There is a governmental interest in protecting the health and safety of workers and of avoiding unsafe and unhealthy agreements between employers and employees. Thus, the government rightfully limits the ability of employers to hire minors or to require employees to work under unhealthy or unsafe conditions. To the contrary, as I suggested earlier, comp time may well provide some workers with much needed time away from work. Indeed, the potential for harm to employees would seem far greater without the option of comp time. Overtime is time away from rest, away from family, away from loved ones, away from precious hours of leisure.
Overtime is simply hours taken away from the life of employees.
And yet, current labor law denies those employees the opportunity to regain that lost time. For some employees, overtime pay more than compensates for the lost hours. But for other employees, there is little that can possibly reimburse fully for the hours lost. Except comp time. Conclusion Members of the Subcommittee on Workforce Protection, I appreciate the opportunity to come and speak to you today.