6.9 Million Women Would Directly Benefit from Raising the Overtime Salary Threshold to $50,440

By Ross Eisenbrey and Will Kimball
August 12, 2015 - Economic Policy Institute

Because their pay tends to be lower than men’s, women are especially likely to benefit from the Department of Labor’s proposed change to the rules governing overtime pay, which would require all salaried workers earning less than $50,440 a year in 2016 to be automatically entitled to time-and-a-half pay if they work more than 40 hours in a week. Currently, only workers paid a salary of $23,660 or less have this guarantee—workers paid more than $23,660 can be denied overtime pay under the current rules if their primary job duty is determined to be “executive, administrative, or professional.”

6.9 million women would directly benefit from raising the overtime salary threshold to $50,440