Barbara Boxer: “And she says, you have it anyway in your collective bargaining, which is not always the case. I think what the police…”

“And she says, you have it anyway in your collective bargaining, which is not always the case. I think what the police officers have done, in dissecting this, is to be the truth tellers here. There is one more chart. Secretary Chao says in her letter: Third, many public safety employees, as well as nurses, are paid on an hourly basis. Hourly workers are not affected by Part 541 under either the current or proposed rules. This is what the California police officers say: Employers have made determinations on who is exempt based on the totality of the regulatory requirements. Some will view any modification as a basis to reconsider exempt status. Collective bargaining agreements generally do not state that employees are 'hourly' employees. Employers would challenge that assertion. So that is another point. Then Secretary Chao says: Moreover, those public safety employees who are paid on a salary basis and may be earning less than $22,100 a year will immediately gain overtime protection under our proposed rule. They say: Fine. But this does not apply to and will not affect any California public safety officers. Thank God we pay them more than $22,100 to protect our lives and our children's lives. So that is a useless deal in this category of workers. Lastly, she writes: I can assure you, however, that it is not our intention to deny overtime pay to police officers, fire fighters, paramedics, or LPNs, or to change the current rules with respect to RNs.…”