Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/681726
ByEricaWernerandKen Thomas TheAssociatedPress WASHINGTON The awk- ward embrace between Ber- nie Sanders and the Demo- cratic Party may be nearing a breaking point. Leading Democrats are growing increasingly vocal in their concerns about the White House hopeful's con- tinued candidacy, and if he and his legions of enthusias- ticsupportersultimatelywill unite behind Hillary Clinton in a general election against Donald Trump. For his part, Sanders has sharpened his critique of the party. He says it would be "sad and tragic" if Democrats don't stop re- lying on big money, and he is assailing Clinton for her dependence on wealthy do- nors. Clinton backers grum- ble that such comments can only help Republicans, be- lying Sanders' claims that he'll work tirelessly to en- sure Trump doesn't end up the president. The tone on both sides is worsening af- ter last weekend's fracas at theNevadaDemocraticCon- vention. Furious over rules they claimed favored Clin- ton, a group of Sanders sup- porters shouted obsceni- ties, brandished chairs and threatenedandharassedthe party chairwoman. And af- ter Democratic officials in- cluding Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Ne- vada pressed Sanders to de- nounce the events, Sanders defiantly asserted that his supporters were treated un- fairly. The tenor of the Sanders' statement disturbed Demo- cratic leaders. They're wor- ried that as the primary pro- cess nears its end, Sanders may resist the graceful exit that Democrats expect of him and instead heed advis- ers and supporters pressing him to maintain the fight, perhaps all the way to the Democratic convention in Philadelphia in July. "Everything our families care about is at stake here," said Democratic Sen. Bar- bara Boxer of California, who said she feared for her safety after being booed and shouted down at the Nevada convention. Boxer said in an interview that she spoke with Sanders this week, and found her Vermont col- league very upset, insisting "mypeoplewouldn'tdothis." "I just told him, 'Bernie, you need to take control of this,'" Boxer said. Boxer and other influen- tial Democrats cited Clin- ton's handling of her bitter loss to Barack Obama eight years ago as a model. Then, Clinton washed away a sea- son of bad blood by conced- ing and throwing her sup- port behind the eventual president. "The math didn't add up for her then and it doesn't add up for Bernie now," Democratic Sen. Debbie Sta- benow of Michigan said. Vice President Joe Biden gently chastised Sanders, saying he should be more aggressive in speaking out if his supporters behave as badly as they did in Nevada, but expressing confidence the party would unify. "I'm not worried. There's no fun- damental split in the Demo- cratic Party," he said in Ohio Wednesday. Few are demanding pub- licly that Sanders get out of the race immediately. That may change quickly if he doesn't do so early next month, presuming Clinton wraps up the nomination as expected. But right now, the party's leaders want to avoid making the campaign so bit- ter that Sanders' backers re- fuse to rejoin the fold. Looming over all the un- certainty is the prospect of violence in Philadelphia like the riots that marred the 1968 convention in Chicago. "Peoplearetryingtoreach out and make sure that this thing doesn't get ruptured," Sen.ClaireMcCaskill,D-Mo., said. The question, she said, is will Sanders "go all-in to help Hillary Clinton defeat Donald Trump?" PRESIDENTIAL RACE Democrats, Sanders on the brink as campaign nears end By Christopher S. Rugaber and Julie Carr Smyth The Associated Press COLUMBUS, OHIO More than 4 million U.S. work- ers will become newly eligi- ble for overtime pay under rules issued Wednesday by the Obama administration. The rule seeks to bolster overtime protections that have been eroded in recent decades by inflation. A di- minishing proportion of workers have benefited from overtime regulations, which datetothe1930sandrequire employers to pay 1½ times a worker's wage for work that exceeds 40 hours a week. Vice President Joe Biden announced the changes at Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams in Columbus, Ohio. In the fast food and re- tail industries in particular, manyemployeesaredeemed managers, work long hours but are paid a flat salary that barely exceeds the income of the hourly workers they su- pervise who receive over- time pay. Under the new rules, re- leased in draft form last summer, the annual salary threshold at which com- panies can deny overtime pay will be doubled from $23,660 to nearly $47,500. Thatwouldmake4.2million more salaried workers