Failing at Life One Day at a Time

House GOP Votes To End Overtime Pay With ‘Working Families Flexibility Act’

stfuconservatives:

The Working Families Flexibility Act will make it easier for employers to avoid paying for overtime and give workers far less flexibility in their lives.

A few people have asked why I’m against this bill. It’s a fair question: what’s so bad about getting to choose whether you get overtime pay or comp time (paid time off) at your job? If you’re a working parent, or you wish you had more time to travel, or whatever, getting comp time instead of overtime pay doesn’t sound too bad.

Here’s the issue: it lets your EMPLOYER choose which one you get. The Fair Labor Standards Act says your boss has to pay you time-and-a-half when you work overtime. If you’re struggling to pay the bills, you probably don’t want more vacation days. You want the money you earned by working ridiculous hours. You want to see your paycheck, not your PTO balance, reflect the time you put in.

Comp time is great. But you can’t trade it in for money - or for your electricity bill. It’d be great if workers could CHOOSE overtime pay or extra paid time off, but letting the employer choose on your behalf is a pretty clear ploy to let employers stop paying you more to work more.