Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, held a press conference on Thursday 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, according to a Murray media release.
The overtime rule, which would have gone into effect Dec. 1, 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, 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 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.”
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