Overtime Pay For Millions of Americans in Peril

[thebaghwan]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/oneworld/20040114/wl_oneworld/4536767841074121627&e=5

Oh Boy, another major screwing by the Bushitas. I spend $4,000 and 18 months to strengthen my skills in an area I hope to get a job in and that job title falls under this overtime cut.

[54anickel]

1. They completely ignore every effort by the working class to stop this. I

had signed up for 3 or 4 actions on this thru moveon and the movement affiliated with the AFL-CIO. Stacks and stacks of letters and petitions, hundreds of thousand of signatures, it's came up like 3 or 4 times and the pompous little bastard still got his way.

[private_ryan]

2. I bet you many of those people will still vote for him

whoever does, deserves what it gets. Not all repukes are rich

[lovedems]

3. Since it didn't work they way they wanted in congress

now they are going to make it an administrative order which doesn't require congress approval at all.

I can't believe we are constantly spoon fed how close this election is going to be. They haven't stopped at ANYTHING to make their corporate donors happy.

[Gysgt213]

4. They are also showing employers how to beat their system by

raising employee's pay so that they don't qualify for overtime pay.

http://www.unknownnews.net/040107ot.html

[Clark4VotingRights]

5. Yeah...could they be any more brazen?

Fuckers.

[baby_bear]

10. It's not an administrative order

It's executive branch rulemaking. Dems and some Repugs in Congress tried to stop this rulemaking but it didn't make it through the closed-door process between the House and the Senate. Therefore it won't be in the omnibus bill when Congress returns next week.

All due to the Republican leadership, ahem, Frist and DeLay.

Did you read about the suggestions the dept of Labor came out with to try to make sure employers can screw their employees even further?

Came out last week while I was in LA.

I'll post a link.

s_m

[dusty64]

13. Thats what they've done

with their entire extremist agenda. If it doesn't pass Congress, push it through by executive order. The hypocrisy is beyond astounding.

[abelenkpe]

6. geez

we have got to get rid of this administration. Is there nothing we can do to try to protect the overtime laws? Why isn't this on the front page?

[The Zanti Regent]

7. The Press is too busy with Michael Jackson

And Robert Blake, Pee Wee, Jeffrey Jones and Scott Peterson!

[bluestateguy]

8. This plan will eat up their Bush taxcut and then some

throw in health care premiums that rise by 15% a year, rising college tutitions, higher state and local taxes and you have the full impact of this "recovery" for working class people.

[young_at_heart]

9. Money is needed for the moon

We can't have people earning overtime....please, space exploration is what it's all about!

[Samantha]

11. So how does the Executive Branch trump the Fair Labor Standards Act

with an Executive Order? It's clear that rather than raising the labor standards in the rest of the world, Bush*s intent is to lower them here, so United States workers will be working at lower standards, as opposed to the rest of the world's labor market having its standards lifted. And, of course, should a worker refuse, a corporate human resources department can import a worker from Mexico, under Bush*s proposed immigration policy, to replace that worker. Looks like he has the details worked out ....

I wonder if the voting Republican world who would be impacted by such changes in the current overtime laws when denying that the God-like Bush* would steal an election dreamed he would steal from them, steal as in usurping legitimate overtime wages they legally earned. Fortunately for me, I don't recognize Bush*; likewise I disregard all his Executive Orders. The day my employer sees me at work performing tasks for them and not getting paid for it is the day he or she will be seeing things.

CNN featured an article in the Richmond Dispatch featuring a suggestion of the Labor Department to employers seeking to avoid paying overtime to lower-wage personnel to cut hourly wages, work their employees longer hours, and end up paying the same amount. If Bush* follows through with his determination to effect these changes, one way or another, it's going to be a horrendous sight to see, the reaction among the labor force that results.

[yankeeinlouisiana]

12. I truly, truly

and honestly hate this man. This is very sad indeed.

I can't think of anything else to say.

:-(

[stickdog]

14. Cheap labor conservatives strike again.

And the pundits all scratch their heads and wonder why this corporate earnings "recovery" hasn't created a single job!

[cthrumatrix]

15. this is your wonderful media at work --- it's too late -- did they share

this ahead of time on mainsream media -- NO.

Who does this benfit--business --- of course.

Screw the working people -- get rid of bush and take back your media.

[LincolnMcGrath]

16. You people think it stops with overtime?

I warned you, and it will soon be gone. They want it all. Head start, Unemployment insurance, Tort reform, Union Destruction.

I have breathed the same air as a *Compassionate Conservative* Senator, broke bread with him and his kin. I know what they are after.
"Why do we need unemployment insurance, The paper has jobs every day?" From the distinguished gentleman`s mouth.

I say, "The first ten jobs are strippers/escorts, and the other four pay $6 pr hour."

"So you work two jobs!" screamed this compassionate child of fortune.

