Padilla Cosponsors Legislation to Expand Overtime Pay to Nearly 30 Million Workers

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) joined Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Representative Mark Takano (D-Calif.) in introducing the Restoring Overtime Pay Act to expand and strengthen overtime protections for nearly 30 million workers. This legislation was introduced amid President Trump’s efforts to advance “No Tax on Overtime” while simultaneously denying the right to overtime pay for more than 4.3 million workers across the country. The Restoring Overtime Pay Act would expand or strengthen overtime protections for up to 29.3 million workers by gradually increasing the overtime salary threshold from just $35,568 today to more than $89,000 by 2030. This legislation comes on the heels of President Trump’s rescission of a Biden-era rule that would have expanded overtime pay for more than 4 million workers and ensured that most workers who put in more than 40 hours a week are paid 1.5 times their regular pay for the extra hours they work. “At a time when the Trump Administration’s decisions are directly increasing the cost of living for working families across the country, Congress has a responsibility to protect and more fairly pay our workforce,” said Senator Padilla . “I am proud to co-sponsor this legislation to expand overtime protections and ensure hardworking Americans are better compensated for the hours they put in.” “At a time of massive income and wealth inequality, when over 60% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, it is beyond unacceptable that President Trump is denying overtime pay to millions of workers who desperately need it to keep up with the outrageously high cost of living,” said Senator Sanders “We should be making it easier, not harder, for Americans who work more than 40 hours a week to get the time-and-a-half pay that they have earned and deserve. That’s precisely what this bill would do.” “Americans are working more for less,” said Representative Takano. “Expanding the overtime threshold for salaried employees is the best way to ensure that families can survive the cost-of-living crisis caused by Donald Trump. I am proud to introduce this bill to help make sure over 29 million workers get paid fairly.” Currently, just eight percent of full-time salaried workers are eligible for overtime pay based on their salaries alone. This legislation would increase that figure to 55 percent of full-time salaried workers. This is not a radical idea. In 1975, nearly 63 percent of all full-time salaried workers were guaranteed overtime pay. Restoring Overtime Pay Act Timeline Year Overtime Threshold 2026 $45,000 2027 $55,000 2028 $65,000 2029 $75,000 2030 55 th percentile of full-time salaried workers nationally*, updated annually *The current 55 th percentile of full-time salaried workers nationally is $89,440 and could increase to $98,000 by 2030. In addition to Padilla, Sanders, and Takano, this legislation is co-sponsored by Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) and 22 members of the House of Representatives. The Restoring Overtime Pay Act has been endorsed by 34 organizations, including the AFL-CIO, United Auto Workers (UAW), Service Employees International Union (SEIU), International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers (IAM); International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE); National Education Association (NEA), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Communications Workers of America (CWA), UNITE HERE, United Electrical, Radio & Machine Workers of America (UE), United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), United for Respect, and United Steelworkers (USW). Padilla is a longtime advocate for helping workers secure fair wages and improving workplace safety standards. Last year, Padilla and Markey introduced the bipartisan, bicameral Guaranteeing Overtime for Truckers Act to ensure that truckers are compensated fairly for the hours that they are on the clock, including overtime. Padilla also introduced legislation to protect the safety and health of indoor and outdoor workers who are exposed to dangerous heat conditions in the workplace. In the aftermath of the Southern California fires, Padilla introduced the bipartisan Firefighter Paycheck Protection Act to protect wildland firefighter pay and provide long-term workforce stability. Additionally, he introduced the Wildland Firefighter Pay Act to permanently raise the caps on overtime premium pay for federal wildland firefighters. Previously, Padilla introduced the Fairness for Farm Workers Act , legislation to update the nation’s labor laws to ensure farm workers receive fairer wages and compensation. Full text of the bill is available here . Fact sheet of the bill is available here . Section-by-section summary is available here . ###