House Republicans Vote to Cut Workers' Pay

[OnyxCougar]

Once Again, GOP Lawmakers Attack Workers’
Overtime Pay Protections

Wednesday, July 14, 2004

WASHINGTON, DC -- Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee dealt America’s workers another blow today by voting against an amendment to protect overtime pay. The amendment, offered by Representative David Obey (D-WI), the committee’s ranking Democrat, came in response to the Bush Administration’s restrictive new overtime rules that take effect August 23 and would deny eligibility for overtime pay to 6 million workers.

“Welcome to the Bush Economy,” said Representative George Miller (D-CA), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, who has worked with Obey to oppose the new Bush rules.

“If you are lucky enough to have a job, now you will be able to work longer hours for less pay. Republicans in Congress think that is just fine,” said Miller. “Well, it is not fine with America’s workers and their families, and it is not fine with Democrats in Congress. The new rules represent one of the most harmful changes to the nation’s labor laws in generations. This fight is not over.”

Obey’s amendment, offered in committee to a federal spending bill for the Departments of Labor, Education, and Health and Human Services, would have protected the right to overtime pay for any worker that now has it. Obey’s amendment was defeated by a vote of 29 to 31. Every Committee Democrat voted to protect overtime pay, while not a single Republican did.

The vote came the same day that a new report (pdf file) from the Economic Policy Institute revealed that the new overtime rules would deny overtime pay eligibility to 6 million workers who are currently eligible. That report came on the heels of another report (pdf file) by former Department of Labor officials showing that the regulations would deny eligibility to “large numbers” of workers and create more confusion and litigation.

“We will use every means available to us to keep fighting to protect overtime pay, now and after August 23,” said Miller.

“Since 2001, corporate profits have exploded by more than 60 percent while wages have stagnated,” said Miller. Yet the Bush Administration feels compelled to do even more to help its corporate friends, no matter how rich they get, and no matter how much workers have to suffer in exchange.

“These revised overtime rules are just the latest salvo in an all-out assault on America’s middle class families, many of whom depend on overtime pay to maintain their standard of living. The Bush Administration and the Republican congressional leadership have failed to produce an economic policy that stimulates economic growth and helps businesses succeed while still ensuring that workers get their fair share,” Miller added.

For more information on Overtime, see: http://edworkforce.house.gov/democra...rtimeinfo.html.