Alabama Republican Introduces Bill to Eliminate Overtime Pay

[Cryptoad]

I wouldn’t have believed it had I not read it for myself from the official Congressional website.

U.S. Representative Martha Roby, a Republican from Alabama’s 2d Congressional District has introduced H.R. 1406, officially named the “Working Families Flexibility Act of 2013? which would END the requirement of the Fair Labor Standards Act for employers to pay Time-and-a-Half to employees for every hour worked over 40 in one week.

http://beta.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/1406

The Congressional Budget Office has reported on the bill, and in part wrote that:

“H.R. 1406 would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to provide compensatory time for employees in the private sector. In lieu of overtime pay, employees could receive compensatory time off at a rate not less than one and one-half hours for each hour of employment for which overtime pay would otherwise have been required. Such compensatory time could be provided only in accordance with a collective bargaining agreement or with the consent of affected employees. The changes would be effective for five years after enactment of the bill.”

The CBO’s full report of the one page document may be downloaded here:
(https://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/cbofiles/attachments/hr1406.pdf)

[Boomerproud]

1. "Working Families Flexibility Act"

Just another phrase (and idea) like "Right To Work"-straight out of 1984. Any surprise that a Pubbie thought of it?

[atreides1]

2. It's the South

With another form of slavery...they just won't let go of their past will they???

[demosincebirth]

11. Descendents of segregationist.

[procon]

3. Fabulous idea!

Pay your rent with comp time, or buy groceries; and it will be great for the economy too.

[Cryptoad]

7. Company Store?

[awoke_in_2003]

15. We have a store where I work...

that sells shirts, hats, etc, with our logo. They decided to call it the Company Store. As someone just one generation removed from Appalachian poverty, I objected. They didn't see what my problem was. History means nothing to most people.

[Cryptoad]

20. I know what you saying

I am still taken back to hear kids talking about playing a game called "corn hole".

[FreakinDJ]

4. Overtime pay after 8hrs

is really why the original law was enacted

Because accidents in work place rise dramatically after 8hrs

When then Governor of Calif. Pete Wilson tried to do that you would be surprised at the number of people who didn't know that BY LAW Employers were required to pay 1 1/2 rate after 8hrs

[nyquil_man]

5. This has been introduced before.

As I understand it, the catch is this: The employer can agree to grant time off and then never grant it on the grounds that it will "unduly disrupt the operations" of the business or simply by giving 30 days notice that the time will not be granted. Then, the employer can just compensate the employee at the "regular rate," which has been defined by the Supreme Court to mean the pay they receive during regular working hours.

If I'm misunderstanding the language of the bill, let me know.

[TroglodyteScholar]

13. Looks like that to me n/t

[awoke_in_2003]

16. No, I think you got it...

fucking the common person is what it is all about.

[Populist_Prole]

18. Happens all the time

Comp time off denied due to "needs of service". It's a corporate money grab and nothing more.

[Demo_Chris]

6. Otherwise known as the "work for free" act

An employee gets "paid" in comp time he cannot use. And of course he cannot use it -- there's a shortage of workers, as proven by the need for the employee to work overtime in the first place.

[spanone]

8. how on god's green earth do these people hating people get elected?

makes absolutely no sense.

[demosincebirth]

10. They get elected by people who think just like them. They seem to live in the southern states.

on edit: not all live in the south.

[Art_from_Ark]

19. I used to work for a Michigan-based company

They had a swing shift, which included two times a month of working seven 8-hour shifts in a row. But they arranged those two shifts so that they would each straddle two calendar weeks, so that they would not have to pay overtime.

[demosincebirth]

21. Some states, like the Federal Labor Law have any time over 40 hours a week = time and a half.

Here in CA., state Labor law requires any time over 8 hours a day = time and a half which coincides with many labor contracts. Companies will try to find many ways to circumvent the Federal Labor Laws.

[Historic NY]

9. Comp time doesn't pay the bills

[awoke_in_2003]

17. Comp time doesn't even get you time off...

I worked for a company that offered comp time in lieu of overtime. I easily worked 4 times more than the actual time off I was given. "Feel lucky you have a job"- the mantra of the plutocracy.

[TroglodyteScholar]

12. So... comp and a half

Horseshit. People will never see the time off they earn. The south still has a slave labor mentality...in Georgia I saw a supervisor threaten to drive by an employee's home to make sure he was actually sick on the day he took off--nevermind he had a fine record that shouldn't have raised any suspicions.

This won't fly, but I'm sadly unsurprised that it came from my home state.

[awoke_in_2003]

14. I believe it...

to anyone who has been paying attention, there has been an all out war on labor since Reagan fired the air traffic controllers. One day we will need to wake the f up. K&R.

[Glassunion]

22. Well if not for this comp time when will these employees have the time

To go out and sell their Christmas presents?

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

23. Guess he wanted to bring back slavery but found out it wouldn't be as popular.

[octoberlib]

24. This is an ALEC model bill.

Look for it in all red states.