Update: Fight for RNs Right to Overtime Pay

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

pa nurses legislative alert: your action is needed!

[color=#336699]overtime pay

fight for rns right to overtime pay

on april 20, the u.s. department of labor (dol) issued a revised fair labor standards act (flsa) rule that, as currently written, threatens the rights of registered nurses to receive overtime compensation. unless congress intervenes, this new rule will go into effect on august 23, 2004.

representative david obey (d-wi) has proposed an amendment to the labor, hhhs, and education appropriations bill that would protect nurses and other workers currently eligible for overtime pay. the amendment prescribes that workers covered by the flsa who are currently eligible for overtime pay cannot be denied this pay under the new rule.

it is imperative that the house take up the obey amendment, but it appears unlikely that the house leadership will allow a vote on the amendment prior to the rules' implementation in august.

ana believes it is essential to preserve the right to overtime compensation for registered nurses, and has strongly supported past measures including the harkin (d-ia) amendment in the senates and a previous amendment in the house by reps. obey and george miller (d-ca) to protect nurses and other workers from the dol regulations.

ana has sent a letter to all members of the house asking them to support the obey amendment and to urge the house leadership to allow a vote on the provision before the august recess.

we need your help to make sure this issue is a top priority for congress. contact your representative today. make the voice of nursing heard.

what you can do:

• contact your representative today--you can reach them by phone using the u.s. capitol switchboard at 202/224-3121 or by emailing them directly through the [color=#336699]pa state nurses association's legislative center or www.anapoliticalpower.org
  
• to get more information on the dol overtime rule and to access and e-mail sample letters on the issue, click here: overtime pay regulations 7/16/04
  
• help spread the word by telling friends and coworkers about this important issue.
  

[teeituptom, BSN, RN]

Life is Simple

No OT pay

No OT done

Whats the biggie

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

Of all the Bush administration's actions--excluding the Iraq war--this one, IMHO, is the most unforgivable. If people can't think of another single reason to sack him this fall, this ought to be the clincher. I can't believe anyone who works as hard for a living as most nurses do would even consider returning Bush to the White House so he can continue to stick it to the middle class this way.

:angryfire

[teeituptom, BSN, RN]

Of all the Bush administration's actions--excluding the Iraq war--this one, IMHO, is the most unforgivable. If people can't think of another single reason to sack him this fall, this ought to be the clincher. I can't believe anyone who works as hard for a living as most nurses do would even consider returning Bush to the White House so he can continue to stick it to the middle class this way.

:angryfire

and not only bushie but every dang repulican politician who voted for it, This was meant only to help big business

[BBFRN, BSN, PhD]

I've been writing back & forth with one of my Congresswomen who backed up the OT take-away (Anne Northup R, KY). I just got another reply from her yesterday that basically says, "What's your problem? LPNs & EMTs will not be exempt from OT pay." But,, if you make a weekly salary of $455 (which most LPNs in this area do) or more, you are considered exempt as well- make sure your employer will honor OT pay if you decide to work that extra shift.

[BBFRN, BSN, PhD]

Life is Simple

No OT pay

No OT done

Whats the biggie

The biggie is that there are only a few states that have prohibition of mandatory OT clauses. Those of us that don't, stand to be mandated to work OT without OT pay- as if being mandated isn't bad enough. KY did get an OT limitation for nurses (max amount of hours per day/week), but not a prohibition- at least that's my understanding of it. So, if we refuse to do a certain amount of OT, we can lose our jobs if our employers see fit.

[FutureSuperNurse]

I just went to dol.gov, then to the Fair Overtime Pay Rules...........Firstly, the people I know in management/executive positions they are paid salary & do not get over time, hence their LARGE salary to compensate for no OT.......with this law it more than triples the current minimum salary of $155.00/wk to $455.00/wk, also provides that employers must comply with "providing additional worker proctection ( a higher minimum wage, for example).......also, you have to be classifed as an executive/manager/etc/be "highly compensated"($100,000.00/year I think it said) and quite a few other factors for this to affect you over time........ the $455.00/wk has to be guarenteed salary or it doesn't affect you........and I didn't see anything about MANDATORY OT......it think it might be a good change, for instance, if an Exec make 8,000.00/yr salary and an hourly makes 10,000.00/yr, well the exec doesn't get over time b/c he an exec, yet the hourly clearly makes more than him and still gets OT, this new law will end things like that........as long as you are hourly, It Does Not Affect You, and if you are already on salary, you probably don't get OT anyway, so it won't matter for you anyway...............

[Shamrock, BSN, RN]

There are some positions that will be changed from hourly to salary with this

new law.

Personally, I'd like to be George dubya's nurse someday after a 16 hour shift with no overtime!! :rotfl:

Thanks for the update NRSKarenRN!!

[teeituptom, BSN, RN]

I've been writing back & forth with one of my Congresswomen who backed up the OT take-away (Anne Northup R, KY). I just got another reply from her yesterday that basically says, "What's your problem? LPNs & EMTs will not be exempt from OT pay." But,, if you make a weekly salary of $455 (which most LPNs in this area do) or more, you are considered exempt as well- make sure your employer will honor OT pay if you decide to work that extra shift.

She is a Republican, do you really expect her not to go with the party line..she is there for big business that is where there money comes from

[teeituptom, BSN, RN]

There are some positions that will be changed from hourly to salary with this

new law.

Personally, I'd like to be George dubya's nurse someday after a 16 hour shift with no overtime!! :rotfl:

Thanks for the update NRSKarenRN!!

Wouldnt you love to give him a shot in the *** with a 18 g needle.

Maybe even put a foley in, like a 24 fr??????

[Sheri257]

What's weird, at least to me, is how people still want to vote for Bush, even when they're informed of this. I guess they figure they'll do ok on their own, without OT, but still ... strange how they still want to vote for the guy after he cuts worker pay.

[barefootlady, ADN, RN]

Thank goodness W.V. did sign a overtime law for nurses. Most of the facilities here are making it clear that overtime will continue for staff nurses. They have said they have no plans to change the rate of pay and how it is administered when the law goes into effect on the 23rd of August. We may be a little slower than other states but we do know how and what effects our pocketbooks.