Removing overtime pay [politics]
Lest I be accused of being all one-sided in my political views, I have to say that I don't think the Bush administration is going to win a lot of support by reducing overtime pay for some workers. My thought when I first heard about the proposal was that the intention was that managers and higher paid workers would have the overtime bonus requirement removed. According to some web sites, a company could just change just about any worker's title to something that sounds professional, and they'd have their overtime pay cut too. As with most things, the truth is probably somewhere inbetween.
Meanwhile, it sounds like it is vague as to exactly which jobs will have their pay cut. Nurses are particularly affected, since there is a nursing shortage, and it's not always the nurse's choice as to whether or not to work overtime. In other words, if a company is going to strongly encourage you to work overtime, I don't think it's too much to ask to get paid for the extra effort.
In theory, the goverment shouldn't need to force a company to pay time-and-a-half, or any amount. After all, the worker and boss can negotiate for what the pay should be. But in practice, some regulation may be needed, if for no other reason than we are not living in a world with perfect level playing fields. Overtime pay isn't such a huge violation of capitalism in my mind as the French ruling to limit workers to 35 hours a week. If someone wants to work extra hours, I think they should be allowed! It's not as if it would be all the time either; there may be emergency situations where it is worthwhile for not just the company, but the general public. (It's unclear how many people were harmed by their restriction, but a quick search will turn up articles [click here for example] that are rather disturbing.)
Meanwhile, it sounds like it is vague as to exactly which jobs will have their pay cut. Nurses are particularly affected, since there is a nursing shortage, and it's not always the nurse's choice as to whether or not to work overtime. In other words, if a company is going to strongly encourage you to work overtime, I don't think it's too much to ask to get paid for the extra effort.
In theory, the goverment shouldn't need to force a company to pay time-and-a-half, or any amount. After all, the worker and boss can negotiate for what the pay should be. But in practice, some regulation may be needed, if for no other reason than we are not living in a world with perfect level playing fields. Overtime pay isn't such a huge violation of capitalism in my mind as the French ruling to limit workers to 35 hours a week. If someone wants to work extra hours, I think they should be allowed! It's not as if it would be all the time either; there may be emergency situations where it is worthwhile for not just the company, but the general public. (It's unclear how many people were harmed by their restriction, but a quick search will turn up articles [click here for example] that are rather disturbing.)
