For Immediate Release
Wednesday, April 21, 2004
AFSCME: Latest Overtime Regulations Still Hurt Workers
WASHINGTON —"The Bush Administration's new overtime regulations will take money out of the pockets of working families and pad the coffers of corporate America. The last thing that working families need is a pay-cut in this Bush recession," said American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees President Gerald W. McEntee.
"President Bush makes the claim that his overtime plan will have no impact on workers, but any numbers released by the Administration should be viewed with great skepticism," McEntee added.
McEntee noted that in the Department of Labor's original estimate said that 600,000 workers would be affected. In reality, eight million workers would have lost their overtime rights. Now the Administration is saying that 107,000 will be adversely affected by the new regulations.
McEntee said that while AFSCME staff continue to review the 500-page regulations, "It is clear that many Americans, including AFSCME members like nurses, social workers and others, will lose their federal right to overtime compensation."
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), AFL-CIO, is the nation's largest and fastest growing public service employees union with 1.4 million members. AFSCME organizes for social and economic justice in the workplace and through political action and legislative advocacy.
