Joe Cunningham: “I rise in support of the Working Families Flexibility Act (H.R. 1). I am a proud original cosponsor of this measure…”

“I rise in support of the Working Families Flexibility Act (H.R. 1). I am a proud original cosponsor of this measure, which I believe is one of the most profamily, proemployee bills ever to come before Congress. In San Diego County, families work hard to make ends meet. They have some of the country's longest commutes. They struggle to make time with their children. According to a Yankelovich poll cited in the June 16, 1996, Wall Street Journal, 62 percent of parents believed their families had been hurt by changes they had experienced at work, such as more stress or longer hours. And the Department of Labor finds that 70 percent of working women with children cite balancing work and family responsibilities as their No. 1 concern. Families want more flexibility in their work schedules, to help accommodate soccer games, school awards, or just time with the children. That's why the Working Families Flexibility Act is so important. Given the fact that many employees are working overtime, the Working Families Flexibility Act brings the Fair Labor Standards Act into the 1990's. It gives employees a choice: get paid time and a half, or take time and a half off with the family. All that's needed is a mutual agreement between the employer and the employee. As amended, workers can accumulate up to 160 hours of comptime. Any comptime that is not taken must be paid at time and a half.”