NOW President Cheers Victory for Employees as House Republicans Pull Bogus 'Comp Time' Bill

June 6, 2003

National Organization for Women President Kim Gandy cheered the news that House Republican leaders, fearing lack of support, decided not to bring the bogus "Comp Time" bill (H.R. 1119) to the House floor for a vote June 5. "That bill would have undermined overtime pay for millions of working families and made it even more difficult to balance work and family. Thankfully, many House members recognized this bill for the sham it is."

AFL-CIO union workers, NOW members and scores of allied organizations nationwide had joined Democratic House members to form a massive coalition against the bill. As a result, over the past several weeks, House members and the Bush administration were flooded with hundreds of thousands of emails and phone calls demanding fair labor laws and worker protections.

"In the coming months, Republicans and Democrats who truly care about a family-friendly workplace should unite to expand protections like minimum wage, Family and Medical Leave and unemployment insurance coverage for the working women and men who are the backbone of this economy," said Gandy.

The tabling of the bogus comp time bill is a temporary victory and only round one in our fight against the Bush administration's alliance with greedy business leaders in their multi-faceted attacks on worker's benefits, overtime protections and employee's rights. The Department of Labor is currently considering a proposal that would deny overtime pay to hundreds of thousands of workers who depend on that extra cash to feed and clothe their families. Don't let the DOL rob working families—take action now before the June 30 comment deadline!