Posted on 10/19/2004 3:31:40 PM PDT by FreeperinRATcage
Today National President Chuck Canterbury said that vice presidential candidate John Edwards' promise to overturn the new Federal overtime regulations revealed either a fundamental misunderstanding of their positive impact on public safety employees, or an early assurance of the political payback his trial lawyer colleagues can expect to receive in a Kerry-Edwards Administration. Speaking in Sioux City, Iowa, on Thursday, Edwards stated that "the first day John Kerry is sworn into office, we're going to reverse the overtime rule."
"It's good to know in October that if elected they are not going to waste any time in dismantling the historic gains which law enforcement officers have realized over the past four years," Canterbury said. "You know, these two Senators strengthen our decision to endorse President George W. Bush every time they open their mouths."
Canterbury noted that the final regulations actually guarantee overtime compensation to an expanded majority of our nation's police officers, firefighters, and EMTs. Specifically, the final rule provides that the exemptions from overtime contained in the Fair Labor Standards Act do not apply to public safety officers--regardless of their rank or pay level--who perform public safety work. In addition, the right to overtime compensation may be extended to some public safety employees, such as police sergeants, who are currently classified as exempt because of other changes to the regulations.
In the preamble to the final rule, the U.S. Department of Labor noted that the previous regulations did not explicitly address the exempt status of public safety employees, which resulted in significant federal court litigation to determine their right to overtime pay. Canterbury pointed out that should the regulations be repealed, the only individuals who would benefit from the ensuing litigation are the trial lawyers.
"If either of them had spent any appreciable amount of time on the Senate floor this past year, Kerry and Edwards would know that these regulations are good for America's police officers," Canterbury said. "They're bad for the trial lawyers, so maybe their decision to undo these rules is just their way of saying 'thank you' to an important constituency."
The Fraternal Order of Police is the nation's largest law enforcement labor organization, representing more than 318,000 members.
This is yet another issue that the Democrats have lied about. The whole purpose of the changes, as I watched the hearings, was to bring outdated rules and references current to today's workplace. Overwhelmingly employees will have the advantage and protection of clearly described rules and regulations that fit today.
LEO's work hard for their pay, and they put in lot's of overtime. They don't need these two lawyers taking it away from them. LEO's stick together, and if the union endorses Bush/Cheney, this will turn into a million votes or more for President Bush.</p>
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