Straightening out the OT critics

July 13th, 2015 at 8:26 am

Over at PostEverything, co-written with Ross Eisenbrey. The attacks on the President’s new overtime rule have ranged from incoherent to ill-informed.

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3 comments in reply to "Straightening out the OT critics"

  1. Smith says:

    No, this, the new rule, is more than you are allowing yourself to imagine. I would imagine that is partly because your line of work removes you from the average work and office experience. In restoring the wage level to 1975, we also turn back the clock to a time closer to labor power. The 40 hour week, and the 8 hour day, were huge and bitterly fought for over the entire history of the labor movement. The next step for society to take, especially due to growing automation, and the uselessness of a great deal of our production, or rather services, and the artificial demand created by marketing, would be the introduction of the 4 day work week, at 32 hours, with the same pay. The intermediate step is a 5 day work week with 35 hours (7 hours instead of 8). The prerequisite is to see working less hours as a benefit, a goal, and a costless result of rising productivity, and waste that occurs in the typical office (as observed in the TV series too).
    Moreover, management suddenly has a huge incentive to keep hours at 40 because he pays one and a half times the rate over 40. This is in comparison to the huge incentive previously to go over 40 because the hours are free.
    Again, exempt status is still abused, anyone in an office is typically deemed exempt due to “professional” skill, much less so because they are managing something.
    Still nothing on the special exempt status of tech workers which was also tied to a wage rate set to the 1990s pay scale. Just because tech workers are paid well, doesn’t mean the tech industry isn’t cheating many of them of their fare share of the economy.

  2. Mike Sova says:

    I believe no matter what we put the minimum wage increase at the value will either be the same or even less because the direct affect will be a direct effect by world’s wealthiest. They will never cease or slow down their drive of success and competitiveness with each other. In my eyes they will soon raise prices as a golden opportunity they will not pass up. This not only affects our energy and consumable goods but also every spectrum of our economy due to the rule makers of the world’s wealthiest. I don’t know what it’s like being part of the world’s wealthiest but I can imagine the process and mindset of the majority and I’m not saying it’s wrong because these are extremely intelligent minds in their profession and lifestyle. Hopefully they will remember us that aren’t at their levels and let us have a chance of earning our dreams and good lifestyles by good balance.