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Millions of Americans could see double the pay for working overtime under a newly proposed federal bill.
Lawmakers have recently introduced the Double the Wage for Overtime Act, which would increase the rate for hours worked beyond 40 hours to double pay.
The proposed bill was would adjust the Fair Labor Standards Act, a law from 1938 that established essential employee protections. If passed, workers would see overtime pay rise from time-and-a-half to two times a worker’s regular rate for any hours worked over 40 in a workweek.
Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) — who is currently facing public scrutiny for his controversial congressional conduct — said in a statement that as costs increase, workers haven’t seen an overtime rate double in nearly 90 years. His new proposal would mean that a worker making $25 an hour and working 10 hours overtime a week would make $6,500 more per year.
It’s estimated that nearly 13.4 million workers would benefit from the bill, according to the Economic Policy Institute. Sen. Gallego claims 58% of adults say rising prices have made their financial situation harder; “stronger overtime protection would help workers keep up with the cost of living by boosting their take-home pay.”
“Today, Americans are forced to work grueling hours just to provide the basics for their families — with no hope that higher productivity will translate into a decent raise, let alone more time to spend with loved ones,” Rajiv Sicora, United Automobile Workers Legislative Director, said in a press release.
If passed, the bill would come into force 180 days after signing. The bill still faces several hurdles, as it is in the early stages of the legislative process. It must pass both the Senate and the House of Representatives before being sent to President Trump for his signature.
Workers who would likely feel the pay increase the most would be those who receive high amounts of overtime, like manufacturing, healthcare, logistics, construction, and other hourly wage earners.
Earlier this year, another bill was introduced to raise the federal minimum wage to $25.
As it stands now, it’s been set at $7.25 an hour since 2009, but Democrats have proposed the Living Wage for All Act back in April. The federal minimum wage would slowly increase to $25 per hour with a “two-track phase-in” made possible by forcing large, highly profitable corporations to lead the transition.
The major employers would need to reach $25 by 2031, while smaller employers would phase in more gradually, reaching $25 by 2038. Supporters of the bill claim the boost is needed in order to keep pace with the rising cost of housing, health care, groceries, gas and more.
The move comes as states around the country take minimum wage into their own hands.
New York has introduced a record-breaking $30-per-hour minimum wage, nearly doubling paychecks from its current $ 17-an-hour base pay. Similar to the federal minimum wage bill, workers would see the increase gradually by 2030 for large employers and 2031 for smaller businesses.
If passed, employers with upward of 500 workers would raise salaries to $20 an hour by 2027, increasing each year to 2030, when it’ll end at $30 per hour.
The new bills come just two months after the Democratic Senator from Arizona admitted to sexual relationships with at least two House staffers. According to sources who spoke to The Post, both were aides to Texas Democrats, and one of the women was in her 20s; Gallego is now 46.
Sources said it’s believed both relationships occurred while Gallego was unmarried. The Senator is now married to his current wife, Sydney, after they reportedly met at the June 2018 Congressional Baseball Game.
He filed for divorce from his first wife, Kate, 10 days before Christmas in 2016 when she was nine months pregnant. The divorce was granted in April 2017.
