Is labor secretary anti-labor?

[MSgt213]

BY LAW, Labor Secretary Elaine Chao is required "to foster, promote, and develop the welfare of the wage earners of the United States." Given her record, American workers might want to make a symbolic citizens' arrest of the secretary for breaking the law.

At the moment, Chao's prime offense is promotion of changes in overtime pay rules. They would deprive an estimated 8 million workers — such as secretaries, sales representatives, and medical or legal workers — of their right to time-and-a-half premium pay when they work more than 40 hours a week. In January, Chao testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee that only 644,000 workers would lose that protection. But Economic Policy Institute economist Jared Bernstein explained how the Labor Department ignored large groups of affected workers to come up with its inaccurate, low-ball number.

Chao also insisted that the new rules would make 1.3 million new workers eligible for overtime pay, but Bernstein showed that fewer than 700,000 would benefit. Even many of those workers could be denied the premium overtime pay if employers follow the suggestions that the Labor Department helpfully provided. Departmental guidelines illustrate how employers could first lower workers' base pay, then add the overtime premium, so that the employers will pay no more than they do now.

http://www.courierjournal.com/cjextra/editorials/2004/03/27/oped-chaopro0327-7201.html

[LincolnMcGrath]

1. Anti Labor.................NAH

Her role in the California Longshore LOCKOUT was criminal, Don't get me started on her role in stripping overtime from 8 million white and blue collar workers.

[coltman]

2. have you......

ever seen a pro-labor repub? I can't recall of any.

[meow2u3]

3. The only pro-labor Repubs I know...

...are the ex-Democrats who switched parties because of behavioral issues such as abortion, etc....these Republicans are whom I call the neoprogressives and Micheal Lind call the radical center...

[skippysmom]

4. Chao is a disgrace

Secretary of Management would be a better title.

[LincolnMcGrath]

5. Shipping Dispute Hits Close To Home

The U.S. Secretary of Labor is Elaine Chao, a Taiwan-born former Heritage Foundation Asia Fellow who's spent much of the last decade boosting U.S.-China trade. Chao, who served as deputy Maritime Commissioner in the Ronald Reagan Department of Transport, has been a persuasive force for so called "normalized" relations with China. Those are relations devoid of any quid pro quos having to do with human, environmental or labor rights.

Chao led a Heritage foundation delegation of major donors to the Hong Kong reunification ceremony in 1997, and by several accounts has done her bit to erode anti-China sentiment among an influential segment of the conservative right-wing. She and her husband, Senate foreign relations leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) mustered Republican support for granting the People's Republic of China permanent Most Favored Nation (MFN) status in 2000.

The couple has met in person with Chinese leader Jiang Zemin. Chao's father James Chao and Zemin were schoolmates, they've met on several occasions, and Mr. Chao owns a shipping company that built ships in Shanghai's state-owned shipyards, and does business with the Chinese government.

http://www.tompaine.com/feature.cfm/ID/6561

[xchrom]

6. right up there with lynne cheney

they don't come any worse than ms chao.
hopefully in november we'll say ciao to chao.

[yellowcanine]

7. Yes, comp time instead of overtime pay = anti-labor

Anyone who would try to allow employers to substitute comp time for overtime pay is by definition ant-labor.

[hatrack]

8. Well, gosh, let's see . . .

Using our tax money to tell employers how to not pay us overtime . . . that doesn't exactly make her Wanda Reuther.