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Remarks Prepared for Delivery by
U.S. Secretary of
Labor Elaine L. Chao
Fraternal Order of Police/Minnesota
Marriott City
Center Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Friday, May 21, 2004
Thank you, Chuck [Schauss, National Trustee-Minnesota, FOP], for
that kind introduction. It is good to see you.
I want to recognize Gary Cayo, the Minnesota State President of the
Fraternal Order of Police.
Thank you both for joining me here today and for all you do to help
police officers throughout Minnesota.
You and your officers put your lives on the line every day to serve and
protect your cities, communities and neighborhoods. You keep Minnesotans and
other Americans safe.
At the U.S. Department of Labor we recognize that. And we also
understand that police officers are often called upon to work long hours and
take double shifts. So, when the Department began the long overdue process of
updating the nation's overtime rules, your needs were a priority.
Thanks to the constructive engagement of the Fraternal Order of Police
in the rulemaking process, the right to overtime for police is clearly
protected and strengthened in the new rules the Department announced in late
April.
Fraternal Order of Police National President Chuck Canterbury was
instrumental in helping the Department of Labor craft well-informed and fair
overtime rules. Chuck and the FOP are well known for bringing facts and
constructive solutions to the table.
As a result of working together, and for the first time in history, the
overtime rights of law enforcement officers on the front lines-firefighters,
paramedics, emergency medical technicians and public safety employees-are fully
protected.
These new rules strengthen and guarantee overtime rights for more
American workers than ever before. 1.3 million workers will gain overtime
protection when they take effect in August. And another 5.4 million workers,
whose protections were ambiguous, can now be certain that they are entitled to
overtime pay.
Under the old regulations, only workers making less than $8,060 were
guaranteed overtime. Now, workers earning up to $23,660 are guaranteed
overtime-regardless of their job title or responsibilities.
These new rules modernize and clarify overtime regulations. The old
regulations-which haven't been updated since 1949-were so outdated that they
created a legal nightmare. They're so confusing that many workers have to go to
court to determine whether they are eligible for overtime. In fact, this area
of law is responsible for more employment class action lawsuits than workplace
discrimination complaints.
Now, with these new updated and clarified rules, workers will clearly
know their rights and employers will know their responsibilities. And this
Administration-which has set new records for aggressive Wage and Hour
enforcement-will have strong new standards in place to better protect workers'
pay.
Unfortunately, these new rules have been unfairly characterized as
taking away overtime pay from millions of Americans, when the exact opposite is
true.
In fact, the new rules also ensure the overtime pay of licensed
practical nurses. And they make clear that all blue-collar workers, such as
construction workers and factory workers, as well as union members,
technicians, cooks, and all workers paid on an hourly basis who receive
overtime, will continue to receive overtime.
Everyone can learn more about these new rules by going to our new
overtime security Web site at www.dol.gov/fairpay. The Web site also tells
workers how to file a complaint with the Department of Labor if they believe
they are improperly being denied overtime.
While I'm here, I'd also like to say a few words about the great
economic news in Minnesota this week. Minnesota's unemployment rate plummeted
last month to 4.1 percent, which is well below the national unemployment rate
at 5.6 percent. This represents the biggest drop in Minnesota's unemployment
rate since the state started keeping records back in the 1970s! The number of
Minnesotans who are out-of-work dropped by 18,000. That is also a new record.
Minnesota added more than 12,000 jobs last month. This is the largest
gain since October 1999.
Job growth occurred in several industries, including professional and
business services, manufacturing, and construction. In fact, the 4,500 new
manufacturing jobs represent the biggest monthly jump since the state started
keeping records in 1992.
These numbers track closely with the nation as a whole. They show that
the economy is getting stronger and stronger and the President's jobs and
growth plan is working.
We've seen 8 straight months of job growth, producing 1.1 million new
jobs since last August. Nationally, the unemployment rate is at 5.6 percent,
which is lower than the national average in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. The
number of long-term unemployed and the median duration of unemployment have
both fallen. At the same time, average hourly wages rose 2.2 percent over the
past 12 months. All of this is good news for America's working families.
Together with our new overtime reforms, the strong showing in our
economy will ensure continued opportunities for our police forces, first
responders and other law enforcement personnel.
Thanks again, Chuck and Gary, for being here today.
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