(The following Reuters report appeared at CNN.com on October 3.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Organized labor scored a rare victory in the Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday when lawmakers opposed a Bush administration proposal that foes say could cost millions of Americans overtime pay.
On a non-binding vote of 221-203, the House backed a Senate-passed provision to block the proposed expansion of overtime exemptions for white-collar workers under the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act.
The vote instructs House negotiators to put the provision in the final version of a massive spending bill for health, labor and education programs that they are putting together with Senate conferees.
But House negotiators, under pressure from Republican leadership, may not comply. The White House has already threatened to veto the entire bill if they do.
Still, the House vote encouraged opponents of the proposed rule changes, and they called on the administration to abandon it.
“This is a great victory for American workers today,” Sen. Tom Harkin, an Iowa Democrat, declared in announcing the House vote on the floor of his chamber.
“It sends a very clear message to the administration: ‘Don’t mess with overtime protection. Don’t take away from American workers,'” Harkin said.
The Fair Labor Standards Act created the 40-hour work week by guaranteeing overtime pay, at time and a half, for each hour worked over 40. The law allows for the exemption of administrative, professional and executive workers.
Under the Labor Department’s proposal, more employees could be reclassified as exempt administrators, professionals or executives — provided they meet certain criteria, and particularly if they earn more than $65,000.
Organized labor has opposed these proposed changes, saying they could cost more than 8 million workers overtime pay. But industry says the steps are needed to update and clarify outdated and confusing work rules.
Twenty-one House Republicans joined 199 Democrats and one independent in supporting the Senate provision that would block any rule changes that would reduce overtime protection.
AFL-CIO President John Sweeney, whose 13-million member labor federation backs the provision, hailed the bipartisan vote and called on Bush “to withdraw his assault on overtime and withdraw his threat to veto any legislation that protects overtime.”