Washington, D.C. — Today, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) took action to increase the number of Michiganders who would qualify for overtime pay when they work more than 40 hours a week. The proposal would raise the salary threshold, guaranteeing overtime pay above the federal threshold of $35,568. This ensures that more Michiganders would be fairly compensated for the hours they work. Following the release of the proposal, Neera Tanden, president and CEO of the Center for American Progress, released the following statement:
We applaud Gov. Whitmer for taking this important step toward ensuring that Michiganders are paid for their work. Guaranteeing overtime pay is one of the easiest things governors can do to help middle-class workers and families. But right now, almost two hundred thousand people in Michigan are being left out because the federal overtime threshold is so low. With today’s proposal, Gov. Whitmer is changing that for her state.
It is noteworthy that this new proposal comes just weeks after President Donald Trump issued his own watered-down overtime standard, tailor-made for the corporate donor class. Trump’s overtime rule would cost Michigan workers alone an estimated $49.1 million compared with former President Barack Obama’s now-abandoned overtime rule. In the absence of federal leadership on important issues such as fair wages for working people, it has become incumbent on governors and other state leaders to stand up to take action.
Related resource: “3 of Trump’s Regulatory Rollbacks Could Cost People Almost $42 Billion a Year” by Sam Berger and Malkie Wall
For more information on this topic or to speak with an expert, contact Julia Cusick at [email protected] or 202-495-3682.