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House Says No to Overtime Overhaul

October 6, 2003

Workers won the latest round in the fight against a proposal to limit overtime to millions of Americans. On Thursday, Oct. 2 the U.S. House of Representatives voted to effectively block the Labor Department from implementing the new overtime regulations. The tally was 223-201.

"This vote shows the potency of the labor movement when it rallies around a cause," said IBEW International President Edwin D. Hill. "Anyone who doubts the commitment of todays union members should take note of this vote."

The fact that less than three months ago, the House backed the new rules in a close vote shows how sentiments have changed in the Republican-led House, particularly as unemployment persists. Now the fate of the Bush administration-backed rule change is in doubt, since today both houses of Congress are on record rejecting it. Last month, the Senate also voted to deny funding for the rule. Supporters say the rule would modernize the 68-year-old Labor Standards Act, but it would also remove the laws guarantee of time-and-a-half pay for a week exceeding 40 work hours by drastically broadening existing exemptions from coverage, making it easier for employers to demand more work for less pay from their employees. These changes will hurt millions of workers and their families.

"The right to overtime pay is a fundamental element of the national promise that workers should get a fair day's pay for a fair day's work'," said AFL-CIO President John Sweeney.

It remains to be seen whether President Bush will veto the Labor-Health and Human Services spending bill if it does not contain the proposed rule changes, as he has threatened to do.

Click here to link to the Congressional Action Center.

Senate Says No to Overtime Regs... September 17, 2003

Bill Would Nix Overtime Rules... July 14, 2003

Hundreds Rally For Overtime... July 1, 2003

DOL Targets Overtime Pay... June 26, 2003

Labor Prevails to Defeat Comp Time Legislation... June 11, 2003

Overtime Rules Menace Workers Nationwide... May 30, 2003

Bush Proposes Changing Federal Overtime Rules... April 2, 2003

Overtime Pay... U.S. Department of Labor

The Dark Side of Wal-Mart... April 2003 Journal