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More American workers would qualify for overtime with a plan President Barack Obama is proposing. 

Right now, any salaried employee paid more than $455 a week, or about $23,600 a year, can be called a “manager” and doesn't have to be paid overtime. The president wants salaried employees earning up to about $50,400 to be able to earn overtime. 

President Obama said the current limit is low and undercuts the intent of the overtime law.

While visiting North Carolina Tuesday, U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez said the proposal would restore fair wages to salaried workers putting in more than a 40 hour work week.

"This is a great investment, they're not only building the workforce, they're building the middle class," said Perez.

Around 5 million middle class workers would benefit from the President's proposal to change the guidelines for getting overtime.

"When I was a kid growing up in Buffalo, my parents’ friends who were managers, that was a middle class job. But those jobs [now], you got people working 60 hours a week, making $25,000, it's not a middle class job,” said Perez.

Right now salaried employee at that level can be called a "manager" and be exempt from overtime. The proposal would raise the exemption to over $50,000 a year and tie it to inflation.

"Overtime stands for the simple proposition that when you work extra, you should be paid extra,” said Perez.

The administration says the move would raise workers’ pay by around $1.2 billion a year.

Rep. Virginia Foxx, also on the tour with Perez, expressed concerns.

"Raising the minimum wage generally eliminates a lot of jobs, we're just not sure what the consequences would be of this particular move," said Foxx.

Business leaders are worried about the cost and additional paperwork.

"Making sure, any time after 40 hours you're documenting that, they're being paid, proving that to the government, is probably going to turn out to be as expensive as the actual additional wages," said Gayle Anderson, the President of the Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce.

While there are questions about the impact on business, the administration says the proposal would strengthen the middle class.

http://www.twcnews.com/nc/triangle-sandhills/politics/2015/06/30/president-obama-wants-more-workers-to-get-overtime-.html