Vice presidential candidate John Edwards on Saturday assailed a new Bush administration policy that excludes millions of Americans from overtime pay and promised that the Democratic ticket would ensure that workers are rewarded for their efforts.
He made his comments in the party's weekly radio address two days before the Republican administration's policy takes effect. The new rules change the criteria for how employers determine overtime for their employees.
"Why would anyone want to take overtime pay away from as many as 6 million Americans at a time when they need it the most?" asked Edwards, a senator from North Carolina.
"And why would anyone support this new rule which could mean a pay cut for millions of Americans who have already seen their real wages drop again this year?"
Edwards said that he and Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry "believe we don't need changes that deny workers their overtime pay."
Recalling his own background, which included unloading tractor trailers while in college, Edwards said the Democrats believe that "if you work hard, then you should be rewarded for that effort."
Kerry and Edwards, running neck and neck with President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, have offered an economic platform designed to please middle class voters, many of whom have failed to benefit much from an economic recovery that has yet to generate robust hiring or wage gains.
Kerry was to meet with top Democrats on Saturday.
More than 1.1 million jobs have been lost since Bush took office and the tepid recovery in the labour market has fuelled public concern over offshore "outsourcing" to low-wage countries like China and India.
Kerry and Edwards have tried to capitalise on that discontent.
But Republicans say Bush will likely highlight tax relief and Social Security reform when he retools his economic platform for an intense month of campaigning after the Aug. 30-Sept. 2 Republican Party convention in New York.
The focus will be on small investors and young voters worried about their retirement savings, according to Republicans close to the administration.
"The message will be that Bush is for wealth creation and (Democrat John) Kerry is for wealth redistribution," said Stephen Moore of the Club for Growth, a group that raises money for conservative political candidates. The president is expected to roll out the polished themes at the convention.
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