Rob Andrews: “I oppose the bill and I frankly oppose the rule because there are some unanswered questions about this legislation that…”

“I oppose the bill and I frankly oppose the rule because there are some unanswered questions about this legislation that we are rushing to judgment and ignoring. The first question is, How do we assure that it is truly voluntary for the man or woman who chooses comp time over cash? This bill, I do not think, provides for that. It says to an employee who feels that he or she has been coerced into this choice that they must meet an unmeetable burden of proof. They must prove that the employer intended to deny them that choice. I would submit to you that there will be very few employees anywhere who will be able to meet that burden of proof it is not truly voluntary. Second, Mr. Speaker, what happens to buy-back provisions? What happens if the employer owes you hours and hours of comp time and then goes out of business and does not have the cash to pay you back the cash value of the comp time? Unanswered question. We hear from our friends on the other side that well, this works in the public sector so it will work here in the private sector. There is a difference.”