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 Bush
signs ergonomics repeal
Hundreds of thousands of workers are injured every year through repetitive
motion injuries. But their hope for federal standards died March 20 when
President George W. Bush signed a congressional resolution repealing the
new standard.
Minimum wage action likely in May
The Senate is likely to vote on a minimum wage increase before Memorial
Day. The GOP bill is expected to be an inadequate increase of $1 over
three years while the Democrats want a $1.50 increase over two years.
President Bush campaigned to allow states to opt out of the national minimum
wage—a scheme that would effectively repeal the federal standard.
Overtime pay under attack
Congressional Republicans are sponsoring a bonus bill to reduce overtime
pay by allowing employers to recalculate workers’ base pay. If you
made $12 an hour, your overtime rate would normally be $18 an hour, 1.5
times your base pay. Under the bonus bill, employers could declare, say,
$3 of this base pay as a bonus, commission, or incentive. Your hourly
overtime rate would then be $13.50.
Comp time bill not family-friendly
The Republican comp time bill is another attack on workers. Sold as family-friendly,
this proposal could force workers to take comp time (time off instead
of pay) for overtime hours already worked. And it gives employers—not
workers—the right to decide when comp time is taken.
Credit card industry wins vote on bankruptcy
The credit card industry won the battle of the bankruptcy bill in the
U.S. Senate on a 83-15 vote (R 47-2, D 36-13). The biggest winner was
the MBNA Corp., the world’s largest credit-card issuer and Bush’s
biggest corporate donor.
The bankruptcy bill takes away the chance of a fresh start for honest
debtors but fails to address business abuse of the bankruptcy system.
Before the bill goes to President Bush’s desk for his signature,
the Senate and the House must approve one version of the bill.
For late-breaking news:
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Link
UAW hotline: 1-800-482-3334
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