In a major setback to President George W. Bush?s proposal to take overtime pay protections away from more than 8 million workers, the U.S. Senate Wednesday voted 54?45 to block the raid on workers? paychecks.
The vote, which drew the support of six Republican senators, was on an amendment by Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, that prevents the U.S. Department of Labor from implementing a Bush-backed proposal to gut overtime protections guaranteed under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The Harkin amendment was attached to the fiscal year 2004 Labor, Health and Human Services and Education appropriations bill (H.R. 2660).
Among the Minnesota delegation, Sen. Mark Dayton, a Democrat, supported the Harkin amendment. Sen. Norm Coleman, a Republican, voted against it.
The Senate had been expected to vote on the amendment Tuesday. But Republican leaders maneuvered to delay the vote to a time when several Democratic senators who are campaigning for the presidency would be out of town and unable to vote. However, Harkin and the amendment?s supporters vowed to block action on the appropriations bill until the Senate voted on the overtime amendment.
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?We will win this fight for working families,? Harkin said Tuesday.
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The six Republican senators who voted for the amendment are Ben Nighthorse Campbell from Colorado, Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, Lisa Murkowski and Ted Stevens from Alaska, Olympia J. Snowe of Maine and Arlen Specter from Pennsylvania.Sen. Zell Miller from Georgia was the lone defecting Democrat.
Wednesday's vote is an important battle but not the final victory in the fight to turn back Bush?s raid on workers? paychecks. When the Senate finishes work on the appropriations bill, it will go to a House?Senate conference committee which will meld it with a House-passed version. In July, the House narrowly defeated (213-210) an amendment to block the overtime changes.
Spokespersons for President Bush have vowed that Bush will veto the appropriations bill if it includes the Harkin amendment. If he does veto the bill, it will take a two-thirds majority of both houses to override the veto.
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A recent survey shows how far out of step Bush?s efforts to gut overtime pay are with the public. Three in four Americans oppose the Bush administration?s proposal to eliminate several million employees? right to overtime pay, and opposition is overwhelming regardless of political affiliation, race, income or geographic region, according to a new national survey conducted by the independent polling firm Peter D. Hart Research Associates. The survey was conducted among 862 adults from Aug. 26-31, 2003, and was commissioned by the AFL-CIO.
By 17 to one, the public believes that federal laws governing overtime should be changed to cover more employees (52 percent) rather than fewer employees (3 percent), while 38 percent support current coverage.
?Employers are hiring fewer workers here in the U.S. and working them longer?and now the Bush administration is trying to make it cheaper for them to work employees even longer with its proposed changes to overtime rules,? AFL-CIO President John J. Sweeney said during a Labor Day press conference Aug. 28.
Although the Bush administration claims changes to the overtime rules would affect only 644,000 workers, the nonprofit Economic Policy Institute (EPI) found the number of workers who will lose overtime pay is closer to 8 million.
?The DOL recognizes that this conversion from hourly to salaried will occur, but it woefully underestimates how significant the change in the workforce will likely be,? according to the EPI report. Those who could lose overtime pay involve a wide range of workers, including nurses, firefighters, retail clerks and engineering technicians.
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Under, the Bush proposal, workers who lose their overtime rights also could face unpredictable work schedules and reduced pay because of an increased demand for extra hours?time for which employers would not have to compensate workers, according to EPI. Workers making more than $22,100 a year could be denied overtime pay under the proposed changes if they are reclassified as professional, administrative or executive employees exempt from federal overtime rules.
This article is reprinted from the national AFL-CIO website, www.aflcio.org
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In a major setback to President George W. Bush?s proposal to take overtime pay protections away from more than 8 million workers, the U.S. Senate Wednesday voted 54?45 to block the raid on workers? paychecks.
The vote, which drew the support of six Republican senators, was on an amendment by Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, that prevents the U.S. Department of Labor from implementing a Bush-backed proposal to gut overtime protections guaranteed under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The Harkin amendment was attached to the fiscal year 2004 Labor, Health and Human Services and Education appropriations bill (H.R. 2660).
Among the Minnesota delegation, Sen. Mark Dayton, a Democrat, supported the Harkin amendment. Sen. Norm Coleman, a Republican, voted against it.
The Senate had been expected to vote on the amendment Tuesday. But Republican leaders maneuvered to delay the vote to a time when several Democratic senators who are campaigning for the presidency would be out of town and unable to vote. However, Harkin and the amendment?s supporters vowed to block action on the appropriations bill until the Senate voted on the overtime amendment.
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?We will win this fight for working families,? Harkin said Tuesday.
online pharmacy buy bactrim no prescription
The six Republican senators who voted for the amendment are Ben Nighthorse Campbell from Colorado, Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, Lisa Murkowski and Ted Stevens from Alaska, Olympia J. Snowe of Maine and Arlen Specter from Pennsylvania.Sen. Zell Miller from Georgia was the lone defecting Democrat.
Wednesday’s vote is an important battle but not the final victory in the fight to turn back Bush?s raid on workers? paychecks. When the Senate finishes work on the appropriations bill, it will go to a House?Senate conference committee which will meld it with a House-passed version. In July, the House narrowly defeated (213-210) an amendment to block the overtime changes.
Spokespersons for President Bush have vowed that Bush will veto the appropriations bill if it includes the Harkin amendment. If he does veto the bill, it will take a two-thirds majority of both houses to override the veto.
online pharmacy wellbutrin buy with best prices today in the USA
A recent survey shows how far out of step Bush?s efforts to gut overtime pay are with the public. Three in four Americans oppose the Bush administration?s proposal to eliminate several million employees? right to overtime pay, and opposition is overwhelming regardless of political affiliation, race, income or geographic region, according to a new national survey conducted by the independent polling firm Peter D. Hart Research Associates. The survey was conducted among 862 adults from Aug. 26-31, 2003, and was commissioned by the AFL-CIO.
By 17 to one, the public believes that federal laws governing overtime should be changed to cover more employees (52 percent) rather than fewer employees (3 percent), while 38 percent support current coverage.
?Employers are hiring fewer workers here in the U.S. and working them longer?and now the Bush administration is trying to make it cheaper for them to work employees even longer with its proposed changes to overtime rules,? AFL-CIO President John J. Sweeney said during a Labor Day press conference Aug. 28.
Although the Bush administration claims changes to the overtime rules would affect only 644,000 workers, the nonprofit Economic Policy Institute (EPI) found the number of workers who will lose overtime pay is closer to 8 million.
?The DOL recognizes that this conversion from hourly to salaried will occur, but it woefully underestimates how significant the change in the workforce will likely be,? according to the EPI report. Those who could lose overtime pay involve a wide range of workers, including nurses, firefighters, retail clerks and engineering technicians.
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Under, the Bush proposal, workers who lose their overtime rights also could face unpredictable work schedules and reduced pay because of an increased demand for extra hours?time for which employers would not have to compensate workers, according to EPI. Workers making more than $22,100 a year could be denied overtime pay under the proposed changes if they are reclassified as professional, administrative or executive employees exempt from federal overtime rules.
This article is reprinted from the national AFL-CIO website, www.aflcio.org