August 24, 2004 10:20 AM

Unions not happy with new overtime guidelines
Posted by at 10:20 AM

With the new overtime regulations taking effect yesterday, many fear they will hurt the middle class as opposed to helping it. Unions protest as overtime rules take effect

Hundreds of workers rallied on the steps of the Labor Department yesterday to protest the implementation of new rules they say will cause as many as 6 million Americans to lose their overtime pay. But the Bush administration officials who crafted the complex regulations insisted more workers will actually qualify for extra pay under the plan, which almost triples the salary cap to enable more employees to qualify.

Nurses, daycare workers, and hotel and restaurant employees were among the workers who joined Senator Tom Harkin and AFL-CIO president John Sweeney in calling the law, which redefines the type of worker eligible for overtime, a "cruel blow" to the middle class.

For more info., visit Boston.com's overtime rules section. Also, check out this "Do the overtime laws affect you?" Q&A session.
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