Say Bye Bye to overtime (politics again)

[Arkady]

People, you have to get out and vote this year. If you don't, King Bush is going to totally ruin us.

Katherine Stapp, Inter Press Service (IPS)

NEW YORK, Jan 14 (IPS) -- An electronic technician with the U.S. Navy (news - web sites), John Garrity has two young children and another on the way. He often works extra hours to help make ends meet, but worries that under new overtime pay rules proposed by the Labor Department (news - web sites), he will lose about six thousand dollars a year.

"It's a pay cut and an attack on workers' rights," he said in an interview. "They're trying to roll the clock back. People fought and went to jail to have a 40-hour work week so they could spend more time with their families. The president just wants to pay back his corporate friends."

On Wednesday, an international trade union criticized the United States for having ratified only two of eight global conventions on core workers' rights, calling that one of the "worst rates of ratification in the world."

The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) said the country has "a serious record of continuing labour rights violations involving some of the world's best-known companies, such as Wal-Mart."

The Bush administration has touted the new overtime rules as a long overdue update of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, pointing out that they would extend overtime pay eligibility to an estimated 1.3 million low-income workers.

Under federal law, hourly employees are entitled to time-and-a-half pay (150 percent of the normal rate) if their work week extends beyond 40 hours.

But a study last year by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), a non-partisan Washington think tank, found the new rules would also remove overtime pay protection from some eight million workers by reclassifying them as executives, professionals--in the case of Garrity, for example--and administrators.

Workers earning more than $65,000 a year would also be exempt from overtime pay.

"Our experience is that the Department of Labor has been pretty unresponsive to our criticisms," said Jared Bernstein, a senior economist at EPI. "We've written extensively about the serious, fundamental flaws in their analysis of the impact of this change, yet they've done little to address the issues we've raised."

Labor Department officials contest the study, saying the changes would affect fewer than one million higher-paid workers.

But many Democrat and Republican politicians oppose the new regulations.

Last year, both the Senate and House of Representatives passed an amendment to the proposed rules that preserved overtime pay protection for most workers. The amendment, named after its sponsor, Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa, was later dropped from a spending bill under intense pressure from the White House.

The Labor Department is now pushing the regulations as an administrative rule change--for which it does not need congressional consent--that would likely take effect in March.

In a move that provoked outcry among unions, the department has also published information for employers on how to legally avoid paying overtime to low-income workers who could be eligible for it, though it insists it does not recommend such tactics.

"This is a draconian proposal," said Lou Gerber, chief lobbyist of the Communications Workers of America.

"The administration has been deaf to the votes of Congress. The real issue is why isn't the administration proposing to raise the minimum wage, rather than cutting overtime pay?"

Legislators are currently on winter recess, but a hearing on the overtime rules is planned for Jan. 20.

"The idea behind our lobbying efforts right now is to get them to put the Harkin amendment back in the bill," said Kelly Ross, a legislative representative with the AFL-CIO, which represents more than 13 million workers.

"It will be a lot harder to fix it once it's passed."

The National Organization of Women (NOW) has also opposed the changes, noting that many of those affected would be women working in middle-income jobs, like nurses, secretaries, cooks and paralegals.

"Think about a working mom whose boss requires her to work an extra four hours one night," said NOW President Kim Gandy in a statement. "Without the guarantee of overtime, she has to pay the babysitter while she's doing work for which she isn't getting paid extra."

The ICFTU reported that, "women hold nearly half the executive and managerial jobs in the United States, but they fall short of men at the top ranks of the salary ladder."

"Discrimination in respect of employment and occupation is prohibited by law. However, there is still a wage gap between men and women and between different ethnic groups," it added.

Industry groups that support the Labor Department's position argue that the EPI study was faulty, and assert the new rules would actually result in a net increase of people entitled to overtime pay protection.

"These regulations have not been comprehensively modified since 1949 and are out of step with today's workplace," said Sandra Boyd, a vice president at the National Association of Manufacturers (news - web sites).

"Employers want these regulations reformed for two reasons: to reduce compliance costs--you shouldn't need to hire a team of lawyers and consultants to figure out how to classify employees--and to reduce litigation exposure," Boyd said.

Last year, the Labor Department investigated more than 31,000 worker complaints and recovered $212 million in unpaid overtime wages, a 21 percent increase over 2002.

A particularly notorious case was retail giant Wal-Mart, which is fighting dozens of lawsuits around the country brought by employees who say they were forced to work unpaid overtime.

Tammy McCutchen, who heads the Labor Department's wage and hour division, says increased productivity and fewer lawsuits under the new rules could mean savings of up to 1.9 billion dollars for employers.

"Overtime pay is very hard to get even if you are entitled to it," says Jonathan Rees, a history professor at Colorado State University who has written extensively on labour issues.

