Overtime after 160 hours?!

In 1938 the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) established the 40-hour work week as the "full-time" standard, so that employers must pay workers time-and-a-half for any hours over 40. The purpose of this rule was to protect workers from excessive work hours by discouraging employers from using overtime. Several bills now being proposed in Congress threaten overtime protections. Perhaps most insidious is the so-called "Work and Family Integration Act of 1995" (S. 1129). In the Orwellian "doublespeak" or "new think" typical of today's right-wing extremist Congress, this bill claims that it will make it easier for working parents to have more flexible schedules. Proposed on August 7, 1995 by Sen. John Ashcroft of Missouri, S. 1129 would mandate that employers be required to pay overtime only after employees have worked 160 hours in a 4-week period. This means you could work sixteen 10-hour days or even ten 16-hour days before receiving any overtime pay. You can get a copy of the proposed bill and supporting material from Ashcroft's office; call Doreen Denny at (202) 224-6154.

Reprinted from: Shorter Work-Time News, September 21, 1995. Subscriptions are $5-$15 on a sliding scale. Write c/o 69 Dover St. #1, Somerville, MA 02144. (617)628-5558.