Post by bot on May 7, 2017 19:38:08 GMT -5
Hoyer Statement on Republican Bill to Undermine Overtime Pay
WASHINGTON, DC - House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today on the passage of H.R. 1180, which would undermine a worker’s right to overtime pay:
“The bill House Republicans just passed would end overtime pay as American workers know it. Instead of requiring employers to provide their workers with overtime pay when they earn it – as is currently the rule – their legislation would allow employers to replace overtime pay with compensatory time as they see fit. That means that if a worker puts in more than forty hours a week, instead of earning time-and-a-half pay for those extra hours, he or she could instead be offered only paid time off – to be used at the discretion of the employer. In effect, this bill would eliminate overtime pay for millions of workers who rely on their extra hours of hard work to pursue the American Dream.
“This legislation effectively devalues what workers can earn for the extra hours they work, undermining the Fair Labor Standards Act. It’s no wonder that more than eighty labor and workers’ rights organizations are opposing this bill, including the AFL-CIO, SEIU, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and the National Partnership for Women and Families. This legislation is part of an ongoing effort by President Trump and Congressional Republicans to take more and more rights and opportunities away from American workers and give it instead to their bosses. It is the opposite of what workers in our country want their leaders to do. I hope the Senate will reject this dangerous, anti-worker bill.”