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09-11-2003, 09:43 AM
The uncommon victory for Labor came yesterday after heavy lobbying on both fronts. Senators voted to stop a move by the administration that would lower the lower the salary pay scale. That would give employers the green light to take away overtime pay for many low paid workers, and force them to work more than a 40 hour work week.
"The Bush administration proposal is not only anti-worker and anti-family, it is bad economic policy," said Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa, who led the assault on the regulations. "It will take money out of the pockets of hardworking Americans and will not create one new job."
The regulations are already confusing, the Congress is divided and Bush has vowed to veto any attempt to block his plan. At this point the no one has any idea how the pendulum will swing. Even labor unions who would remain unaffected by the change, have called out their biggest guns to lobby the cause. At a time when the economy is in limbo, this bill has the potential to take millions of dollars away from already struggling American families.
"Federal law generally grants workers overtime pay equal to the rate of time-and-a-half for labor in excess of 40 hours a week. The proposed regulations rewrite technical provisions, some dating to 1949, to define which "white collar" workers would be exempted."
To read more go to: http://www.standard-journal.com/articles/2003/09/10/ap/Business/apnews82321-02.txt
"The Bush administration proposal is not only anti-worker and anti-family, it is bad economic policy," said Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa, who led the assault on the regulations. "It will take money out of the pockets of hardworking Americans and will not create one new job."
The regulations are already confusing, the Congress is divided and Bush has vowed to veto any attempt to block his plan. At this point the no one has any idea how the pendulum will swing. Even labor unions who would remain unaffected by the change, have called out their biggest guns to lobby the cause. At a time when the economy is in limbo, this bill has the potential to take millions of dollars away from already struggling American families.
"Federal law generally grants workers overtime pay equal to the rate of time-and-a-half for labor in excess of 40 hours a week. The proposed regulations rewrite technical provisions, some dating to 1949, to define which "white collar" workers would be exempted."
To read more go to: http://www.standard-journal.com/articles/2003/09/10/ap/Business/apnews82321-02.txt