This Labor Day weekend, we want to again highlight one of the most impactful things President Biden could do for the middle class, and a policy we’re super passionate about: Restoring overtime protections for salaried workers.

If it feels like you’re working longer hours for less money than your parents or grandparents did, it’s because you probably are. Up until the mid-1970s, most salaried Americans could count on time-and-a-half pay for every hour over 40 they worked in a week. That’s because we had strong overtime protections, first introduced in 1938, which covered about two-thirds of salaried workers.

Fast forward to today, and elected leaders from both parties have let overtime protections fall so far behind that less than 15% of full-time salaried workers are covered. It doesn’t mean that Americans are working less – in fact, the average salaried employee reports working 49 hours a week. It just means we’re not getting paid for it.

That’s why Team Civic Action created a petition calling on President Biden and the Department of Labor to restore overtime protections – which he can do without the support of Congress. Will you add your name now to join the fight?

Restoring overtime protections won’t just help workers find a better work-life balance, but it will strengthen our economy. Raising the overtime salary threshold – the salary under which an employee must be paid extra for extra hours – to $83,000 a year would begin to restore overtime protections to their historic levels. Employers would have the choice to compensate workers for extra hours, send people home on time, or hire more employees to ensure everyone has a 40-hour workweek. This would either give employees more money to spend or create more jobs, both of which would strengthen our economy in the long run.

But it’s also about our time. Our time is valuable, and if you’re putting in extra hours at work and missing out on time with your family and friends then you should be paid for it. Time is money, and right now employers are taking both from millions of Americans.

Right now, Washington state is leading the nation in overtime protections. In 2019, our state restored overtime protections to 2.5 times the minimum wage. It’s a step in the right direction, but now, we need the federal government to take action and protect more Americans.

Restoring overtime is a win-win policy for workers and our economy. President Biden has the power to take action on the issue without going through Congress – which is why we need activists like you to help convince the Biden administration to take action. That’s why we’re counting on you to sign our petition today.

Before you celebrate the Labor Day weekend, we’re asking you to stand up for American workers: Will you add your name and urge the Biden administration to restore overtime protections?

Thanks for your advocacy,

Team Civic Action