Hi John,
Four points:
1- Staff that are on a Salary but under the $50,000 mark, like office manager, Warehouse, HR, Inside sales/appointment setters. It is hard to go back to hourly since Salary is also a symbol of status that I believe it is a good idea to keep.
2- They cant work more than 40 hours a week without going into salary overtime. By working more than 40 hours a week, employees showed their commitment and dedication to the company and used it to gain opportunities for advancements.
3- I believe this is a precursor for the min wage raise coming up soon. If min wage goes up to $15, I would believe the hourly rate for an intro tech would be around $28-$30.
4- Standardization across all states without considerations to local cost of living. I belive this will maximize the impact of inflation as increase of min wage kicks in