eligi- ble for overtime pay. Hourly workers would continue to be mostly guaranteed over- time. The White House esti- mates that the rule change will raise pay by $1.2 billion a year over the next decade. Some employers, though, might choose to reduce their employees' additional hours to avoid paying overtime, thereby making the workers' schedules more consistent. "Either way, the worker wins," said Vice President Joe Biden on a conference call with reporters Tuesday. Businessgroups,however, argued that the changes will increase paperwork and schedulingburdensforsmall companies and force many businesses to convert sala- ried workers to hourly ones to more closely track work- ing time. Many employees will see that as a step down, they said. "With the stroke of a pen, the Labor Department is demoting millions of work- ers," David French, a se- nior vice president for the National Retail Federation, said. "Most of the people im- pacted by this change will not see any additional pay." The overtime threshold was last updated in 2004 and now covers just 7 per- cent of full-time salaried workers, administration of- ficials said — down from 62 percent in 1975. The higher threshold, to take effect Dec. 1, will lift that ratio back to 35 percent, Labor Secretary Tom Perez said. Perez has spearheaded the administration's effort and has worked on formu- lating the rule for the past two years. The new rule is intended to boost earnings for middle- and lower-in- come workers, Perez said, which have been stagnant since the late 1990s. Over- time pay hasn't received as much attention as nation- wide efforts to increase the minimum wage, but it could have a broad impact. "This,inessence,isamin- imum wage increase for the middle class," Judy Conti, federal advocacy coordina- tor for the National Employ- ment Law Project, an advo- cacy group, said. Workers making more than $47,500 may still be eli- gibleforovertimepay,unless they perform management, supervisory or professional functions — the so-called "white collar" duties test. The liberal Economic Pol- icy Institute estimates that 4.9 million people will be- come newly eligible for over- time, slightly more than the government's figure, and that an additional 7.6 mil- lionwillbenefitbecausethey have previously been denied overtime pay as white collar workers.Yetwithsalariesbe- low the new threshold, they will now have a stronger claim to overtime pay. Overtime has become a sore point for many manag- ers, assistant managers, and management trainees in the fast food and retail indus- tries. Despite their titles, they have complained in law- suits against such chains as Chipotle and Dollar General that they spend most of 50- or 60-hour workweeks staff- ing cash registers, mopping floors, or performing other tasks typical of regular em- ployees. Yet they don't get paid time and a half when they clock more than 40 hours in a week. The retail federation warns that many of the af- fected workers will have their hours reduced to be- low 40 hours a week. Others might receive overtime pay but would have their base wages reduced so their over- all income would remainthe same. OVERTIME More work, more pay? New rule extends overtime to millions CAROLYNKASTER—THEASSOCIATEDPRESSFILE President Barack Obama speaks in the briefing room of the White House. This could be your lucky day by helping a dog or cat find a loving home from... Paws & Claws ADOPT A PET TODAY Nala AdSponsorsh ip $ 32 Call Suzy at (530) 737-5056 TEHAMACOUNTYDEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL SERVICES 1830WalnutStreet P.O. Box 38 • Red Bluff, CA 96080 (530) 527-3439 CORNING ANIMAL SHELTER 4312 Rawson Rd. Corning, CA 96021 (530) 824-7054 Please help sponsor a classroom subscription Call Kathy at (530) 737-5047 to find out how. ThroughtheNewspapersinEducation program, area classrooms receive the Red Bluff Daily News every day thanks to the generosity of these local businesses & individuals. THANK YOUFORSUPPORTING N EWS D AILY RED BLU FF TEHAMA COUNTY H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U N T Y S I N C E 1 8 8 5 NEWSPAPERS NIE • Dignity Health St. Elizabeth Community Hospital • Airport Auto Repair • Bretney-Sutterfield • California Walnut Company • Dudley's Excavating, Inc. • Etzler Financial & Insurance • Greenwaste Of Tehama • Gumm's Optical Shoppe • John Wheeler Logging, Inc. • Lepage Company • Modern Cleaners • North Main Automotive • Olive City Tax Professionals • Placer Title Company • Dr. Shoff Orthodontics • Tehama Co. Dept. Of Ed. • Wing Solar & Wood Energy • Walmart THURSDAY, MAY 19, 2016 REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM | NEWS | 5 B