Bush screws the working man

[Ateo]

http://www.discourse.net/archives/2004/01/bush_labor_dept_explains_to_employers_how_to_avoid _paying_overtime.html
You’d think the Labor department was about helping workers, at least in an election year. But not this one. The Dept. is preparing new rules which will no longer require that employers pay millions of higher-paid employees overtime; in the future, however, 1.3 million low-paid employees (paid under $22.1K per year) who are not covered by the current overtime requirement will have to get time and half if they work over 40 hours. In a combination of chutzpah and political ham-handedness, the Bush Labor department is explaining to employers how, they can evade this new rule in order to keep down their lowest-paid workers’ pay packets: they could, for example, cut hourly wages, so that with the overtime the total pay remains the same.

The AP story explaining this was in the Miami Herald, but doesn’t seem to have made either the NYT or the Washington Post. It contains the most bald-faced denials of reality by a press spokesman, one Ed Frank, I’ve seen for a long time: Despite publishing instructions on how to avoid paying workers extra for overtime, “We’re not saying anybody should do any of this.” Right. We’re just explaining their options to them very carefully.

Nah, can't be. Bush is a friend of the working class. He believes in Jesus, and Jesus helped the poor, so I'll bet Bush doesn't actually approve of this. Must be a mistake. Some damn liberal reporter making stuff up again. Or maybe I'm just hallucinating. Martha! What'd you put in my bran muffins? This is all Martha's fault.

[w1che]

If it didn't make the New York Lib Times it's probably not true... Your link doesn't work for me????

[Ateo]

The board mangled the link code for some reason...try c&p:

http://www.discourse.net/archives/2004/01/bush_labor_dept_explains_to_employers_how_to_avoid _paying_overtime.html


EDIT: for some reason it's breaking up the link address...

Just make sure the last bit (_paying_overtime.html) is included.

[sinecure]

"Nobody "works" but the lowest-paid... " isn't that the Democrat's mantra? Demopcrats like to see themselves as "the friend" as well as "the party" of the"working man".... right?

What thinking person sees the Labor Department as all about "helping workers"??

Your link to whatever liberal website that came from isn't working.... which is undoubtedly Bush's personal doing :rolleyes: , huh, Tig?

[DustyBottoms]

You’d think the Labor department was about helping workers

Wrong. The labor department is there to make sure the rules are followed both by employers and employees. It is their job to fully explain the rules to all concerned. :)

Looks like they are doing their job to me. :clap

[Ateo]

Originally posted by sinecure
Your link to whatever liberal website that came from isn't working.... which is undoubtedly Bush's personal doing :rolleyes: , huh, Tig? Of course not. Nothing is ever Bush's personal doing. The buck never comes within 50 miles of Bush.

[weldordave]

As a working man for 40 years I feel that no president has screwed me more than those on welfare. Those that do not work yet expect such freebies from my paycheck such as food stamps, section 8 housing, WIC, free & reduced school lunches, free phone service, free car repair(yes, welfareists get that here), and EIC have screwed me over more than any president. And I have wounds from supporting presidents. Wounds heal. The constant bloodsucking from welfare leeches never heal.

[Idnew]

And now there is a program where they get a brand new car to drive and only have to pay the insurance on it.

I thought everybody was covered by the overtime rule no matter what they made, except maybe for farm workers which usually get paid by piece work anyway.

[w1che]

Ok enough of this.. Tig do you know anything at all about labor law?

You do not point out that this will have NO effect on union people with a union contract. You also don't point out the differance between exempt & non-exempt employees under the labor laws we have on the books now..

Get real on telling people that if you now have to pay overtime under the new law and want to keep their employees pay the same, you just don't pay them as much hourly pay. If I'm smart enough to have people working for me I'm smart enough to know that without being told..

Do you know why there is so much part time help today.. No overtime & no benefits..

No matter what Bush does you wacko's are going to bash him hoping people won't know the real story. When in fact you don't know & don't care about the truth..

These poor people should get overtime when they are now working 12 hour days with no overtime and only make $22,000 bucks a year.. You can't pay them much less per hour than they are paid now under the minimun wage laws..

[aclu14]

Depending on where you live in this country, it is impossible to live on the minimum wage.

[sinecure]

Originally posted by aclu14
Depending on where you live in this country, it is impossible to live on the minimum wage.

"Minimum Wage" was never intended for someone to LIVE on...

Should a high-school dropout, sweeping floors or parking lots make a "living wage" for his unskilled, unspecialized efforts?

Let me put it another way... should his employer be forced to pay him a "living wage" for unskiled, menial work? Is the worker's production worth that much to the employer? NO.

Why don't we simply make the minimum wage something around $100K/year with benefits, housing subsidy and a nice company car?? That way everybody should be able to "...live on the minimum wage." :rolleyes: :p :p

You STILL have a long journey ahead of you, aclu14. :wave

[w1che]

ACLU it's also very hard to live in most parts of the country when you work your butt off and only make $22,000 a year, if you are a single parent or married without both working. Everyone should get overtime if they work over 8 hrs a day our 40 hrs a week. Except salaried people and that is because they get many other benefits that hourly people don't..