"The fact that the Bush administration would rather take away this right than enforce this law is an obvious sign of their domination by corporate interests."

[/quote]

[Sir Diddimus]

I always vote......
You can not complain if you don't vote.


So, go vote!!!!!! It's the only way we can make changes.

[Lost Traveler]

Trust me when he gets re-elected (and he will) this is going to be like a friendly kiss from him and his cronies. (off soap box)


Yeah that sucks (we're not aloud to get Ot here unless we ask permission )

[Arkady]

Trust me when he gets re-elected (and he will) this is going to be like a friendly kiss from him and his cronies. (off soap box)


Yeah that sucks (we're not aloud to get Ot here unless we ask permission )

Well, acording to some of the "state controlled" media (ie cnn and msnbc) the election's not in the bag. There are alot of voters that are unaccounted for that really want him out. All I am saying is that it is up to all of us to rally our friends to voice their opinion.

[gwenhwyfar]

i hate bush. i will definitely be voting this time. last election i didn't register in time and was very mad at myself for being the queen of procrastination. this time will be different.

[judas gnb]

fine vote against gwb but i beg you dont vote in howard "i look like i have a stick up my ass and enjoy it yet i have no clue"dean write in votes are always nice im probley goin to write in jesse the body as my vote cause a wrestler as president would rule i can see it now wrestlemania 23 at the white house

[Arkady]

GRanted, Howard Deen sucks ass too. I just wish that the Green party had a good strong candidate.

[Arkady]

Here's a funny I found on another forum. It looks very "Onion" to me.

Bush analyzes, calms Mad Cow fears
PRESIDENT'S STATEMENT URGING RESISTANCE TO MASS HOMICIDAL PANIC OVER THE "MAD COW" TERROR PERPETRATED AGAINST AMERICA BY OPRAH-WATCHING CANADIANS

Statement by the President

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Good evening. Earlier today, my National Media Advisor saw fit to interrupt my second after-breakfast nap in order to alert me to a national hysteria that is spreading faster than Al Gore's buttcrack around Howard Dean's fat pinko tongue: Mad Cow Disease.

As President, it is my duty to calm the citizenry, lest this horrifying pandemic so traumatize our nation's television news anchors, that they find themselves unable to report the neato accounting wizardry that's making the economy look terrific – even though the only folks with new jobs are spicko-rickans digging graves for all the geriatrics who can't afford their prescriptions.

That's why today, it is crucial that the public understand exactly what this Mad Cow Disease is. Contrary to what you've heard in Jay Leno's brilliant monologues, it has nothing to do with Hillary Clinton or Tipper Gore. It is a bioterrorism disease that affects honest-to-goodness cows. Its big long scientific name is Bovine Spongyfoam Encyclopediatosis, and what it does is burrow deep into the brains of otherwise harmless, Christian cows and turn them into stark-raving crazy, evil-doing Muslamian cows. Once infected, these nefarious jihad beasts do their best to blend in – not unlike human Islamoids – until such time as they martyr themselves in slaughterhouses, thereby tainting the patriotic food supply and transforming America's wholesome meatloaf family dinners into unwitting Islamic suicide rituals.

USA-haters might say that the GOP passion for deregulating industries so that it's easier for our executive cronies to hoard even more ill-gotten loot at the expense of the health of the consumer is the cause of this flagrant terrorist attack. To that I say "bull crap!" Deregulation makes for a more competitive free market – and if a couple few thousand condo trash die in ten years because their brains oozed into foam from one two many killer salisbury steaks then I say those unfortunates are patriotic heroes who died valiantly in the name of unfettered capitalism – and the Golden Minority of the Republican Party thanks you in advance for your sacrifice.

Anyway, the truth is that this attack was, like 9/11, totally unpreventable – despite all the movies and TV shows and intelligence reports that predicted it. It was perpetrated against us with the help of Canada, a nation so bored and pathetically fixated on its neighbor to the south, that it will stop at nothing to entertain itself by instilling paroxysms of panic through our superior country's fearless multitudes.

Furthermore, I would be remiss in my duties were I not to mention the role of the liberal television personality Oprah Winfrey in all this. Back in the days when I had that job in Texas where I was actually elected, the people in my state sued Mrs. Winfrey after she dared to float the absurd possibility that Mad Cow Disease would ever appear in the United States. That is why, in light of recent developments, I have directed Attorney General Ashcroft to assign a dedicated anti-terror SWAT team to shadow every move that big colored veganoid makes. Because it's just a matter of time before she slips up and reveals her membership in Al Qaeda, and then we ship her uppity chocosaurus ass off to Camp X-Ray, where she'll get what she deserves for being a traitor against the The Lone Star States of America, a wealthy Democrat, a uterus-haver, and let's face it – way too tan.

