White House changes to overtime pay affect most postdocs

President Barack Obama’s Administration last week raised the bar to require overtime pay for more workers. Starting Dec. 1, overtime pay will be required for those who work more than 40 hours a week if they make less than $47,476, up from $23,660. The changes exempt many workers in higher education, especially those whose primary role is teaching or interacting with students. That means professors, graduate students, undergraduates, and most administrators are not subject to the overtime rules. But the rules will require overtime for most postdoctoral researchers, especially those in chemistry or other sciences who are engaged in research full-time. Many universities have opposed the proposal as burdensome because it would require labs to track postdocs’ hours and pay overtime. The National Institutes of Health responded by saying it would increase its required postdoc wage to above the overtime threshold. In response to the original overtime proposal in August, the National Postdoctoral Association reiterated its call for postdoc salaries to start at $50,000.