'More money in the pockets of Ohioans:' Sherrod Brown wants more workers to get overtime pay

Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown said Wednesday he would once again introduce a bill that would increase the number of people who qualify for overtime pay, or time-and-a-half-pay for any hours they work beyond 40 in a week.

The Restoring Overtime Pay Act would raise the threshold under which employers would be required to pay their salaried workers overtime pay. Currently, the threshold is $35,568 per year or $684 per week, which Browns considers out of date.

"So often these workers are working 50, 60, 70 hours a week, they're putting in the extra work, their paychecks ought to reflect that," Brown said during a Wednesday conference call with reporters. "They often have no real input or ability to manage their own work schedule because their employers are making them work these extra hours with no more pay.

"Our bill simply would mean more money in the pockets of Ohioans at a time when they need it most to keep up with rising costs."

What would the Restoring Overtime Pay Act do?

If passed, the bill would immediately raise the overtime salary threshold to $45,000, and raise it by $10,000 each year for the next five years, according to Brown, who's been down this road before.

In 2016, then-President Barack Obama's labor department overhauled the overtime rule. But days before the threshold was set to be raised to $47,500, a federal judge blocked the effort, siding with business groups who argued the higher threshold would have led to increased costs and layoffs.

The threshold was raised to its current level in 2019 under the Trump administration.

Brown hopes this time will play out differently. "We don't know for sure if it will stand but we will try," he said.

The Ohio Chamber of Commerce and the Columbus Chamber of Commerce had not responded to requests for comment as of Thursday afternoon.

Northeast Ohio woman says she isn't paid for the extra hours she puts in

Brown was joined Wednesday by Yvonne, who declined to share her last name over fears of retribution by her employer. Yvonne said she lives in Northeast Ohio with her husband and two adult sons and makes $69,000 a year working as a commercial account manager for an insurance agency.

Yvonne said she oftentimes arrives to work early, works through lunch and stays late. But her employer doesn't pay her for the extra hours, she said.

"On any given day, I have thousands of emails going back and forth. I put in overtime because I care. I care about my customers, I care about my job and I care about my agents," she said.

Groceries are a big expense, she said, in large part because she lives with three men, two of whom can't afford to move out.

"Do you know how much men eat? It's a lot," she said. "We pay almost $300 a week for groceries. I can't afford the amount of food we need."

Yvonne said if she was paid for all the hours she works, she and her family wouldn't have to worry about unexpected expenses.

"With all the hours I'm working and the cost of living going up, we're finding it hard to get by," she said.

Brown said he had recently spoken with Julie Su, President Joe Biden's nominee for secretary of labor, and hopes to introduce his bill this week.

Monroe Trombly covers the workplace and environmental issues for The Columbus Dispatch.

mtrombly@dispatch.com

@monroetrombly

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Sherrod Brown wants to give more workers the right to be paid OT