Therefore, in the meantime, let us suppress our wholly justified desire to exact murderous vigilante justice on Oprah Winfrey and the inferior peoples of Canada, and instead channel our energies into positive feats – like piling the wife and kids in the Hummer, rolling on down to McBurger Hut, and snarfing down our own weight in char-broiled, ground brains and succulent spinal cord meat smothered in Ronald Reagan's favorite vegetable – ketchup.

In short, suppress all your highly justified fears of catching Mad Cow disease, and just keep pigging yourself sick on beef.

It's What's For Dinner™. (And that's an Executive Order, too!)

[Coor]

Yeah, we are screwed, because of Dean, but alot of Rep. are not re-voting for Bush. My Brother, a hardcore consertative, is NOT voting for Bush, because of his recent dictatorship qualities. Clark just scares me, I'd vote for a dead man over him.

[Nexxus23]

I'd LOVE to see Shrubbie out of office, but Dean gives me the heebie-jeebies. Hmeh. Can always hope Dean doesn't survive the primaries...

I'm tired of this two-party system. Maybe 6 or 7 would be better.

[junkie christ]

This is a draconian proposal," said Lou Gerber, chief lobbyist of the Communications Workers of America

sums it up nicely.
another on my mounting list of reasons he should be removed. more fuel to my fire. i mean wheres the bush backers stepping up to say this is a great idea?
that article was genious thanks for posting it. it really contrasts just SOME of the problems that will arise.
YOU WORKING CLASS CITIZENS OF AMERICA!! WAKE THE FUCK UP!! YOUVE BEEN PROGRAMMED!! ITS TIME TO STOP THE MACHINE!!
HERE IS PROOF YOU CANT FIGHT THAT THIS MAN IS EVIL!!!!!
say all you want about dean, its beats the HELL out of bush and hes the only man with a prayer of stopping bush (esp if he takes edwards as his runningmate... americans love those slow talking southerners and edwards is to the core)...dean also has a very successful website thats getting the attn of 18-30 year old voters who normally dont vote or give a flying fuck about it... people that are voting for dean on the sole basis they hate bush and dean has such an era of contraversy... plus these people arent in their fucking polls.. so when dean's horrendous voted output comes outta nowhere YOU KNOW WHY. it worked for Clinton appealing to the youth... youth like dean because they hate bush. the media shits him because the media's primary owners are right wing conversative WASP republican fucksticks and they KNOW he is a threat.
dean is the only guy who the people know enough to stand a chance. he shady, but hes got conviction in truckloads.
no one expected clinton to win either if anyone recalls...
american memory lasts around 15 mins.
i esp love all the news being brought to light that bush wanted to invade PRE-SEPT 11TH. i know the political structure is one that my opinions on get my hated by some, but WHEN THAT GETS PROVEN i expect alot of right wingers to suck it when they see how evil than man is. period.

to the people that support him on this board, your just a voter. your opinions are your own, glad you have one.
to the structures that are using him for a puppet and his big $$$ backers... SEE YOU IN HELL

[X]

fine vote against gwb but i beg you dont vote in howard "i look like i have a stick up my ass and enjoy it yet i have no clue"dean write in votes are always nice im probley goin to write in jesse the body as my vote cause a wrestler as president would rule i can see it now wrestlemania 23 at the white house

THAT is why i now write your speeches......

[sic_fuck]

Well, latest results show 51% are planning on re-electing GeeDubbya 47% want him out and 4% havn't decided. I don't like Clark but I'm sure he's better than Overlord Bush, not many people could be worse. I think everyone should write-in Perot just as a big prank on everyone. The only candidate I really like is Kerry and I don't know that he has much of a chance, he's at about 24% now, hopefully the primaries will shoot some of the unknowns into the lime-light. But Emporer Bush must be banished at any cost.

(BTW I'm dissapointed there is no "hitman" emoticon.)

[shadow dancer]

