Washington, Sept 07: American labour and business are gearing up for a Capitol Hill battle over whether to redefine who in the American work force has the right to overtime pay. The AFL-CIO, the nation’s biggest labour group, is rallying its members to urge Congress to block a Bush administration proposal that critics say could end such compensation for millions of workers by expanding overtime exemptions.

In the midst of disagreements about who will be affected, foes say firefighters, police officers, nurses, dental hygienists and truck dispatchers could be among those stripped of overtime. Backers contend that the revisions are aimed at white-collar employees, largely ones in mid or high-level jobs. They include sales personnel, managers, financial planners, advanced computer technicians and even rocket scientists.
Opponents say if they fail to block the proposed changes in Congress, they will challenge them in court. Unless stopped, they could take effect early next year and become an issue in the ’04 White House and Congressional elections.
A letter drafted by the AFL-CIO for its 13m members to send to lawmakers reads in part: “This is one of the issues I will use to measure your commitment to working families.”
The US Chamber of Commerce is helping take the lead in defence of the proposal. According to the US Labour Department, no more than 6,44,000 employees would lose overtime. But the liberal Economic Policy Institute, in what it calls a limited and initial analysis, puts the figure at over 8 million.

Bureau Report