Hundreds of labor activists rallied in front of the U.S. Department of Labor in August to protest new regulations that strip millions of workers of their right to overtime pay. Revisions to the Fair Labor Standards Act, which went into effect Aug. 23, redefine which workers may be denied overtime pay for working extra hours based on whether they are considered managers, executives or professionals. Two AFT members were featured speakers at the protest rally, sponsored by the AFL-CIO.

The protesters were joined by Sens. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), who told the crowd that the fight to reverse the changes is not over. The lawmakers vowed to continue trying to block the overtime pay regulations. The AFT and AFL-CIO are calling on Republican leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives to allow a vote on a measure to block rules that take away overtime pay rights but allow changes that expand eligibility.

Joy Anderson, a registered nurse at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark and the co-president of Health Professionals and Allied Employees, Local 5089, told the crowd how she will be adversely affected by the rule changes.

As a single parent of four children, she finds overtime "necessary and vital" to earn a decent living, Anderson told the crowd.

The AFL-CIO sponsored similar events to protest the new overtime rules in Cleveland, Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio; Des Moines, Iowa; Lansing, Mich.; Miami; and St. Louis.
"Instead of helping Americans who are still looking for jobs, the Bush administration has given employers another reason not to hire new employees, while requiring current workers to work overtime without receiving fair compensation," says AFT president Edward J. McElroy.