Bush's overtime regulations take effect
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| 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 ~~~

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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~
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.
Thanks again!
Where did they come up with a range like that??????
Nothing like precise and accurate reporting...LOL
Mich
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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.
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."
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