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U.S. Senate Democrats today guarded against Bush’s attack on overtime pay protections

Jan. 20, 2004 - The U.S. Senate voted this afternoon against closing debate on the Omnibus Spending Bill which contains overtime pay cuts for nearly eight million workers.

Senate Democrats had started a filibuster Dec. 11 because the spending bill did not contain an amendment by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) that would have protected overtime pay, while allowing the Labor Department to expand overtime pay to cover more low-income workers.

The Harkin amendment was part of the fiscal year 2004 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education spending bill and both chambers of Congress voted for it. But Republican leaders, pressured by Bush, stripped the amendment from the bill.

Your voice matters. OCSEA thanks E-Activists who called Sen. George Voinovich and Sen. Mike DeWine. The number of workers who would lose overtime pay totals nearly 400,000 in Ohio and eight million nationwide.

What's next? Senate leaders, both Democrats and Republicans, anticipate that the bill will be voted on again as early as Thursday, Jan. 22. Stay tuned for updates.

>> SPREAD THE WORD - Tell your friends, family, and co-workers to visit www.ocsea.org and www.aflcio.org to learn more about Bush's overtime pay take-aways

>> Join the OCSEA E-Action Center - Subscribe to OCSEA's E-Action Center's E-Alert list. You'll get information on legislative issues impacting public employee union members, and learn how you can make a difference. Sign up now

>> Learn More - Visit the AFL-CIO's Web site to learn more about how George Bush's overtime pay take-away impacts you:

• Statement by AFL-CIO President John Sweeney on Senate Vote Against Cloture on Omnibus Spending Bill Over Bush Administration's Proposed Overtime Pay Cut
  
  
• Labor Department Advises Employers How to Avoid Paying Overtime
  
  
• Bush’s Proposal Could End Overtime Pay for Millions of Workers
  
  
• Labor Cartoon: Overtime B-Gone