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| This week in Congress, during a time when our economy
is struggling, House Republicans tried to push H.R. 1119, The Family Time
Flexibility Act. This bill undermines the basic protections of the
40-hour workweek and would result in a real pay cut for Arkansas’s working
families who depend on overtime pay to meet their housing, food, and healthcare
needs.
The Fair Labor Standards Act currently requires employers to pay workers time-and-a-half when they work more than 40 hours per week. H.R. 1119 would allow employers to pay workers nothing for overtime work at the time it is performed, in exchange for a promise of compensatory time off in the future. Rather than improving the economy and creating good-paying jobs, this legislation would worsen the trend toward lower wages for everyone. Right now nearly nine million Americans are unemployed. Those who do find work take an average of five months to do so, and 17 percent of them have to accept a job with less pay. Health insurance premiums are skyrocketing, pensions are disappearing, and salaries are shrinking. Amid these conditions, with our working families struggling to make ends meet, Congress was considering this bill that will erode wages for everyone. I am pleased to say, that effort was unsuccessful, and after strong opposition, the bill was pulled from consideration. This was a victory for Arkansas’s working families, and I want you to know that I will continue to fight any legislation that threatens their livelihood. |
