Bush's Overtime Pay Rules

The House of Representatives issued a sharp rebuke yesterday to the Bush Administration's new overtime pay rules, voting 223-193 to rescind them.

The House vote honored the hardworking men and women throughout America during this Labor Day week.

The vote to block the new overtime pay rules occurred on an amendment offered by Congressman David Obey (D-WI) to H.R. 5006, the fiscal year 2005 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies appropriations bill.

The Obey amendment would force the Labor Department to rescind the harmful changes in the eligibility rules that would take away the right to overtime pay for six million workers while leaving in place the one change in the rules that benefits workers. That change is a non-controversial inflation adjustment that would assist at most 384,000 low-income workers.

Under the Bush Administration's new rules, 16 workers would lose overtime pay for every worker who would gain overtime pay.

Losing overtime pay would result in a huge pay cut for most workers. Among workers who earn overtime pay, overtime pay accounts for 25 percent of total earnings.

If employers do not have to compensate workers with overtime pay, then workers will be right back where they were before the Fair Labor Standards act was signed into law in 1938. They will be overworked, underpaid and serve at the whim of their employer.

"Overtime pay is not the gift of the employer. Overtime pay is the right of the American worker," stated Congressman Rob Andrews (D-NJ) during House floor debate on the Obey amendment.

On the key vote, 22 Republicans defied intense lobbying by the White House, the Department of Labor and the House Republican leadership to support the Obey amendment. They were joined by 200 Democrats and Independent Bernie Sanders (VT). One hundred and ninety-three (193) Republicans sided with the White House in opposing the Obey amendment.

Every Democrat who voted--including Congressmen Charlie Stenholm (TX) and Calvin Dooley (CA), both of whom voted against a similar amendment when Congressman Obey offered it on July 14, 2003-- supported the Obey amendment yesterday. Five Democrats were not recorded on yesterday's vote. They are Jim Clyburn ((SC), Paul Kanjorski (PA), Denise Majette (GA), Tim Ryan (OH) and Maxine Waters (CA).

Similarly, 13 House Republicans were not recorded on the vote. They are Cass Ballenger (NC), Chris Cannon (UT), Porter Goss (FL), Jim Greenwood (PA), Sam Johnson )TX), Frank Lucas (OK), George Nethercutt (WA), Jack Quinn (NY), Ed Schrock (VA), Bill Shuster (PA), Billy Tauzin (LA), Pat Toomey (PA) and Don Young (AK).

The 22 Republicans who sided with CWA on the Obey amendment are, in alphabetical order:

Sherwood Boelhert (NY), Shelley Moore Capito (WV), Jo Ann Emerson (MO), Phil English (PA), Mike Ferguson (NJ), Tim Johnson (IL), Walter Jones (NC), Sue Kelly (NY), Peter King (NY), Ray LaHood (IL) and Steve LaTourette (OH).

Also, Jim Leach (IA), Frank LoBiondo (NJ), Thaddeus McCotter (MI), John McHugh (NY), Tim Murphy (PA), Jim Nussle (IA), Jim Saxton (NJ), Rob Simmons (CN), Chris Smith (NJ), John Sweeney (NY) and Fred Upton (MI).

CWA is especially pleased that Congressman Upton , the Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, voted to block the new overtime pay rules. His vote sends a signal to the telecommunications industry that the Chairman of this key panel objects to denying overtime pay. A CWA lobbyist discussed the importance of this issue with Chairman Upton shortly before the House vote on the Obey amendment.

Of special interest, Senator John Kerry (D-MA) issued the following statement after the House voted yesterday to adopt the Obey amendment:

"Today's House vote to stop the Bush overtime regulations was a huge victory for working Americans and underscores the bipartisan opposition to George Bush's war on overtime pay."

Lou Gerber
Chief Lobbyist
CWA Legislative Dept.