Tell President Bush to withdraw his overtime pay cut.

Congress has voted six times to block President Bush's overtime pay take-away. Most recently Congress has heard us and approved an amendment to restore overtime pay rights for some 6 million workers threatened with its loss under new Bush administration rules. Congress' recent action also maintains the one part of the rules that expands overtime coverage to 384,000 low-income workers.

President George W. Bush, however, continues his fight by refusing to withdraw his outrageous, massive pay cut for working families--once again defying the wishes of the public and Congress with his actions.

One thing is clear--the Bush administration is determined to strip workers of their overtime pay. While Bush keeps fighting for his corporate allies, we need to keep fighting for working families who depend on overtime pay to make ends meet.  

Tell President Bush to withdraw his overtime pay cut. Please act today by sending a letter to President Bush. We'll deliver your letter via e-mail and fax with a copy to your U.S. senators, who are about to take up this important legislation. Please add your own words to the letter below to personalize it with your own thoughts and feelings.

Sample Letter for Campaign

Subject: President Bush: Withdraw Your Overtime Pay Cut

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

Please listen to workers, communities and members of Congress from both parties--and give up your fight to keep your massive overtime pay take-away. I urge you to withdraw your overtime pay cut legislation.

Work should pay--and overtime pay should be the right of every worker in America. The changes your administration made to the rules on who is eligible for overtime pay would cut paychecks for some 6 million workers. That is outrageous.

By passing the Obey-Miller amendment to H.R. 5006, Congrss has acted again to restore important overtime pay protections for working families. Yet you continue to ignore the needs of millions of hard-working people.

Working families count on overtime pay for everyday needs like housing, food, transportation, health care and more. Without overtime pay, these families will suffer a huge pay cut.

Yet you continue to side with corporate campaign contributors over working families--even after some 1.6 million people have sent letters, e-mails and faxes opposing this pay cut and Congress has voted repeatedly to protect overtime pay.

I will use this issue and your actions to judge your commitment to working families. I urgently await your reply.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
September 10, 2004


Background Information

The Bush administration's overtime pay take-away went into effect Aug. 23, putting some 6 million workers nationwide at risk of losing their overtime pay. Both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House voted to oppose the Bush overtime pay take-away--and the House has again taken action against these rules. Incredibly, President George W. Bush continues to push forward, threatening to veto important legislation to save his outrageous pay take-away.

Overtime pay makes up about one-fourth of the average weekly earnings of workers who receive it. That is an average pay cut of $161 a week and can add up to thousands of dollars a year. Working families count on overtime pay for everyday needs like housing, food, transportation, health care and more. Without overtime pay, these families will suffer.

Working family activists have sent more than 1.6 million letters, e-mails and faxes protesting the overtime pay cut since it was announced in March 2003. Congress has heard the voices of working families--the U.S. House has voted twice and the U.S. Senate four times to stop the administration from cutting workers' paychecks.

We need to put the heat on President Bush to give up his outrageous, anti-working-families fight. Send a message to him to leave our paychecks alone.