May 8, 2013

UFCW Statement on House Bill Attacking Hourly Workers

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) today released the following statement after the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1406, the inappropriately named Working Families Flexibility Act of 2013 which would take money out of the pockets of America’s hourly workers.

“Anytime House Republicans talk about flexibility, working families should reach for their wallets. H.R. 1406 is just the latest scheme in the war on workers. It would have employees working unpaid overtime hours in exchange for accruing time off that can only be used when an employer sees fit. That is not flexibility—it is just unfair. This bill is an affront to the basic concept that a day’s work deserves a day’s wages paid in currency. It gives employers a clear incentive to push workers toward comp time instead of overtime pay. This creates a scenario where workers will find themselves in the awkward position of choosing between their employer’s wishes and their own need for a higher paycheck. If House Republicans are truly interested in improving the lives of hourly workers, they should start with raising the minimum wage, guaranteeing paid sick days, and passing the Part-Time Worker Bill of Rights.”

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The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) represents more than 1.3 million workers, primarily in the retail and meatpacking, food processing and poultry industries. The UFCW protects the rights of workers and strengthens America’s middle class by fighting for health care reform, living wages, retirement security, safe working conditions and the right to unionize so that working men and women and their families can realize the American Dream. For more information about the UFCW’s effort to protect workers’ rights and strengthen America’s middle class, visit www.ufcw.org, or join our online community at www.facebook.com/UFCWinternational and www.twitter.com/ufcw.