Washington, D.C. — A new column from the Center for American Progress outlines how Project 2025, a proposal by the Heritage Foundation, would complicate eligibility for overtime pay and potentially allow employers to misuse these regulations.
Overtime pay is designed to increase workers' earnings and protect their personal time. Without it, employees could be required to work extended hours without additional compensation.
Project 2025 includes several provisions:
- Allowing employers to select time frames for measuring work hours: This would give employees less control and transparency over their paychecks.
- Substituting time off for traditional overtime pay: Employers could prevent workers from using accrued paid time off, effectively eliminating any overtime benefits.
- Prioritizing corporate interests over employee benefits: The proposal emphasizes employer flexibility at the expense of worker rights.
- Reducing the number of workers eligible for overtime: The Trump administration's threshold was $35,568 annually or $684 weekly. Project 2025 suggests reverting to these rules, which would exclude 4.3 million workers from receiving overtime pay.
“Project 2025’s far-right vision of overtime eligibility and benefits is designed to disempower workers,” said Lily Roberts, managing director for Inclusive Growth at CAP and author of the column. “It would put more power in the hands of employers to exploit employees, which is seemingly part of Project 2025’s larger goal: pad corporate bottom lines at the expense of workers.”
The full column can be read under the title “Project 2025 Would Cut Access to Overtime Pay” by Lily Roberts.
For further information or expert commentary, contact Jasmine Razeghi at [email protected].
