John Joseph Moakley: “Mr. Speaker, I am not opposed to this open rule, but I am very concerned about the bill that it makes in order. This…”

“Mr. Speaker, I am not opposed to this open rule, but I am very concerned about the bill that it makes in order. This bill says that employers can require people to work overtime but they no longer have to pay them time and a half. In other words, sales employees who are forced to work long hours could end up with no additional pay at all. Mr. Speaker, this means that enormous numbers of already low-paid workers would be denied the protections of the Fair Labor Standards Act. My Republican colleagues may argue that the low salary guarantees in this bill takes care of the workers, but, Mr. Speaker, it does not. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this bill will deny 1.5 million sales employees overtime pay. I for one think that 1.5 million American workers should be paid for the time that they spend at work. Like many other bills my Republican colleagues have drafted, this bill helps employers at the expense of workers. It is a win-win situation, Mr. Speaker, for the employers and it is a gamble for the workers. If the worker makes big sales, the employer does well. If the worker does not make big sales, the employer still does well because he does not have to pay his worker overtime. Employees who must work long hours but do not make significant sales will be working virtually for nothing.”