Steve Lynch: “as a co-chairperson along with the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Linda T. Sanchez) and the gentleman from Maine (Mr.…”

“as a co-chairperson along with the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Linda T. Sanchez) and the gentleman from Maine (Mr. Michaud) of the newly formed Congressional Labor and Working Families Caucus, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this motion to instruct. Mr. Speaker, the action that we are recommending today is necessary because the Department of Labor is indeed intending to implement new regulations that will place an undue burden on millions of American workers and their families. These proposed regulations would indeed block as many as 8 million American workers from receiving overtime pay, and we are not talking about CEOs of Fortune 500 companies here. The exact language of these regulations would hurt the very men and women that are on the front lines of our war against terrorism, our first responders. There is no language in these regulations that would exempt our nurses, our firefighters, or our police officers that dedicate their working lives to protecting the safety of all of us. Mr. Speaker, under the economic policies of this administration, more than 3.3 million jobs have been lost in this country since 2001; and as a result, unemployment is now at a 10-year high. Millions of additional workers are concerned about their pensions, health benefits, and ability to meet their basic needs such as rent and groceries. This Congress today must act to protect American workers.”