The Grinch that Stole Labor Day from Veterans

[Guest guest]

> Sun, 05 Sep 2004 13:30:13 -0400

> palast

> The Grinch that Stole Labor Day from

> Veterans

 

>

> THE GRINCH THAT STOLE LABOR DAY FROM VETERANS

> I know you won't believe this, but our President

> told a whopper in New York

> by Greg Palast

> An update of our report from last Labor Day.

>

> Monday, September 6, 2004 - In celebration of the

> working person's holiday, Secretary of Labor Elaine

> Chao has announced the Bush Administration's plan to

> end the 60-year-old law which requires employers to

> pay time-and-a-half for overtime.

>

> I'm sure you already knew that -- if you happened to

> have run across page 15,576 of last year's Federal

> Register.

>

> According to the Register, where the Bush

> Administration likes to place its little gifts to

> major campaign donors, 2.7 million workers will lose

> their overtime pay for a " benefit " of $1.53 billion.

> I put " benefit " in quotes because, in the official

> cost-benefit analysis issued by Bush's Labor

> Department, the amount employers will now be able to

> slice out of workers' pockets is tallied on the plus

> side of the rules change.

>

> President Bush announced in his convention

> acceptance speech in New York this week that he was

> changing overtime rules to give workers " comp time "

> off, instead of pay. He forgot to mention that a

> couple of days before, on August 23, his Labor

> Department had already put in half the plan --

> eliminating overtime pay for millions -- while

> failing to put into the regs one word about comp

> time. In the pre-September 11 days, we used to call

> what the President said, " lying. "

>

> Nevertheless, workers getting their pay snipped

> shouldn't complain, because they will all be

> receiving promotions. These employees will be

> re-classified as managers exempt from the law. The

> change is promoted by the National Council of Chain

> Restaurants. You've met these 'managers' - they're

> the ones in the beanies and aprons whose management

> decisions are, " Hold the lettuce on that. "

>

> NO OVERTIME IN BAGHDAD

>

> My favorite of Chao's little amendments would

> re-classify as " exempt professionals " anyone who

> learned their skill in the military. In other words,

> thousands of veterans will now lose overtime pay. I

> just can't understand why Bush didn't announce that

> one when he landed on the aircraft carrier.

>

> Now I should say that, according to Chao's press

> office, the changes will actually extend overtime

> benefits to 1.3 million burger flippin' managers.

> How does that square with the billion dollar

> " benefit " to business owners? Simple: The Chao

> hounds at the Labor Department suggest that

> employers CUT WAGES so that, added to the new

> " overtime " pay, the employees won't actually take

> home a dime more.

>

> I can hear the moaners and bleeding hearts saying

> this sounds like the Labor Department is telling Big

> Business how to evade the law. Yep, that's what the

> Department is doing. Right there on page 15,576 of

> the Federal Register it says,

>

> " Affected employers would have four choices

> concerning potential payroll costs: ... (#4)

> converting salaried employees' basis of pay to an

> hourly rate that result in virtually no changes to

> the total compensation paid those workers. "

>

> And in case some employer is dense as a president

> and doesn't get the hint, Comrade Chao repeats, " The

> fourth choice above results in virtually no (or only

> a minimal) increase in labor costs. "

>

> For decades the courts have thrown the book at

> cheapskate bosses who chisel workers out of legal

> overtime by cutting base pay this way -- but now

> they'll have a new defense: Bush made me do it.

>

> But then, there likely will not be any cases against

> employers anyway since Chao herself is supposedly

> the labor cop whose job it is to stop paycheck

> theft. She's well qualified for that job. Her resume

> reads, " Married to Republican Senator Mitch

> McConnell of Kentucky. " I called her press office to

> ask if she qualifies for overtime, but they'd left

> the office early.

>

> And there is good news for our sporting President.

> Word from the White House is he'll be golfing on the

> Labor Day weekend. Under Chao's rules he need not

> worry if he wants to replay that hole. " Exempt

> professionals " who cannot earn overtime - once

> defined as doctors, lawyers and those with

> specialized college degrees - will now include

> anyone who provides skilled advice ... like caddies

> ( " You might try the other end of the club, Mr.

> President " ).

>

>

> **********

> This month, Greg Palast, will release, " Bush Family

> Fortunes, " the 70-minute film on DVD taken from his

> investigative reports for BBC television. View a

> 2-minute preview, or order it, at

> http://www.gregpalast.com/bff-dvd.htm

>

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> ============================================