(Washington, DC)Representative John Conyers, Jr., ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee and Dean of the Congressional Black Caucus released the following statement calling on Bush to protect the right to overtime pay for veterans and military retirees:

“Yesterday, the Washington Post reported that big corporations are preparing to use the Bush Administration’s proposal eliminating the right to earn overtime for 8 million American workers as a way to slash the salaries of thousands of America’s military retirees and veterans working as pilots, technicians, and mechanics.  

“It is bad enough that the Republican leadership overrode the bipartisan will of the House and Senate to force through a proposal that results in a 25 percent average pay cut for millions of Americans.  It is even worse that the Administration recently issued regulations instructing employers on how to cut workers’ pay and avoid paying overtime. 

“But is absolutely outrageous that the men and women from the 14th District of Michigan who have faithfully served their country should have to worry about losing their right to overtime pay simply because they learned a unique set of skills while in the armed forces. 

“Instead of siding with the corporate interests that put them in power, the Bush Administration should immediately issue a statement that unequivocally protects the right to overtime for employees who have served in the military, exempting them from this new regulation.  America’s veterans and military retirees deserve no less.”

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