Overtime is now available to more Washington workers. They just had to change a law from the 70s
People who make less than $35,000 a year will be eligible for overtime pay in Washington, starting in July.
The state's department of Labor and Industries approved that update to overtime rules today.
The current threshold is about $24,000 dollars for overtime eligibility, but hasn't been updated since 1976.
Washington L&I director Joel Sacks says Washington's overtime benefit is currently unfair, which is why they're changing the rule.
"Our state is going to ensure that many more workers will be paid overtime when they work more than 40 hours in a workweek," he said. "If someone is exempted from the overtime protections they'll be paid an appropriate salary. From our perspective that's only fair and it's long overdue."
Washington's new law is similar to the federal recommendation for who gets overtime pay. The state will eventually surpass federal requirements and require overtime for people making up to $83,000 by the year 2028.
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Paige Browning
Newscaster
Paige hosts midday newscasts and monitors news of significance to the Puget Sound region. She hopped over Washington’s mountains to join KUOW, after hosting news and reporting at Spokane Public Radio since 2011. She began her start in radio while a journalism student at University of Montana, by sharing stories with KUFM. Paige was raised in the mountains and rivers around Spokane. In her spare time she cheers on the Mariners in the summer, and hopes for snow in the winter.
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