If you can't believe the "biased liberal news media," then believe our premier conservative financial publications—when they are leveling with their readers and not trying to con the voting public.
Over a period of time, these recent selections demonstrate beyond any doubt that conservative business persons and politicians have to know that:
WASHINGTON—House leaders yanked an overtime pay bill from Thursday's schedule after failing to find enough votes for passage, a rare win for labor unions in a Congress controlled by the Republicans.
The measure would let hourly workers who log more than 40 hours in a week choose between overtime pay or compensatory time off at a later date. Private companies are barred under the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act from offering comp time as an option to millions of workers covered by the law.
Wednesday's move followed a massive lobbying effort by organized labor that targeted moderate House Republicans. Labor's success, however, could be short-lived. Republicans vowed to reschedule the vote after they "unravel the campaign of lies launched" by unions.
"Because of the campaign of lies waged by the leaders of organizations like the AFL-CIO, private sector working mothers and fathers continue to be denied the right to choose paid time off with their families instead of overtime pay—a right that has been enjoyed and cherished by federal workers and other government employees for years," said Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, chairman of the Education and Workforce Committee. "We fully expect that we'll have another opportunity to pass this measure during the 108th Congress."
Supporters say the bill provides flexibility to workers who increasingly are juggling demands of career and family. It would let workers accrue compensatory time off to attend parent-teacher conferences, school events or whatever they choose, with their employers' approval.
Labor leaders say the current overtime law acts as a protection to the 40-hour work week because companies wanting more work from their employees now must provide premium pay—and often think twice about it. They also argue that if the bill becomes law, employers will assign overtime only to workers who agree to choose comp time, even though the measure prohibits the practice.
"We're going to keep educating members of Congress and the general public about what's at stake," said Bill Samuel, the AFL-CIO's legislative director. "With more time to explain what's at stake, opposition will grow."
Organized labor has lost a lot of battles in the GOP-controlled Congress—especially the House, where defections are rare. But this time, with the Republican leadership distracted with tax cuts, labor officials secured unwavering opposition to the bill from moderate Republicans who represent districts heavy with union membership, while holding most all the Democrats.
The measure passed in 1996 and 1997 with at least a dozen Republicans and Democrats crossing the aisle.
Labor officials hope to move their momentum from the fight to the Labor Department, where officials are drastically changing the criteria that determines which workers are eligible for overtime pay. The final regulation, which doesn't need approval by Congress, could be issued by fall.Overtime Measure is Killed
In Victory for Labor Unions
Associated Press
Every member of a labor union should read The Wall Street Journal, and make sure articles like this are distributed widely. This article demonstrates that:
Additionally, this news item demonstrates the Republican propaganda technique called "inoculation." That is, when they deliberately lie about the intent and effects of their proposed legislation, they accuse their opponents of a "compaign of lies." Why don't Democrats ever accuse Republicans of lying? It would be so easy to prove, but they've got to first make the accusation before the public will get the significance. As it is, Democrats are tagged with the "liar" label.
WASHINGTON—Alarmed by jobs flowing overseas where skilled workers are cheaper, state lawmakers and labor unions are fighting back....
By one estimate, several million U.S. jobs are expected to move offshore in the next 12 years, particularly to India. Multinational firms are feeling the first ripple of the backlash, but are bracing for the worst. "It's the perfect storm right now," says Harris Miller, president of the Information Technology Association of America, an Arlington, Va., trade group representing 500 technology concerns.
Foreign-job migration was less visible during the 1990s when the U.S. was booming and employers had trouble filling positions. That has changed as the economy continues to struggle through a three-year slump and jobs in the U.S. are increasingly scarce. Manufacturing positions were lost in droves to foreign competitors the past two decades. But the current round is hitting more affluent white-collar workers who are beginning to align themselves with new union initiatives to protect jobs....
Developing nations can offer the technology links and a college-educated work force that is paid a fraction of U.S. salaries, so they are the prime beneficiaries of the emerging global knowledge industry. Thea Lee, assistant director of the AFL-CIO's international economics department, says U.S. policy makers don't understand the economic implications of this trend yet.
Surveys show that U.S. companies of all sizes are relocating a greater number and a greater range of service jobs to foreign nations to cut labor costs. The positions, once limited to call centers and other low-level processing work, now include stock analysis, accounting, and tax return and insurance-claims processing. More than 25% of all of the 500 largest U.S. corporations are engaged in outsourcing to foreign countries.
"The logical extension is that you will see massive erosion of living standards of a big chunk of the U.S. middle class," Ms. Lee says. With that in mind, the union is taking "all the steps we can in trade and tax policy to make sure we've done everything we can to make it attractive and profitable to do business here."Unions, States Seek to Block
Outsourcing of Jobs Overseas
By Michael Schroeder
What a shame. The white-collar workers of 10 years ago didn't give a damn about the manufacturing workers who were losing their jobs to globalization. Of course, they voted Republican because of the tax breaks, and they were against unions because they raised working-class wages. Now they are beginning to understand what conservative ecomomics is all about, the desirability of unions, and the empty benefits of tax breaks when you have little income. This article demonstrates that: