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BUSH'S IDEA OF FAIRNESS--CUTS FOR EVERYBODY: TAX CUTS FOR THE RICH, PAY CUTS FOR THE WORKERS
Food And Commercial Workers Union Leader Expresses Worker Outrage At Hearing On Overtime Pay Ripoff |
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Over 8 million workers will get a pay cut as the result of the Bush's Administration's effort to re-write overtime pay regulations, according to Doug Dority, president of the 1.4 million United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW). In a statement before a hearing on proposed rule changes on overtime pay eligibility, Dority charged that the Bush plan would be the "largest, single pay cut for workers in history," and has no rational basis except to "feed the greed of corporate America."
Responding to its corporate funders, the Bush Administration's Labor Department would re-define the exempt occupational categories of "Executive," "Administrative," and "Professional" to exempt jobs such as a lead produce clerk in a supermarket or a hospital technician from overtime pay. "While these are skilled and valuable workers," said Dority, "they do not have the income level or the personal control of their work to equate them for overtime pay eligibility with a supermarket executive or a medical doctor."
Over 50,000 UFCW members working in retail food, food processing, health care and manufacturing would suddenly be exempt from overtime and could be required to work unlimited hours with no additional income if the Bush Administration has its way. "All of them would be surprised to find that they are now ‘executives' or ‘professionals,' and all of them would be outraged to find out that their newly ordained status comes with a pay cut," said Dority.
"I guess this is George W. Bush's idea of fairness. Cuts for everybody. Tax cuts for the wealthy. Pay cuts for the workers," concluded Dority.
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| The 1.3 million member United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) is America's neighborhood union representing workers in neighborhood grocery stores across the country. UFCW puts dinner on the table for America's families with members working in meatpacking and food processing. |
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