Issued November 23, 2016
WASHINGTON—SEIU International President Mary Kay Henry issued the following statement decrying the Texas Federal Court decision to issue an injunction blocking the Obama Administration’s changes to the overtime rule:
“Working families have had the rug pulled out from under them right as we go into the holiday season. They have been under assault for the past 40 years, with communities of color, people who are early in their careers and those with modest education being the most severely hurt from this extreme decision. President Obama’s decision to update the overtime threshold – which previous presidents have made with no legal challenge - was proper, legal, and well within his authority. This decision was wrongly decided and should be overturned.
“This decision could hurt more than just the people who won’t get paid for the hours they put in. It could hurt the financial base of our communities and small businesses that rely on those people spending money in order to thrive
“Working women and men should be paid for the time they work, period. In 1979, the salary threshold for overtime pay covered over two-thirds of workers. In the four decades since then, employers have taken advantage of more and more overworked and underpaid people who are just trying to sustain their families and get ahead. This new regulation would simply begin to update this salary threshold test for overtime pay.The time had long since come for these millions of people to be paid for the hours they work.”