By Dan Sparks, state senator

The Minnesota Senate passed legislation today to protect overtime pay for thousands of Minnesota workers. The legislation, proposed by Sen. Dan Sparks (DFL-Austin), is in response to federal overtime rule changes proposed by President Bush.

&uot;The Overtime Protection Act protects Minnesota workers and their families from the uncertainties and possible disastrous loss of income caused by the rule changes,&uot; Sen. Sparks said. &uot;We need to proceed with caution, and my plan simply maintains the status quo as we get a grasp on the severity of the situation.&uot;

Estimates have put the number of workers affected by the rules change from several hundred thousand to 8 million workers nationwide, with the bulk of compensation loss caused by the massive expansion of &uot;professional, executive and administrative&uot; classes. In Minnesota, more than 200,000 workers are expected to lose their overtime pay.

The Senate plan simply requires that employees who will no longer be eligible for overtime under the proposed federal rule changes continue to receive overtime pay under state law. It also requires the Minnesota Labor and Industry Department to analyze the impact of the changes.

&uot;Minnesota has some of the hardest workers in the nation, and they deserve to get paid for their work,&uot; Sen. Sparks said. &uot;We need to take a stand to ensure the protection of our workers, and this is a direct, positive plan that will address the anxieties people have with jobs and the economy.&uot;

This issue has received significant attention at the national level as well, with both houses of Congress voting to stop the new regulations from going into effect. The rules are currently before the President’s Office of Management and Budget, which must release an analysis by June 1.

The Minnesota legislation now will go to the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, where Senate DFLers hope it will receive a fair hearing on behalf of Minnesota workers. The

Senate has also passed legislation prohibiting outsourcing and increasing the minimum wage, which are part of the Senate jobs plan.

(Dan Sparks is a state senator representing Albert Lea.)