|
National Library Workers Day Is Tuesday, April 20th!
How will your library celebrate? ALA-APA has received creative ideas for how libraries, friends groups, trustees, and patrons are encouraged to "recognize the hard work, dedication, and expertise of library support staff and librarians."
Representative Major Owens Submits a NLWD Resolution
Congress knows about NLWD! H. Res. 597 was submitted on April 2, 2004, by Rep. Owens, "congratulating the American Library Association (ALA) as it celebrates its first annual National Library Workers Day on April 20th.
Libraries Work Because We Do! Get Your Buttons Now!
Order form (.pdf) (.doc)
Buttons featuring the NLWD logo and theme are being sold in limited quantities from the ALA-APA office. Order yours NOW using the order form . Buttons are $3 each and bulk pricing is available. Call 800-545-2433, x2424 or email jgrady@ala.org.
Subscribe to Library Worklife Today!
Your free individual subscription will end after the June (Vol. 1, No. 6) issue. After June, individuals will only have access to the abstracts of Library Worklife on the ALA-APA Web site. Subscriptions are just $35 for individual ALA members and $60 for non-ALA members. Group rates are also available for non-ALA organizations and corporations. Contact 800-545-2433, ext. 2424, for details.
You can subscribe three ways:
Don’t miss an issue!
Library Worklife FAQ
For updates on the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Federal Register, Volume 68, Number 61, March 31st, 2004
Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, 29 CFR 541 Defining and Delimiting Exemptions for Executive, Administrative, Professional, Outside Sales, and Computer Employees; Proposed Rule
From Department for Professional Employees (DPE) Newsline, April 2004
Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO
OVERTIME—Despite bipartisan majority votes in both chambers of Congress and expressions of outrage among workers nationally, the Bush Administration is still threatening overtime pay. Democrats in Congress are still trying to end the threat.
On March 18, 2004, DPE President Paul E. Almeida sent an e-mail alert to all DPE affiliates. It asked that their members throughout the country call their Senators. Pending in the Senate was a new version of the Harkin amendment that would permanently bar the Bush Department of Labor (DOL) from cutting back overtime pay protections while allowing DOL to expand them. Senator Harkin was seeking to attach the amendment to legislation (Jumpstart Our Business Strength (JOBS), S. 1637) that would comply with a World Trade Organization ruling and avoid European trade sanctions. Republican leaders in the Senate did not want a vote on the amendment and were threatening to invoke cloture, which would cut off further debate and amendments.
On March 24, the Senate took a roll call vote on cloture, which requires 60 votes to succeed. Fifty Republicans and Senator Zell Miller voted to invoke cloture. Forty-six Democrats and Independent Senator James Jeffords voted against it. With the failure of the cloture vote, the Senate Republicans took S. 1637 off the floor to avoid its providing a vehicle for the Harkin amendment. In the words of Senator Harkin: "The Bush Administration and the Republican leadership would rather pay tariffs to Europe than pay overtime to American workers."
The Bush DOL had promised repeatedly to issue its final regulations on overtime pay by March 31. On March 26, the Bush DOL sent its proposed final regulations to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review before their release. As this is written, that review has yet to be completed. The final regulations have not been issued, and there is no word about their contents. Meanwhile, Senator Harkin has vowed to attach his amendment to every possible vehicle.
Copyright 2004–2008 ALA-APA. Contact Jenifer Grady, 50 E. Huron, Chicago, IL 60611, 312-280-2424, jgrady@ala.org for more information.
|
