Alongside Worker Advocates, Murray, Democrats Renew Call to Implement New Overtime Protections, Urge President-elect Trump to Follow Through on Promises to Workers
Today—the date on which President Obama’s new overtime rule would have gone into effect—Murray and Democrats held a press conference to call on President-elect Donald Trump to follow through on his promises to help workers and agree to support the rule
Murray: “I’m calling on President-elect Trump to make a radical reversal from his concerning transition—make the right choice for workers and families—and announce right away that he’s committed to ensuring workers get the overtime pay they have earned fair and square.”
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, held a press conference with Senate and House Democrats to address the immediate need to implement the Department of Labor’s overtime rule. They were joined by worker advocates from the National Employment Law Project (NELP), the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), and MomsRising.
The overtime rule, which would have gone into effect today, raised the salary threshold to $47,476, expanding overtime eligibility to 4.2 million workers and boosting wages for workers by $12 billion over the next 10 years. In her remarks, Senator Murray called on President-elect Donald Trump to follow through on his promises to stand with workers and agree to ensure they get the overtime pay they’ve earned, rather than standing with big business.
Key excerpts from Senator Murray’s remarks:
“Let’s be clear: while that shocking decision was made in the courts, Republicans in Congress and big business have tried as hard as they can to block this rule every step of the way. Now they’ll have President-elect Trump by their side—and he has a decision to make.
“He made promise after promise on the campaign trail about helping workers, and he’s going to have to decide whether to he’s going to follow through. Will he stand with millions of working families—those who voted for him, and those who didn’t—and make sure they get the pay they’ve earned? Or, will he side with special interests and millionaires like himself, who put profits first every time.
“Today, I’m calling on President-elect Trump to make a radical reversal from his concerning transition—make the right choice for workers and families—and announce right away that he’s committed to ensuring workers get the overtime pay they have earned fair and square.
“And if he refuses, he should know that—now more than ever—Democrats here in Congress are going to fight tooth and nail for the people and communities we represent, to stand up for our values and priorities, and show the American people a path to a government and a country that works for all families, not just the wealthiest few.”
Full text of Senator Murray’s remarks:
“Thank you so much to my colleagues—on both sides of the Capitol—and all the strong advocates joining us here today.
“I’ve spent the last several months traveling across my home state, hearing from working families who feel like they’ve been left behind in this economic recovery.
“And one of the most common stories I’ve heard about—from young people, parents, and so many others—is workers putting in long hours, working hard, but always coming up short at the end of the month.
“And it’s not just workers in my state—feeling like they are doing more and more for less and less pay—it’s workers across the country.
“That’s why I am proud to support President Obama’s actions to restore overtime protections for millions of workers and families—one of most important steps taken to help grow middle-class wages.
“I’m also deeply disappointed that, as we all know, a district court judge has issued a temporary injunction blocking the new overtime rule from taking effect today, December 1st.
“But let’s be clear: while that shocking decision was made in the courts, Republicans in Congress and big business have tried as hard as they can to block this rule every step of the way.
“Now they’ll have President-elect Trump by their side—and he has a decision to make.
“He made promise after promise on the campaign trail about helping workers, and he’s going to have to decide whether to he’s going to follow through.
“Will he stand with millions of working families—those who voted for him, and those who didn’t—and make sure they get the pay they’ve earned?
“Or, will he side with special interests and millionaires like himself, who put profits first every time.
“Today, I’m calling on President-elect Trump to make a radical reversal from his concerning transition—make the right choice for workers and families—and announce right away that he’s committed to ensuring workers get the overtime pay they have earned fair and square.
“And if he refuses, he should know that—now more than ever—Democrats here in Congress are going to fight tooth and nail for the people and communities we represent, to stand up for our values and priorities, and show the American people a path to a government and a country that works for all families, not just the wealthiest few.
“If President-elect Trump wants to take away this basic worker protection for good—he’ll have to answer to the millions of hardworking Americans putting in overtime without receiving a dime in extra pay.
“And he can be sure that, all of us here today, will hold him accountable as well.
“Thank you.”
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