GOP leaders pull overtime pay bill from schedule

WASHINGTON (AP) -- House Republican leaders yanked an overtime pay bill from today's schedule after failing to find enough votes for passage, a rare win for labor unions in a Congress controlled by the GOP.
The move followed a massive lobbying effort by organized labor, but GOP leaders vowed to try again later.
The measure would let hourly workers who log more than 40 hours in a week choose between overtime pay or compensatory time off at a later date, a practice now barred for private companies under the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act.
Supporters say the bill provides flexibility to workers juggling demands of career and family; proponents argue the current overtime law protects the 40-hour work week.