEW HAVEN, CT—Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) released the following statement today hailing the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)’s proposal to extend overtime pay to nearly five million workers nationwide. DeLauro is the senior Democrat on the subcommittee responsible for funding DOL and applauded the Administration’s announcement they would issue this rule.

“Millions of Americans put in a hard day’s work—and then some—but cannot get ahead due to the erosion of rules protecting the 40-hour workweek, a linchpin of the middle class. This rule will help fight stagnant wages and create a level playing field for businesses who want to treat their employees fairly and decently. Without basic standards, we would have a race to the bottom. All too often, people are working harder, but still find themselves falling behind. For America to continue on a path of strength and prosperity, that needs to end, and strengthening overtime pay protections is a step in the right direction. I applaud today’s proposal and urge the Labor Secretary Tom Perez to move quickly on a strong final rule.”

The proposed rule would guarantee time and a half pay for workers earning less than roughly $50,400 per year when they work more than 40 hours per week.

Overtime and minimum wage rules are set by the Fair Labor Standards Act, which was originally passed by Congress in 1938 and protects over 135 million workers in more than 7.3 million workplaces nationwide. Workers who are paid hourly wages or earn below a certain salary threshold are generally protected by overtime regulations. That threshold has only been updated twice in the last 40 years and has lagged far behind inflation. As a result, millions of low-paid, salaried workers lack these basic protections.


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