SEPTEMBER 16, 2004

OVERTIME RULE DEFEATED IN THE HOUSE

The Department of Labor's overtime protection “final rule” met staunch resistance from House Democrats last week when the issue came to vote in Congress. Despite majority control in the House, Republicans were defeated by Democratic solidarity around an amendment blocking overtime restructuring.. The amendment, drawn up by Rep. David Obey (D-Wis.) and Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), was attached to the labor, health and human services (Labor-HHS) spending bill which passed the House, 388-13. House leadership had originally sought to block Obey's amendment through legislative compromise but an agreement could not be reached between majority and minority leaders.

As reported last week in the Friday Brief, the Department of Labor argued that millions of workers, professionals, and emergency workers would gain overtime eligibility under the new rule. The alleged increase in overtime benefits apparently fell on deaf ears in Congress, where Democrats and twenty-two Republicans voted 223-193 to end it. Thirteen other Republican Congressmen failed to appear for the vote. Those Republicans who voted against House leadership came mainly from heavy manufacturing centers where the overtime rule was going to severely impact a constituency already suffering from acute job losses.