Molly Ivins warns us

[firecat]

Whole article here.

Excerpt:

They have their priorities, and repealing the Fair Labor Standards Act -- in place since the 1930s -- is one of them. In one of those annoying little Republican exercises in cheap misdirection, this particular bill to screw workers is misleadingly titled the Family Time Flexibility Act.

Cute, eh? As though they were doing you a big favor. The only enforcement mechanism in the 40-hour work week is that employers have to pay time-and-a-half if they make you work more than 40 hours. Under this charmer, if you work overtime, your employer can pay you with straight comp time, one hour for one hour, instead of time-and-a-half wages, thus saving the corporations millions. [...]

This son of a gun is a job-killer. If an employer can overwork the people he's got now without paying extra, why would he hire additional employees? It's bad for the economy. This doesn't "give" workers flexibility, it takes away their right to get time-and-a-half.

Comments

[kalmn.livejournal.com]

this is, i believe, in the house currently.

http://www.house.gov is the website, you can put in your zip and get your representative's webpage and contact info. i just emailed my rep.

Hm.

[firecat]

I'm confused now. I looked at the bill via www.house.gov, and it said nothing about taking away time and a half overtime pay. Also, it said comp time was to accrue at time and a half. I wonder what version of the bill Molly Ivins is talking about.

Re: Hm.

[kalmn.livejournal.com]

it's supposed to be a negotiation between the employer and each individual employee as to whether the employee gets comp time or overtime pay. first, it's either/or. second, negotiations between employers and individual employees frequently/usually end up with the individual employee getting screwed.

also, "`(7) USE OF TIME- An employee--

`(A) who has accrued compensatory time off authorized to be provided under paragraph (1); and

`(B) who has requested the use of such compensatory time,

shall be permitted by the employee's employer to use such time within a reasonable period after making the request if the use of the compensatory time does not unduly disrupt the operations of the employer."

which, translated into slightly but not very cynical english means, "you can have your comp time when you pry it out of my cold dead hands".

Re: Hm.

[mittelbar.livejournal.com]

It's already very difficult for many people to schedule regular entitled vacations, especially in environments where staff has been cut to the bone and people very aware that their reps as "hard workers" or "team players" rest on perception of their willingness to give up their personal lives to get a job done.

Fuck.

That language is so measly. "Reasonable time." "Unduly disrupt."

"Sorry, Jane, you're the only nurse we have on staff here. You can't go home."

Re: Hm.

[firecat]

Yes, the language is weasely, but that's typical of laws, I don't think it's a specific feature only of this one.

Reading over the language, I think the danger isn't in this particular version, it's in the possibilities of whittling away of the protections down the line. Revisions get a lot less media attention than new laws.

(E) WRITTEN REQUEST- An employee may withdraw an agreement described in paragraph (2)(B) at any time . An employee may also request in writing that monetary compensation be provided, at any time , for all compensatory time accrued which has not yet been used. Within 30 days of receiving the written request, the employer shall provide the employee the monetary compensation due in accordance with paragraph (6).

So I'm going to tell my legislators that I don't want the 40 hour work week rescinded and I don't want employees to be required to take comp time.

[rmjwell.livejournal.com]

I just called mine and told her staffer that I was opposed to legislation that made the 40-hour week voluntary rather than mandatory.

I will compose the letter tonight.