The U.S. House of Representatives Republican leadership tried to pull the wool over America’s workers’ eyes today when it stopped the House from even debating or holding an up-or-down vote on a nonbinding motion to block any portion of the Bush Administration’s final overtime regulation that would strip workers of overtime pay.

The last thing America’s workers need right now is a major pay cut. The House leadership passed up an opportunity to allow the Bush Administration to make any needed updates to the rules governing overtime pay, while stopping them from taking away overtime pay from even a single worker. Representative George Miller’s motion would have put the House on record in support of the Harkin amendment, which was approved by a bipartisan majority in the Senate last week.

Instead, many middle-income workers including registered nurses, “team leaders,” chefs, working supervisors and others earning between $23,660 and $100,000 will lose their right to overtime pay when the Bush overtime pay cut goes into effect on August 23, 2004.

America’s workers deserve to at least have a vote on this matter in the House so that they can see where their leaders stand on Bush’s efforts to slash their overtime pay.

Contact Lane Windham or Suzanne Ffolkes 202-637-5018