Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2005

DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND EDUCATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2005 -- (House of Representatives - September 09, 2004)

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 754 and rule XVIII, the Chair declares the House in the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union for the further consideration of the bill, H.R. 5006.

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Mr. BISHOP of New York. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words.

Mr. Chairman, this past weekend we joined with our families at barbecues and picnics to celebrate Labor Day, a day where we honor the contributions of the American workforce. There was a dark cloud over this Labor Day, however, because the administration decided to celebrate workers' accomplishments by rewarding hard-working Americans with one of the largest middle-class pay cuts in history. The decision to undermine overtime pay and enact what could turn out to be the largest middle-class pay cut in history is just the latest in a relentless effort under way in Washington to disregard the economic security of millions of middle-class families.

The regulations that went into effect on August 23 suggest that there are those in Washington who believe that overtime pay is nothing more than a luxury for American workers. The truth is plain and simple. Overtime pay is not a luxury for millions of families. It is a necessity. The changes to overtime pay could seriously reduce the paychecks of over 6 million workers making between $23,600 and $100,000 annually.

For many people, overtime is the difference that pays the rent and buys the groceries. I stand in this Chamber today as a product of overtime. My father worked 80 to 90 hours a week, week in and week out, month in and month out, year in and year out, because he had five children that he wanted to send off to have an opportunity that he never had, the opportunity to go to private college. He and my mother accomplished that, and they accomplished that because of overtime. There are countless families who rely on this kind of additional compensation to meet the needs of their own families.

Some people may say that we should be comforted by the fact that these regulations will not impact workers protected by a collective bargaining agreement. I say that this reasoning is anything but comforting, and workers covered by a union contract will ultimately suffer a reduction in pay. Union contracts will need to be renegotiated, and the regulation changes will make it increasingly more difficult to negotiate fair contracts in the future as workers will now be forced to bargain for overtime protections that were once guaranteed by law.

Previously the law was clear: Those eligible for overtime got time and a half for every hour you worked over 40 hours in a single week. Now that rule has changed, and it will lower the bar for everyone. The amendment we offer today will preserve the protections for the new low-income workers who become eligible for overtime under the new rule. Our amendment will rescind the rule that takes away overtime from 6 million workers so that workers who were eligible before August 23 will once again be eligible.

Let us stop this assault on the economic well-being of middle-class families. I urge my colleagues to vote yes on the Obey-Miller amendment.

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