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Here's some good economic news for rural America:
President Biden just raised the income ceiling for who qualifies for overtime pay for the first time in over a decade.
Currently, salaried workers earning more than $35,568 do not qualify for overtime if they work over 40 hours in a week. A rule that's kept low-wage workers from being able to climb up into the middle class.
Beginning July 1st of this year, the threshold will increase to $43,888. Then, on July 1st of next year, all salaried workers earning less than $58,656 will qualify to earn that coveted time-and-a-half overtime pay!
Folks in rural areas — where wages have stagnated for years — will see more money in their paychecks starting in less than two months.
Nearly 4.3 million people will see a boost, including about 2 million women and 1 million people of color, and especially workers in the hospitality, health care, finance, manufacturing and retail sectors.
Another new pro-worker rule strikes down "non-compete" agreements – contracts that stop departing workers from finding a similar job in their field and giving employers enormous power over their employees.
Some 30 million Americans are limited in their ability to find work or start businesses under these non-compete agreements, stifling competition and keeping workers underpaid and underperforming. And thanks to the Biden administration, the power of the agreements will be severely limited, freeing workers to chart their own employment path instead of relying only on the goodwill of an employer.
After adding 175,000 jobs during the month of April, and a total of 15 million since 2021, President Biden is delivering on the biggest wealth-building tool for rural families: a good-paying job.
Tessa
Tessa Gould
Executive Director, One Country Project
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Founded by former U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), the One Country Project is dedicated to reopening the dialogue with rural communities, rebuilding trust and respect, and advancing an opportunity agenda for rural Americans. Our mission is to ensure rural America’s priorities and values are heard, understood, well-represented and reflected in policy in Washington.
Your financial contribution supports our work to promote greater opportunities for rural communities.
If you're able, please join our rural champions program by making a recurring gift. Knowing we can count on your gift each month really helps.
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