Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda (Position 8, Citywide), chair of the Housing, Health, Energy and Workers’ Rights Committee, issued the following statement after the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries released new overtime rules that applies to workers, extending overtime protections to those making up to 2.5 times the state minimum wage:
“Once again, Washington state is leading the way in labor protections, centering workers’ health before profits. Thank you to the Washington Department of Labor & Industries and the thousands of workers and advocates who helped set the nation’s highest overtime thresholds, which make clear that no one should work for free.
“Time is money, and for too long employers have taken both under our outdated overtime rules. When these new rules begin to take effect next year, hundreds of thousands of workers will be able to restore balance to their lives and focus on their health and family first.”