Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), today criticized a Republican misrepresentation, describing the GOP's Working Families Flexibility Act (HR 1) as a "cruel hoax on the American family" and an "assault on workers' wages and the 40-hour work week."
"Where is the flexibility when it is the employer who will decide when and to whom comp time will be made available," Pelosi asked. "I am not opposed to comp time," Pelosi said, "but I am opposed to the loss of worker's rights and pay. Most workers, living from paycheck to paycheck, will be hard-pressed to reject an employer's request to use comp time, therefore losing much needed cash to pay the bills." The Republican legislation allows employers to use compensatory time in lieu of overtime pay.
Rep. Pelosi also points out that the real alternative that supports working families is the expansion of the Family and Medical Leave Act. "Family Leave has already proven itself in the home and the workplace. We should expand its provisions so that workers can continue to be in control of their lives," Pelosi said.