Published July 2003 — Download PDF of the original newspaper column
Byrd's-Eye View By U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd Paycheck Fairness for Overtime Hours
For many West Virginians, a 40-hour workweek is just the beginning of their time on the job. These men and women from all walks of life work extra hours and, rightly, expect extra pay for their effort. But the Bush Administration is considering changes to overtime regulations that would take away those well-deserved dollars. The Administration plan would have people working more hours for less money. The President's proposal would modify the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 which standardized the 40-hour workweek and guaranteed that many non-managerial employees would earn time and a half for extra hours worked. The Bush plan would eliminate overtime pay protections for as many as 8 million American workers who currently are eligible for overtime pay. It is not just hourly workers in factories and restaurants who would be affected by the President's plan, but they are in a variety of fields -- computer engineers, paramedics, secretaries, grocery clerks, and delivery route drivers. These employees depend on overtime pay for housing, food, and health care. Recently, I joined with 42 other Senators in contacting Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, urging that the Bush Administration step back from its plan, and we are not alone. The Labor Department has been flooded with more than 75,000 letters debating the merits of the proposed overtime changes -- the most mail that the agency has received on any wage-and-hour topic in at least a decade. Even business groups, which have pressed for a revision of the overtime rules because they have lost millions of dollars in overtime lawsuits, have concerns with some of the rule changes. American citizens work longer hours than ever before -- longer than in any other industrial nation. Protecting the 40-hour workweek is vital to balancing work responsibilities and family needs. It is certainly not family friendly to require employees to work more hours for less pay. Since President Bush came into office, more than 3 million Americans have lost their jobs. More than 400,000 Americans are filing initial jobless claims each week. The nation's unemployment rate has jumped to its highest level in nearly nine years. And now, for those workers who still have jobs, the Bush Administration wants to cut their pay. The Administration would do better to find ways to put more people back to work. July 16, 2003