DeLauro Decries New Overtime Regulations

DeLauro Decries New Overtime Regulations

Six Million To Lose Overtime

Washington-Today, the Bush Administration's Labor Department new overtime regulations went into effect, giving businesses the right to deny millions of employees overtime pay. The overtime pay requirement of the Fair Labor Standards Act guarantees for most workers "time and a half" pay for hours worked beyond a 40-hour workweek. The overtime provisions cover approximately 115 million workers-about 85 percent of the nation's workforce. These new regulations remove overtime requirements by changing the definitions of employees.

Representative Rosa DeLauro said "the Bush Administration's new regulations on overtime pay, which took effect today, will cut the pay and lengthen the hours for workers making as little as $23,660, with the greatest impact of the regulations being felt by middle-income workers making between $23,660 and $100,000. These regulations will result in a pay cut for middle-income Americans who are already financially pressed."

"For 70 years, the law provided a simple contract-a 40-hour workweek and overtime when more than that. It has allowed hard-working employees some flexibility to make some extra cash to put a roof over their family's heads, to buy groceries, and pay their medical bills. Without overtime, countless Americans-including police officers, firefighters, nurses, and EMT's-would be forced to take a second job to make up for the lost earnings, meaning more time away from their families and higher child care costs."

"The rule changes are designed to give companies the authority to withhold rightfully earned pay from their employees by weakening the 1938 Fair Standards Labor Act-protections that safeguard employees today. This is a matter of values-honoring peoples work and honoring a contract."