The Honorable XXXX Dear Senator: On behalf of (insert your company name here), I would like to express my strong opposition to an amendment being offered by Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) to the FY'04 Labor, HHS, Education Appropriations bill that seeks to prevent the Department of Labor from moving forward on long overdue reforms to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Our firm is a member of the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), the business association of America's engineering industry, representing over 6,000 independent engineering companies throughout the United States engaged in the development of America's transportation, environmental, industrial, and other infrastructure. As you know, the regulations governing overtime and minimum wage eligibility under the FLSA have not been significantly revised in over 50 years. The modern workplace has changed considerably during that time, particularly in the engineering industry, and the current regulations have failed to keep pace with those changes. The proposed regulations will remedy many of the problems engineering firms face with regard to FLSA compliance, making it easier for us to classify our employees as exempt or non-exempt from the Act's minimum wage and overtime requirements. This task is often very challenging under the current regulations — difficulties that are compounded by the technical nature of the work our firm engages in and the highly skilled people that we employ. Unfortunately, Senator Harkin's amendment would halt these much-needed reforms, further exposing my firm to unreasonable compliance costs and penalties. I would respectfully urge you to oppose the Harkin Amendment, and to support the Labor Department's efforts to bring this landmark federal workplace statute into the 21st Century. Thank you for your consideration in this important matter. I look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely,
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