JOHN LINDER: “Mr. Chairman, this is a fascinating debate, because a week or two ago nobody offered an amendment in committee, nobody…”

“Mr. Chairman, this is a fascinating debate, because a week or two ago nobody offered an amendment in committee, nobody showed any opposition to this bill. The President has said he supports this bill. All of a sudden, then, the labor unions jerked the chain and lap dogs become pit bulls to kill an effort, a modest effort, in non-union shops between employers and employees who agree voluntarily to take compensatory time as opposed to time and a half, and it is going to be tried to be stopped on this floor, the same as the TEAM Act in the Senate, because labor union leaders cannot stand it when employers and employees get along. They thrive on conflict. They create conflict. Then they come to the rescue. Mr. Chairman, this is a modest bill. It merely says if employers and employees want to get together and voluntarily agree on this, this should be legal. I do not understand this debate about adversarial relationships. I have built 7 businesses. If you are building businesses, you soon begin to understand that the most valuable resource you have is your employees. You cannot treat them this brutally as you are implying. They leave. It costs you twice as much to train a new one. You learn as a business owner. But if you get along with your employees and treat them right and reach voluntary agreements with them, they make you money. They are the most valuable things you have.”