I can't say that I'm surprised to see something like the overtime issue come along. In addition, I don't believe that this issue will stop with Bush. I firmly believe that it will only be a matter of time before anyone in his position will be supporting this drive to change the overtime policy unless they can find a way to improve the gasoline prices and improve the job market.
Although, other businesses will be affected by these standards, overtime has been a harsh, ongoing battle for quite a while within the majority of the large corporations. The market for everything has become extremely competitive, and it only continues to get worse. Telling customers that you have to charge more for their raw materials means they start looking elsewhere for the same type of product from someone who can supply it at the lower prices to which they were formerly accustomed. The price increase is an inevitable effect when transportation costs increase. The corporations can't do anything about the gas prices, so they start looking elsewhere to lower their production costs to even out the higher costs of transportation of the finished product. Its a domino effect, and once one started it, the rest followed. A great deal of them have had the layoffs and hiring freezes required to partially reduce operation costs already requiring more work for less hours. They are doing everything they can possibly do for improving cycle times for production without purchasing more equipment. After that, it comes down to a wage issue.
The job market is not good right now either, and that improves the chances for something like that to pass. People will stay where they have a job because in a lot of areas today, jobs are not easy to find.
I can understand what they are trying to combat here, but I think they aren't going about it in a sensible way. Working for a corporation that will be highly affected if something like this goes through, I have seen many other things that could be done for cost savings rather than a change for extension of a work week. The problem is in trying to reduce labor costs without affecting overtime, Union issues come into play. That becomes a whole new ballgame, and that subject, I won't touch on this forum with a ten foot pole. Although I don't agree with what these new rules bring to the American people, I realize it is quite possible for it to be done. One of my coworkers summed up the attitude behind a lot of this, "We are in survival mode, and surviving means everyone keeps a job." Personally, the paid overtime issue doesn't affect me; however, if the increase in the standard work week is made, I will be affected by having to work longer hours.
I won't go on the pages and pages long rant I could about the situation that most of the corporations are in at this time. Working in the position that I do and having a father that also worked for one of the area corporations, I've been exposed to many of the attitudes and opinions of people who would advocate such a change in the overtime policy. What amazes me more is that people in politics claim that they worry about the youth of our society so much, and the obvious fact is that noone is around anymore to raise the youth of our society because they have to work all of the time just to provide for them. Its proposed laws like this that make me realize that fathers and mothers will be required to work more for the same amount of money in order to raise their children. Its kind of off subject, but I just got informed today that some schools today are teaching hour-a-week "bully" classes, i.e. teaching kids not to be bullies and how to deal with bullies. Isn't this something that should be taught at home? Maybe I was just a spoiled child to have the parents I have. I'll get off my soapbox for now.

[Bone]

I wish Jello Biaffra would run for office again, but for the white house this time.... I know it would be a pipe dream for him to get elected. However, it would make for a GREAT election. The sound bites from that one would be pricless to us politically minded electronic musicians...

[Mother Mo]

Yeah, I remember when Jello was running for something way back when... a California office of some sort? He did all the talk shows with the other candidates & got into some beautiful debates!

Realisticly, however, a third party candidate is the waste of a vote, IMO. I won't necessarily be voting FOR whatever democratic nominee we have this fall, as much as I'll be voting AGAINST George. That was a key reason Bush "won" to begin with, & I'll be damned if I contribute to it happning again this time.

As to the OT thing, I'm salary, so it doesn't affect me personally, but I agree that it's symtomatic of the larger problem we are still experiencing. As it was said before, we are in a type of crisis mode, which a dangerous place to be in. We've cut staff again at the Dial, demoted another supervisor, & now my boss is looking for other opportunities. They say the economy is in the process of repairing itself, but from where I'm standing, times are still hard & lean.

I agree with Junkie, though. Edwards would play a good second fiddle to Dean.

[junkie christ]

n 1979 the Dead Kennedys received further attention when Jello Biafra ran for the mayor of San Francisco. Running with his campaign slogan "There's always room for Jello, " he finished fourth out of a field of ten, with over 6,000 votes. Supervisor Quentin Kopp quickly had a law enacted to ban people from running for mayor using "funny names."

i also have the flyer printed out from a jpg in my room, which consists of such highlights like "for cops, it will be mandatory to stand in the middle of the park and let minorites and others the police hate and beat to throw tomatoes at them once a day" or some shit...

**edit, pics quit showing.. view em via source to see the jello for mayor ads.

[shadow dancer]

As to the OT thing, I'm salary, so it doesn't affect me personally, but I agree that it's symtomatic of the larger problem we are still experiencing.

Like you, I am salaried as well, and I fear that the long hours that salaried are expected to work will become even longer if the average work week hours are increased. Rather than the longer hours being an influence on raises and a proven sign of dedication, it becomes an expectation.

[Mother Mo]

The sales manager has asked the shift managers to work 9.5 hour days, already. Luckily I'm looking at a slightly lighter work load due to the decreased shifts, but if we don't turn around soon, I could loose my assistant & have more things to do. If it goes that far, though, I wouldn't be surprised to see the unemployment line in my near future.

Yeah, I'll be voting against George in November.

[Balance]

a few thoughts.

a. bush wasn't elected the first time-he was appointed
b. junkie mentiond on dean has a prayer of taking bush down..why is that? are his credentials superior? Which leads me to
c. Clark is the finest sounding candidate, imho. he has an impeccable track record.
d. I've never voted and hate politicians, but reaaaalllly dislike bush-and dean to a much, much lesser degree-but when i vote, i'm voting for clark.