Paying workers more by federal mandate is anathema to any red-blooded Republican. Yet Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Labor, Alexander Acosta, doesn’t think the current rules on overtime pay adequately protect workers’ interests. And he said so:
“The overtime rule hasn’t been updated since 2004. It’s unfortunate that rules that involve dollar values can sometimes go more than a decade, sometimes 15 years, without being updated. Because life does get more expensive.”
Such apostasy is the equivalent of, say, a Trump EPA nominee admitting that humans contribute to climate change. (That admission is not in the works.) But Acosta nonetheless held his ground when questioned on a potential raise in the requirements for overtime pay. Stating the obvious –“the world has gotten more expensive and salaries have changed since 2004” — Acosta suggested that the low-income threshold be raised above the $23,660 set in 2004. Acosta believes the earnings threshold where the overtime pay rule ( time-and-a-half after 40 hours a week) would kick in should be raised about $10,000 to $33,000.
[Labor Pick Alexander Acosta Prosecuted Famous Republican Fraud]
