Written by Shelby Kennedy.
Illustration by Allison Cortez.
The White House released a report on Wednesday March 26 announcing changes to current federal regulations that concern eligibility for overtime pay.
In an article published by The New York Times, David S. Joachim writes that President Obama has instructed the Labor Department to “make millions more workers eligible for extra pay when they work more than 40 hours a week.”
In response, Labor Secretary Thomas E. Perez has begun to devise a system to widen the qualifications for overtime pay.
Since the beginning of the economic recovery five years ago, Obama has moved unilaterally on multiple economic issues in order to make the changes he sees fit. Many times he’s acted without consulting either Congress or his Republican opposition.
Two bills concerning the federal minimum wage and other economic issues are last year’s Fair Minimum Wage Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act. Both have faced opposition from the GOP.
Joachim of The New York Times said that, despite a widespread increase in profits, “the portion of the economy that goes to worker pay has dropped to an all-time low.”
In a speech delivered on March 5 at Central Connecticut State University, President Obama highlighted the issue and its disproportionate effect on women when he said, “a majority of lower-wage jobs are held by women.”
A recent Congressional report supports that claim.
“2.8 million working single parents would benefit from the President’s proposed increase in the full minimum wage,” the report said, “more than 80 percent of whom are women.”
If the average pay increases the overall workforce in this nation increases, the poverty level will decrease, especially in regards to women.
“Women get paid less than men, and the proposal would help ‘close the gender gap’,” Forbes staff member Susan Adams said in her article titled, “A New Way to Close the Gender Pay Gap.”
A majority of women are unable to support their families because their paychecks are not large enough to cover basic household expenses. This in turn leads to higher rates of homelessness and young age employment.
“Women, on average, make only 77 cents for every dollar that a man makes,” said Congressman Alcee L. Hastings (D-Fla.) in comments to The Huffington Post in regards to this issue.
“I remain committed to enacting legislation that will raise the national minimum wage for all American workers,” Hastings said.
