e-Team Report, July 3, 2015

Fast Track Signed into Law

Following passage in the Senate last week, President Obama on Monday signed the APWU-opposed Fast Track legislation into law. Monday’s bill signing marked a disappointing end to a fierce effort by unions, environmentalists, and public interest groups to block Congress from Fast Tracking secretive international trade deals negotiated by the President. 

Fast Track, also known as Trade Promotion Authority, will effectively bind the hands of Congress by preventing amendments, limiting debate, and lowering the votes required for passage on bad trade deals such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

The TPP itself is still being negotiated and has not yet been presented to Congress. When Congress does take up TPP, the APWU will continue to highlight the dangers posed by this dirty deal and urge all lawmakers to vote it down.  As postal unions highlighted last month, TPP and other trade deals that can now be fast tracked through Congress could supersede U.S. law and have disastrous consequences for America’s public Postal Service.

To see how your senators voted on Fast Track, please click here.

Take Action to Expand Overtime Pay

Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez introduced new rules this week to expand access to time-and-a-half overtime pay. Presently, only 8% of Americans working more than 40 hours a week automatically qualify for time-and-a-half pay. Up to 40% of U.S. workers could be covered under the new overtime rules, which would cover those making up $50,440 annually – an increase from the current $23,660 threshold. Such an expansion is estimated by the Labor Department to increase workers’ wages by over $1.2 billion a year. While new rules are an important first step on the road to raise American wages, the rules are not finalized and are still subject to change.

Please, make your voice heard and add your name to support and expand overtime protections here.