[Livingwage] Fwd: Urgent: Congress will vote on overtime Thursday

[Belden Fields]

>Date: 02 Jun 2003 20:07:39 -0000
>From: "Working Families e-Activist Network" <peoplepower at aflcio.org>
>To: "Belden Fields" <a-fields at uiuc.edu>
>Subject: Urgent: Congress will vote on overtime Thursday
>Reply-To: notice-reply-i588dez9jxw7 at unionvoice.org
>
>U.S. House Republican leaders have scheduled a vote for
>Thursday on a bill to take away overtime pay for millions
>of people. The bill, called H.R. 1119, would let employers
>offer comp time instead of overtime pay--but bosses would
>have complete control over when--or even if--a worker
>could really take time off.
>
>Please take one minute to do these two things to stop
>this awful legislation. Even if you've acted before, WE
>NEED YOU TO ACT AGAIN before Thursday.
>
>First, click on the link below to fax your U.S. representative.
>Tell him or her to oppose H.R. 1119.
>http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/otvotejune5/i588dez9jxw7
>
>Then, click on the link below to ask your friends, family
>and co-workers to send their fax to Congress. The more
>people who take action, the better chance we have of winning.
>http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/otvotejune5/forward/i588dez9jxw7
>
>This congressional attack on overtime is just one part
>of a two-pronged assault on workers' paychecks. In addition
>to this legislation, the Bush administration is pushing
>for new rules to take away overtime pay that could go
>into effect as soon as September of this year. The combination
>of these changes with congressional legislation, discussed
>above, would push overtime protections back 70 years and
>turn them into meaningless "suggestions" instead of laws
>employers must obey.
>
>And, new analysis shows millions will lose overtime pay,
>including firefighters, police officers, nurses, retail
>clerks, certain medical technicians, military reservists,
>tech workers and many, many more.
>
> >From now until June 30, the U.S. Department of Labor is
>accepting public comments on the proposal to take away
>overtime pay, reduce overtime protections and cut the
>take-home pay of millions of America's workers. You can
>easily submit your letter of opposition right now by clicking
>on the link below. A copy also will be sent to President
>Bush.
>http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/overtime4dol/i588dez9jxw7
>
>Overtime pay makes up about one-fourth of the average
>weekly earnings of workers who receive it. That is an
>average pay cut of $161 a week and can add up to thousands
>of dollars a year. Can you imagine the government cutting
>the pay of a firefighter by thousands of dollars per year?
>How much would you lose? These overtime pay changes are
>like a giant new tax on working families by a president
>who, at the same time, works hard to give tax breaks to
>millionaires.
>
>Please act today.
>--------------------------------------------------
>
>Visit the web address below to tell your friends, family
>and co-workers about this.
>
>http://www.unionvoice.org/join-forward.html?domain=wfean&r=7d1RwF5121qP
>
>If you received this message from a friend, you can sign
>up for Working Families e-Activist Network at:
>
>http://www.unionvoice.org/wfean/join.html?r=7d1RwF5121qPE
>
>--------------------------------------------------
>
>If you would like to unsubscribe from the e-Activist
>Network, visit your subscription management page at:
>
>http://www.unionvoice.org/wfean/smp.tcl?nkey=i588dez9jxw7
>
>***********************************************
>Click on the link below for more information
>from your union, online activism and benefits.
>http://www.unionvoice.org/wfn/join.html
>***********************************************