Tom Harkin: “America is stuck in a jobless recovery and this jobless recovery is not an accident. It is in large measure the result…”

“America is stuck in a jobless recovery and this jobless recovery is not an accident. It is in large measure the result of failed economic policies, policies that the administration stubbornly clings to despite the loss of nearly 3 million private sector jobs over the last 3 years. This administration has embraced outsourcing. It is against extending unemployment insurance for the long-term unemployed. It is adamant against raising the minimum wage. And it is determined--any day now--to eliminate time-and-a-half overtime pay for millions of American workers. It is time for Congress to step in and chart a new course. It is time for Washington to listen to ordinary working Americans. They are telling us loudly and clearly that their No. 1 issue is economic security. They are telling us that they fear losing their jobs, health care, and retirement. Now they also fear losing their right, which has been their right since 1938, to time-and-a-half compensation for work over 40 hours a week. They fear, with good reason, that under the Department of Labor's new rules, they will be obligated to work a 50-, 55-, 60-hour week with zero additional compensation. For millions of working Americans and their families, this is unacceptable. It is, indeed, the last straw.”