Another perspective on the Overtime Bill, this time from AFL-CIO. This goes to my position that the Democrats are allowing Pete & Co. to control their process too much. I watched Jennings start the evening by discussing polls which show who the Candidate is. He would interrupt the applause for Candidates as soon as they finished speaking. In one early example, he immediately cut off Dean's applause to announce a commercial and what would be next on HIS list, silencing the voters reaction. The issues are the reason for the debate, not to coronate the one the 'media' chose for them as they present the popularity of polls as the issue. The fact that Americans still support each Candidate should also not be quashed by his interruptions and attempts to dissociate the Candidates remarks from the acceptance to the voters of those views.
People should recall that as Candidates drop out, the automatic support for the frontrunner will not ensue, but rather be divided between the second, third, and fourth place Candidates. This is due to dis-like for the guy who beat their guy, and because the frontrunner will become more status quo, not less, as he gains confidence that the nomination is being assisted by the 'controlled media'. This alienates about two thirds of supporters of the leaving Candidate and ends up as a much closer race for the last two Candidates than we see today. I see Dean going to the Convention and leveraging his supporters issues and resolutions in the platform. Dean supporters should be sidling up to other supporters of lesser Candiddates now, to draw off their support when they drop out and make it a interesting two man race as this thing progresses.
Allowed to formulate thier own issues, this would be one they should be screaming form the rooftops. As I said I believe Clinton would do if he were running, he'd say, "It's the economy stupid". Democrats should hammer this harp till it breaks through to the American people who are entranced by the profits of owners of their companies on Wall Street, as if the profit was thiers.
A particularly evil part of this Legislation, is it will take away some veterans overtime eligibility for having received training in their war service. Feel free to comment or e-mail: wahkonta@graffiti.net Blog On.
EXCERPT BEGINS
Survey: Public Opposes Bush Efforts to Gut Overtime Laws 3-1

September 3—Fully three in four Americans (74 percent) oppose the Bush administration’s proposal to eliminate several million employees’ legal right to overtime pay, with just 14 percent in favor of the proposal, according to a new survey by Peter D. Hart Research Associates for the AFL-CIO.

Broad opposition to the proposal, announced by the U.S. Department of Labor in March, includes Republicans (73 percent opposed), Democrats (81 percent), African Americans (76 percent) and whites (75 percent).

The Bush overtime proposals are high on the Senate's agenda as it returns to Washington, D.C., this week.

Before Congress adjourned in August, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) introduced legislation (S. 1485) that would block the Bush-backed Labor Department proposal to gut the Fair Labor Standards Act’s overtime pay protections. The Harkin-Kennedy bill will be offered as an amendment to the fiscal year 2004 Labor, Health, Human Services and Education appropriations bill (H.R. 2660).

“Employers are hiring fewer workers here in the U.S. and working them longer—and now the Bush administration is trying to make it cheaper for them to work employees even longer with its proposed changes to overtime rules,” AFL-CIO President John J. Sweeney said during a Labor Day press conference Aug. 28.

Although the Bush administration claims changes to the overtime rules would affect only 644,000 workers, the nonprofit Economic Policy Institute (EPI) found the number of workers who will lose overtime pay is closer to 8 million.

“The DOL recognizes that this conversion from hourly to salaried will occur, but it woefully underestimates how significant the change in the workforce will likely be,” according to the EPI report. Those who could lose overtime pay involve a wide range of workers, including nurses, firefighters, retail clerks and engineering technicians.

8 Million Workers Could Lose Overtime Pay

Under, the Bush proposal, workers who lose their overtime rights also could face unpredictable work schedules and reduced pay because of an increased demand for extra hours—time for which employers would not have to compensate workers, according to EPI.

Workers making more than $22,100 a year could be denied overtime pay under the proposed changes if they are reclassified as professional, administrative or executive employees exempt from federal overtime rules.

In July, Bush threatened to veto the appropriations bill if it included an amendment that would prevent the attack on workers’ overtime, but House Republicans narrowly defeated (213-210) the amendment.

After the Labor Department announced its plan to take away overtime pay in March, it received more than 80,000 comments by the close of the public comment period June 30—and acknowledges most are against the proposal.

During the August congressional recess, activists from local unions, central labor councils and state federations distributed worksite fliers about the overtime attack, encouraged workers to contact their lawmakers and made lobbying visits to congressional district offices. That mobilization will intensify when the Senate resumes work.
EXCERPT ENDS