Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss the real effect that the Working Families Flexibility Act would have on our families. Contrary to its name, this bill does not protect working families. Many hourly workers in south Florida and across the country depend on the opportunity to collect their hard-earned overtime pay to support their families and make ends meet. This antifamily, antiworker bill would make it harder for employees to provide for their families and easier for employers to pay less for overtime work with hazy promises of time off later. The bottom line is that comp time doesn't pay the bills. This legislation provides no guarantee that employees would get to use their time off when they need it; or if an employer goes out of business, workers may never get compensated at all. I've heard no one on the other side of the aisle answer what happens when a boss says ``no'' to a request for comp time for that school play or taking their child to a doctor. Employees who depend on overtime pay to put food on the table may be forced to compete with fellow employees who are willing to trade their overtime wages for comp time. Passing this bill would deepen the financial insecurity of wage workers, especially Hispanic women who are more likely to be hourly wage workers, more likely to be responsible for family caregiving, and less likely to have negotiating power in their jobs.…”