Bush's overtime regulations take effect

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-17-2004
Bush's overtime regulations take effect
28
Tue, 08-24-2004 - 1:32am
* 5.4 million salaried workers, who under the previous regulations were unsure if they should be paid overtime, get an ironclad guarantee of overtime rights under the final rule — regardless of their job duties.

* 1.3 million salaried white-collar workers, who were not entitled to overtime pay under the previous regulations, will now be entitled to either overtime pay or higher salaries.


* The changes guarantee overtime to an employee working 50 hours per week managing a restaurant for $15,600 per year; a worker putting in 60 hours a week managing a department store for $18,000 per year; an employee working 42 hours a week supervising a machine shop for $17,000 per year.


* Fraternal Order of Police National President Chuck Canterbury praises the new rules. The regulations... clarify why these employees, regardless of their rank or pay level, cannot be classified as executive, administrative or professional employees, and thus be exempted from receiving overtime pay. In addition, the Department acknowledges that the right to overtime compensation may be extended to some public safety employees who are currently classified as exempt because of changes to the regulations.


"Where others were content to ask the Department to say in its final rule only that 'no expansion of law enforcement exemptions is included in or intended by the new rules,' the Fraternal Order of Police said 'today's public safety work is more unique than ever before, and the final regulations must account for the challenges faced by our nation's first responders in the post-9/11 environment,''" Canterbury said. "The final regulations achieve that goal."



http://www.nationalreview.com/kerry/kerryspot.asp


 


Renee ~~~

Renee ~~~

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-03-2003
Tue, 08-24-2004 - 3:24pm
Depends on which sides numbers you choose to believe. The government say's about 1.3 million who didn't get OT pay before will get it now, with about 107,000 being exempt from receiving it. The other side says very few will get it as a result of this legislation, with about 6 million being disqualified from receiving it.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/08/22/overtime.pay.ap/index.html

I think we'll just have to wait and see which is the more accurate number.

~mark~

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-28-2003
Tue, 08-24-2004 - 3:27pm
Because there are so many jobs out there?!

Where do you live? Are you below the average unemployment rate? I doubt if anyone would willingly take a job in an exploited area unless they needed to support a family or themself. For most, unfortunately, I'm sure that's the case. There really aren't that many jobs out there. And I'm sure you've all heard the statistic - New jobs are paying on average $9,000 less.

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-28-2003
Tue, 08-24-2004 - 3:29pm
Thanks Mark. You're my new best friend. Until Debateguy gets back his Independent "Groove" I'll be looking for more of your informed posts. I like real links and no obvious leaning, although I also parttake from time to time.

Thanks again!

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-03-2003
Tue, 08-24-2004 - 3:41pm
Ah gee, there goes my rep... ;) nt
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-16-2004
Tue, 08-24-2004 - 3:57pm
Sorry to laugh but that is like saying something could happen to between 1 and 500,000,000 people in the next year.

Where did they come up with a range like that??????

Nothing like precise and accurate reporting...LOL

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-31-2003
Tue, 08-24-2004 - 4:13pm
Wow, he's got a pretty nice package, I used to work 12 hour shifts, night shifts, every weekend and for a while, I also worked one weeknight, 8hour shift. Zero overtime in any of that. To be honest, I don't know, I have gotten the impression, without reading the speicifics and relying only on what others have said, (not a good idea) that part of this did include a management requirement, but now I am seeing a post that is indicating that it is a matter of salary level. So, I honestly can't say, but I can see that this issue is more complicated that I intitially thought. Sorry I can't answer your question.
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iVillage Member
Registered: 09-29-2003
Tue, 08-24-2004 - 5:56pm
That's okay, thanks for trying, the whole thing is confusing, especially when it comes to nursing.


 


Mich

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-31-2003
Tue, 08-24-2004 - 7:14pm
Mind if I ask what region of the country you are in? 6 years ago in critical care (newborn and pediatrics) I could have as many as 3 patients. Only the most unstable patients had their own nurse, and even that didn't always happen. On peds and adolescents it could be as many as 9 patients at night, the only thing that stopped more was lack of space. When we could, we'd put 3 in a 2 bed room (that was peds of course, and we had cribs or isolettes).
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iVillage Member
Registered: 08-24-2004
Tue, 08-24-2004 - 7:33pm
The way I understand it this is all based upon salary.

________________

The Department of Labor (DOL), under Secretary Elaine Chao, has revamped overtime regulation with the “Fair Pay” initiative. With an effective date of August 23, the updated laws are a welcome change. As long as such rules exist, they should be easy to follow and understand, and should be easily enforced, reducing litigation, which is costly to both employees and employers. DOL has set up a website explaining the updates.

The new rules will strengthen overtime rights for 6.7 million American workers, including 1.3 million low-wage workers who were denied overtime under the old rules. This is done mainly by increasing the threshold at which a worker is no longer guaranteed overtime rights from an extremely low annual pay of $8,060, set back in 1975 to $23,660 per year, as Dr. Kirk Johnson points out in a recent study. Those who may lose over time rights are those who now fall into the “highly compensated” category—over $100,000 per year.

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-04-2003
Tue, 08-24-2004 - 9:33pm
Here's an article that appeared in my local paper...

Employers have sought the changes for decades, complaining the rules were ambiguous and out of date, and questioning why highly paid professionals should get overtime pay. Employers were getting hit with multimillion dollar lawsuits by workers claiming they were cheated out of overtime pay.

The Labor Department says the new rules provide clarity.

"Under the new rules, workers will know their overtime rights, employers will know their responsibilities and the department can more vigorously enforce these protections," Labor Secretary Elaine Chao said in a statement.

Changes are aimed at white-collar workers, and the Labor Department says manual laborers and other blue-collar workers won't be affected.

Our U.S. Rep. Tom Petri released a statement that said, "This effort is a modernization of outdated rules that reflect the working conditions and pay scale that existed when they were written over 50 years ago. As John Edwards travels through Wisconsin, people may hear the false charge that their overtime is at risk. The truth is that President Bush is absolutely committed to putting more money in the pockets of working people--both through good pay and less taxation. The new rules update the salary threshold that qualifies a worker for overtime. Under the old rule, workers had to make less than $8,060 to be guaranteed overtime pay."