Joe Cunningham: “as a cosponsor of H.R. 2391, I thank you for recognizing me in support of this important legislation, the Working…”

“as a cosponsor of H.R. 2391, I thank you for recognizing me in support of this important legislation, the Working Families Flexibility Act. In San Diego County, families work hard to make ends meet. They have some of the county'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. Workers can accumulate up to 240 hours of comp time. Any comp time that is not taken must be paid at time-and-a-half. And all comp time must be cashed-out once a year into time-and-a-half pay. This is the right thing to do.…”