Peter H. Zwieryznski, Sr. – 9/8/04

This page was last updated on September 11, 2004.

A great country or what?; Peter H. Zwieryznski, Sr.; Beaver County Times; September 8, 2004.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“What a great country we live in.

“We have the politicians screaming about another pay raise.

“With all their perks and other handouts, they can't live on a $100,000 or more a year.

“However, they pass a law that a working man has no rights for anymore overtime pay from his employer. If he makes $10 or $12 an hour, he must work for straight time for the rest of the hours he worked over.”

[RWC] A net one million workers will gain overtime protection.^{1,
2} Please read the papers referenced in the footnotes at the end of this critique. You’ll find far more detailed information in these papers than Mr. Snyder would like you to know. It’s fine to listen to your labor union officials for information, but you must also reference other sources if you expect to get both sides of an issue.

The other thing we need to remember is that arguments on both sides of the issue are hypothetical at this point. For example, just because a person loses overtime protection does not mean that worker will lose overtime pay. Certainly some workers will lose overtime pay, but no one knows the number. To further their agenda, labor union management and their Democrat party familiars want us to believe that everyone who loses overtime protection will lose overtime pay and that no one who gains protection will receive overtime pay.

“Who are these people who say that workers don’t deserve any more money? They are the ones who live a good life in the White House, so don't forget to vote for your good old guys this November.”

[RWC] I wonder where Mr. Zwieryznski got his information?

1. Who Benefits From the New Overtime Regulations? (Center for Data Analysis Report #04-08); Kirk A. Johnson, Ph.D.; The Heritage Foundation; August 16, 2004.

2. Modernizing Overtime Regulations to Benefit Employers and Employees (Backgrounder #1789); Paul Kersey; The Heritage Foundation; August 16, 2004.