Political Quotes

“Today the House will consider H.R. 1406, inaccurately named the Working Families Flexibility Act. Instead of helping hard-working Americans earn an honest wage and more flexible work hours, this bill makes it harder on folks already struggling to make ends meet. The reality is that under this bill, workers will lose personal control over their schedule and their pay. In addition, the system this bill imposes is ripe for potential workplace manipulation and abuse. Under this bill, workers will not get paid more than 40 hours per week, no matter how much overtime they put in. Overtime earnings would become an interest-free loan out of workers' pockets. Workers' overtime pay will be held until the end of each fiscal year or allocated as time-off, all at the discretion of the employer. There is no guarantee in this bill that workers could even get the time off that they might need for a family emergency or doctor's appointment when they need it. Workers could even jeopardize their job security by refusing to go along with this new system. Mr. Speaker, in Michigan, we believe that hard work merits fair pay. We believe that anyone who works hard and plays by the rules should get a shot at the American Dream. Last year, the average Michigan household income was $43,970. Adjusted for inflation, this is the same as the average household in 1989.…”