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House Vote Favors Workers in Overtime Fight
By a 221-203 vote, the U.S. House on Thursday joined the Senate in taking a stand against the Bush administration's assault on workers' overtime rights.
The vote came on a motion by Rep. David Obey (D-Wis.) to instruct members of the House-Senate conference committee that will review and likely revise the overtime legislation before sending it back to both chambers for a second vote.
In September, the Senate voted on an amendment offered by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) to stop the DOL from issuing new regulations that would take overtime pay away from millions of workers. By a narrow margin, the House had earlier rejected a similar amendment.
The amendment, which now goes to the conference committee, is tied to the appropriations bill for labor, health and education. President Bush has threatened to veto the bill if the overtime amendment is attached.
"The Senate and now a majority in the U.S. House, including 21 Republicans, showed they won't be bullied by the White House to extend yet another favor to corporate America at the grave expense of workers," CWA President Morton Bahr said. "The administration is learning that its bitterly anti-worker agenda has run out of political steam."
The Labor Department continues to claim publicly that its new rules would help more workers than they would hurt, and Labor Secretary Elaine Chao went so far as to write in a Baltimore Sun column this week that the Harkin amendment, if passed, "would be a huge setback to American workers." Buried within the regulations themselves, however, officials acknowledge that at least 3.3 million workers would lose overtime, costing them $5 billion a year in income.
In all, 199 Democrats, 21 Republicans and one Independent voted to instruct the conferees to support the overtime amendment. Two Democrats, Ralph Hall and Charlie Stenholm, both of Texas, voted against the motion.
The Republicans voting in favor were Sherwood Boelhert, Sue Kelly, Peter King, John McHugh, Jack Quinn and John Sweeney of New York, Mike Ferguson, Frank LoBiondo and Chris Smith of New Jersey, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, Tim Johnson of Illinois, Steve LaTourette of Ohio, Jim Leach and Jim Nussle of Iowa, Thaddeus McCotter, Candice Miller and Fred Upton of Michigan, Don Young of Alaska, Chris Shays of Connecticut, Todd Tiahrt of Kansas, and Tim Murphy of Pennsylvania.
CWA Chief Lobbyist Lou Gerber said CWA helped pick up the votes of Capito, Ferguson, McCotter, Miller, Murphy, Shays, Tiahrt and Young, who had voted against the amendment the first time.
In addition to efforts by the legislative staff, he said members played a huge role in Thursday's win. "CWA's valiant battalion of core activists sent 3,385 e-mails to 432 members of the House," he said. "In addition, CWA members met personally with lawmakers or their staff and made countless telephone calls to the offices of their representatives."
CWA members are urged to continue to check the CWA and AFL-CIO websites for updates and instructions on further action to contact lawmakers as the debate on the overtime issue continues.
The vote came on a motion by Rep. David Obey (D-Wis.) to instruct members of the House-Senate conference committee that will review and likely revise the overtime legislation before sending it back to both chambers for a second vote.
In September, the Senate voted on an amendment offered by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) to stop the DOL from issuing new regulations that would take overtime pay away from millions of workers. By a narrow margin, the House had earlier rejected a similar amendment.
The amendment, which now goes to the conference committee, is tied to the appropriations bill for labor, health and education. President Bush has threatened to veto the bill if the overtime amendment is attached.
"The Senate and now a majority in the U.S. House, including 21 Republicans, showed they won't be bullied by the White House to extend yet another favor to corporate America at the grave expense of workers," CWA President Morton Bahr said. "The administration is learning that its bitterly anti-worker agenda has run out of political steam."
The Labor Department continues to claim publicly that its new rules would help more workers than they would hurt, and Labor Secretary Elaine Chao went so far as to write in a Baltimore Sun column this week that the Harkin amendment, if passed, "would be a huge setback to American workers." Buried within the regulations themselves, however, officials acknowledge that at least 3.3 million workers would lose overtime, costing them $5 billion a year in income.
In all, 199 Democrats, 21 Republicans and one Independent voted to instruct the conferees to support the overtime amendment. Two Democrats, Ralph Hall and Charlie Stenholm, both of Texas, voted against the motion.
The Republicans voting in favor were Sherwood Boelhert, Sue Kelly, Peter King, John McHugh, Jack Quinn and John Sweeney of New York, Mike Ferguson, Frank LoBiondo and Chris Smith of New Jersey, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, Tim Johnson of Illinois, Steve LaTourette of Ohio, Jim Leach and Jim Nussle of Iowa, Thaddeus McCotter, Candice Miller and Fred Upton of Michigan, Don Young of Alaska, Chris Shays of Connecticut, Todd Tiahrt of Kansas, and Tim Murphy of Pennsylvania.
CWA Chief Lobbyist Lou Gerber said CWA helped pick up the votes of Capito, Ferguson, McCotter, Miller, Murphy, Shays, Tiahrt and Young, who had voted against the amendment the first time.
In addition to efforts by the legislative staff, he said members played a huge role in Thursday's win. "CWA's valiant battalion of core activists sent 3,385 e-mails to 432 members of the House," he said. "In addition, CWA members met personally with lawmakers or their staff and made countless telephone calls to the offices of their representatives."
CWA members are urged to continue to check the CWA and AFL-CIO websites for updates and instructions on further action to contact lawmakers as the debate on the overtime issue continues.