WASHINGTON (AP) - Republicans on Tuesday embraced election-year revisions to the nation's overtime pay rules, saying changes to an earlier Bush administration plan will take away extra pay from far fewer white-collar workers.
But Democrats questioned those claims, pointing to a lengthy list of jobs that the regulations, released Tuesday, say are generally ineligible for overtime. The administration, said Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa, "simply is not trustworthy on the issue."
Those generally exempt from overtime include a broad range of professionals: pharmacists, funeral directors, embalmers, journalists, financial services industry workers, insurance claims adjusters and human resource managers. Others are management consultants, executive and administrative assistants, dental hygienists, physician assistants, accountants, and chefs.
Even athletic trainers with degrees or specialized training, computer system analysts, programmers and software engineers are generally exempt.
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