Four million American workers may now be entitled to something they've never had before: pay for overtime if they make less than $47,500 a year. The previous cut-off was $23,660. Labor Secretary Secretary Tom Perez endorsed the new rule, saying "middle class jobs deserve middle class pay. And that when you work extra you should get paid extra, that's what this is about, it's very simple but very bedrock."
But the new rule may well have unintended consequences, economically — and politically, as we hear from Noam Schieber, a labor reporter for the New York Times.