Bush Plans Flextime Proposal

[papau]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A25869-2004Jul29.html



Bush Plans Flextime Proposal
Initiatives Aimed At Independents
By Mike Allen

yada, yada, yada ...


What Allen doesn't say is the Bush campaign plans/themes for Aug/Sept -In September the interview with Dr. Phil on child rearing that Bush and the First Lady did will air. Bush also did an extensive interview about fishing that will air soon.

And There's a new stump speech that will use buzz words/phrases: "preparing Americans for success — making sure they have the training they need to succeed in a changing economy, making America safe, strengthening families and communities - the significant progress by Bush in those areas," , "flex time, and ownership society, to include Social Security." - gee post at DU a few weeks ago was http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph... all about "ownership society" -End Soc. Sec & Medicare & employer provided benefits-GOP Cong. Ryan (R-WI)

From Congressman Ryan's Speech

This election is the most important in decades. It will determine if we ....return to the undesirable history of Social Security and Medicare and other defined benefits....

Social Security and Medicare are based on collectivism.

(Election will determine if we continue to move to) ... a society built on individual responsibility.

IRA and Health savings accounts should define the future

Employers should facilitate access, not provide benefits.

(above is as quoted from Ryan Speech by BCG Insider newsletter volume 3 - edition 4 - July 2004)

sigh

[2Design]

1. in other words...let everyone in the bottom 80% fend for themselves

Bush will promise lots of things between now and election. He will not deliver on any.

Doing away with all social programs is irresponsible as a society and will cause the collapse of this great country.

Places like canada and others will continue to attract older americans for health care reasons.

A corporate country will not survive.

[papau]

2. I agree n/t

n/t

[Wink]

3. This destroys overtime

If it's anything like his previous proposal it involves giving "flex time" in lieu of overtime. And it doesn't ensure that the flex time is at time and a half. In other words, your employer can work you 80 hours in a week, forty the next, and then give you 40 hours (or even less) flex time. That's like getting a another employee that they don't have to pay benefits for. Bush's proposal also had so that you could be forced to work 80 hrs one week, none the next, and receive no O.T. because his plan uses two week periods as a basis for O.T. If you work 80 hrs or less in two weeks, no O.T. No matter how many hours you work in one day. This is a boondoggle for his corporate pals to screw the worker out of money and time. Don't fall for his "it's for the family" line guys.

[wishlist]

4. Bush's flextime puts control in hands of management, not employees

who will lose the ability to make a legitimate choice of their work schedules. All of Bush's policies, just like his immigration policies, favor the economic interests of business owners and managers, not rank and file workers.

[alfredo]

5. That can also weed out older workers. work a 61 year old 80

hours one week, then don't use him for a week, then hit him with the 80 hour week again. Physical conditioning starts slipping after 4 days off. They could also split the two week period, have him or her work the 80 hours in the second week of the pay period, then do an 80 hour week in the first week of the pay period.

[Virginian]

11. That's current definition of "Comp time", not "flex time".

The current rules of "Flex time" is that you can adjust your schedule around "core hours." Come in early and leave early or come in late and leave late. This completely redefines the term which is more accurately "Comp time." "Flex time" is one of the methods people use to accomodate the increasing time it takes to commute to work. If everyone who works in Washington, D. C. had to be there at exactly the same time, they would sit in traffic bottlenecks for hours getting to work and leaving work.

With "comp time" the worker is given compensatory time off for overtime worked. The rules in one of my former places of employment were that an employee who was not subject to the hourly wage laws was expected to give an additional 8 hours a week if needed. Any time over 8 hours would be compensated to the employee on an hour for hour trade for additional time off. This "comp time" was carried on the pay sheet like vacation hours and could be taken by the employee like vacation hours.

The 80 hour work weeks would deny any employee adequate rest between work periods. There would be no time for anything out side of work. It would be horrible for the older worker or any worker with a family. It is contrary to "family values."

[oneighty]

6. 80 per cent

fending for themselves will soon own the 20 per cent. A lesson history tells us over and over and over.

180

[tlcandie]

7. And what about all those who took fiscal responsibility and

bought ENRON stocks or paid into their ENRON IRA only to be left with jack?!?

What is there to protect those who take fiscal responsiblity from the cons and cheats and lying assholes in our society, eh?

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

8. Flextime = end of overtime = free labor for employers

Oops! Wink beat me!

Bush's support for greater flexibility in the workday would be a rare addition to his agenda, which has hewed closely to the same group of issues since he began running for president in 1999. His aides did not give details about what he will propose beyond saying that he wants to give parents more chances to participate in their children's lives by letting workers accrue hours that they could take off later.

The reality is that employers will "request" (i.e., highly suggest) that an employee work more than 40 hours in a week with the promise of an equal amount of time off in the future. But just try to say no to the "request" or take the promised time off later. "We really need you right now," means "Don't take this time off or we'll get you later."

And you know there'll be a use-it-or-lose-it cutoff date each year. Let's say you earn 5 days of comp time over a year and take only one. Because the company policy clearly states that "flexible time hours not used by December 31 will be forfeited" you will have given the company four days of free labor.

The main reason for this policy is to end time-and-a-half overpay for anything over 40 hours. Even if the employer has to pay for the comp time, he'll do it at regular rate, and will have the use of the money for much of the year.

The Repugs have been trying to jam this policy through forever.

[yellowcanine]

9. This is their response to the Dem Convention??? Bush is in worse shape

than I thought. This is right up there with the Poppy Bush "Healthcare Card" in 1992.

[Beetwasher]

10. This Is Just Absurd Orwellian Gobbledy Gook

"His aides did not give details about what he will propose beyond saying that he wants to give parents more chances to participate in their children's lives by letting workers accrue hours that they could take off later."

The word "flex time" must have focused group well, so they decided to use it to cover some scheme they've developed to screw workers out more hours or force them into part-time low paying positions.

[elehhhhna]

12. Imagine the impact on tax & Soc. sec. revenues without OT pay....

CRASH!

Where are THOSE numbers? I s'pose Ahmed Chalabi or somebody's putting them together right now...

[lottie244]

13. This was already done by the Clinton admin for Fed workers.

They are taking another page from the Dems.

[DinahMoeHum]

14. More bait-and-switch bullshit, George ?

Trying to make chicken salad out of chicken shit again?

:puke:

[Spangle]

15. I wouldn't mind, so long as there were decent rules

Like, a limited number of hours a week can be credited. The rest has to be paid in over time. This is to prevent working 80 hours a week,etc. And the time is never forfieted. If it must be "used" during a certian time, then the company should fork over the money to PAY the employee what they owe. It's called PERSONAL RESPONSIBLITY!

But those rules are NOT going to happen. And employers WILL demand the hours and not allow the employees to "time" off. Forcing the situation were people loose the time and money. With job shortages, people know they have to do what they have to, to keep the jobs they have.