By a near party-line vote, the House yesterday approved a bill, pushed by Republican leadership, that if it ever became law, would mean many workers would work more hours for less pay. By a 223-204 vote, the House passed the so-called Working Families Flexibility Act (H.R. 1406).
As AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Arlene Holt Baker and Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) wrote earlier yesterday:
This legislation, proposed by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Rep. Martha Roby, would allow employers to pay their workers nothing extra for overtime work, other than the potentially empty promise of compensatory time—"comp time"—that can only be used at the employer's discretion. H.R. 1406, cloaked in the positive language of "choice," is really just another attempt by Republicans to get rid of paid overtime.
But it is unlikely this attack on workers’ pay will go further. The Senate is not expected to take up the bill and the Obama administration says the president’s veto pen is at the ready.
Unfortunately, three Democratic representatives voted for the bill—Reps. Collin Peterson (Minn.), Henry Cuellar (Texas) and Jim Matheson (Utah). However, eight Republicans stood with working families and voted against the bill. They are Reps. Frank LoBiondo (N.J.), David Joyce (Ohio), Chris Smith (N.J.), Michael Grimm (N.Y.), Jon Runyan (N.J.), Don Young (Alaska), Pat Meehan (Pa.) and Richard Hanna (N.Y).