Make the Road New Jersey members delivered hundreds of letters from New Jersey Workers Calling on Gov. Murphy to Restore Overtime Rights

February 13, 2020 — Trenton, NJ: Members of Make the Road New Jersey, the immigrant and workers’ rights organization, delivered 500 letters from New Jersey workers to Gov. Phil Murphy today, urging him to take action to restore overtime rights for thousands of New Jersey workers.

The Trump administration rule, which went into effect last month, only permits white collar workers to be eligible for overtime pay if they earn less than about $35,000 per year. That means retail and fast food managers are missing out on overtime pay and working 50, 60 or 70 hours a week without overtime compensation, losing time with their families and wages.

The petition calls on Gov. Murphy to increase the overtime threshold to all workers earning up to 2.5x the minimum wage (about $70,000 per year), similar to a regulation from Washington State. The petition urges that “New Jersey must act to keep at pace with similar cost, progressive states.”

“It’s time for Gov. Murphy to take action to restore overtime rights and take bold action. Workers – no matter the title their boss gives them – shouldn’t be made to work for free,” said Rosa Juadalupe of Make the Road New Jersey.

Last week, Andrea Rodriguez, a manager at Panera, published an OpEd in the Star Ledger sharing her story. She is one of the thousands of workers who just lost her overtime rights under the new rule from the Trump administration. She often works 45 or 50 hours per week, but under Trump’s new regulation, she can be made to work “unlimited hours – essentially for free.”

Make the Road NJ
http://www.maketheroadnj.org/