[cleofus1]

17. it's his political philosophy

Leave no Millionaire Behind

[markus]

18. Is it true: No more overtime at more than $22,100 a year?

Folks, that $10.83 an hour. It's lower than the average starting wage in Fargo, ND, but we're a hopeless frozen banana republic (sort of like my natal state of Louisiana, but with snow).

When people making a few bucks over ten an hour suddenly realise they can be forced to work as long as their employer likes for no overtime at $11 bucks an hour, I can only hope there is going to be a backlash of the sort requiring police protection and possibly the national guard.

[Greyskye]

22. My understanding is that that is not true...

It looks like the cutoff is at $65,000/year.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=655&u=/oneworld/20040114/wl_oneworld/4536767841074121627&printer=1

On edit:
My question is: Is this a guideline for companies, or an imposed 'regulation'? I'm trying to find out if this is going to affect me or not. I generally get a big chunk of my annual pay from overtime and doubletime. If my company has this imposed on it, I'll definitely be impacted. :grr: :( :grr:

[thebaghwan]

23. That is my understanding also

n/t

[Ilsa]

30. The rule isn't limited to over $65,000 a year, it jsut includes them.

It could apply to nurses, et al, making $35,000 a year being reclassifed as managers.

It is particularly egregious to nurses and other hourly medical people who could be charged with "deserting" their patients for not staying for longer hours.

[LincolnMcGrath]

19. Kick

[laylah]

20. scumbags...

the whole lot of them! may they all rot in hell! :mad:

[LincolnMcGrath]

21. Kick

[LincolnMcGrath]

24. $%$%

Rep. Ralph Regula (R-Ohio), who chairs the committee, said in a letter to Obey in late October that he would not provide funds for projects in the districts of members of either party who voted against the bill, which he defended as "fair and balanced." He said that he had to make "priority choices within available funds to secure at least 218 votes" and that the tactic had been used by "both Democrats and Republicans throughout the history of the institution." A copy of the letter was obtained from Regula's staff.

"I am certainly not trying to intimidate members; I am simply trying to do the best I can within the funding available," Regula wrote.

The exact numbers of workers affected is unknown, because it would depend on how many companies seek to reclassify employees. For example, current rules classify workers "exempt" from overtime pay who use "discretion and judgment." The new rules would allow exemptions for workers who hold a "position of responsibility."

Critics say that could mean that employees who supervise as few as two workers could be denied overtime, including firefighters and police officers.

[aeon flux]

25. Arnold's plan to reform worker's comp in California

entails cutting the modest benefits workers comp benefits received by workers injured on the job.

However, 99% of the waste and fraud in the worker's comp program is caused by the insurance companies, which Arnold turns a blind eye on.

So much for campagining as the big anti-special interest crusader.

[GinaMaria]

26. don't know what I'm more angry about

screwing workers out of overtime or that yahoo news prints democrat instead of democratic in the article. It's a deliberate misuse of the word by writers who know better. Any one else tired of this bs campaign by the right wingers?

[54anickel]

27. ACTION ITEM! Senate vote Jan 20th

http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/voteforovertime/xs753d2fbtj7t


Yes, this will be the 5th time for me on filling one of these out. Not to mention my own e-mails directly. Beginning to feel it's a waste of time, but please contact your Senators if you want to try to stop this.

[BenFranklinUSA]

28. Companies more willing to pay OT to low-scalers???

By not paying people over $65k their overtime, employers would be more willing to allow lesser paid folks to work for overtime pay?
I'll believe it when I see it.

[GinaMaria]

29. This ought to help the nursing shortage /sarcasm n/t

[Clyde39]

31. Nurses are not as important as the moon mission

We really NEED to spend billions to return to the moon.

[TheDalaiMama]

32. Didn't you all get the memo? One thousand (1000) will benefit from this

it does not matter that 8000 will lose money. Goodbye Mr Boosh.
Take your time going...but hurry back!

dalai

[demgrrrll]

33. I drove by a huge billboard with a message about cutting overtime

and a question for "Mr. Bush" I hope these are littering the landscape of every state in America. While I am not a fan of billboards this is a message that needs to be shouted over the heads of the media pundits.

[Must_B_Free]

34. link dead

[54anickel]

35. Here's a new link to story and link to EPI study

Has the same title for the story

Overtime Pay For Millions of Americans in Peril

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0115-01.htm



Here are the EPI links

http://www.epinet.org/content.cfm/webfeatures_viewpoints_overtime_loss

http://www.epinet.org/content.cfm/webfeatures_viewpoints_overtime_regulations_testimony


EPI page with links to many articles on the matter
http://www.epinet.org/content.cfm/overtime_2003

[young_at_heart]

36. Will this force many to take on 2nd or 3rd jobs?

Another sad day for America under Bush.....I can't wait for it to end. It's almost as if there's a war between the "haves" and the "have nots" going on lately!