Wichita ? A union that represents Boeing Wichita workers is unhappy with a U.S. House of Representatives vote that killed a Democratic-led effort to prevent the Labor Department from redefining which workers qualify for overtime pay.

Officials of the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace say the union is especially unhappy with Rep. Todd Tiahrt. Tiahrt and fellow Kansas Republicans Jerry Moran and Jim Ryun voted with the majority in a narrow 213-210 vote Thursday to let the Bush administration overhaul the 50-year-old rules that govern overtime pay.

“SPEEA is highly disappointed in the disregard that Congressman Tiahrt has shown for aircraft workers and for Wichita workers in general,” said Wichita SPEEA director Bob Brewer.

Brewer said union representatives talked to Tiahrt earlier in the week and tried to encourage him to co-sponsor the amendment that would have blocked the changes in the rules.

They left the meeting feeling that Tiahrt would support their position, he said.

Tiahrt said he believed union concerns stemmed from miscommunication.

“Some union leaders have claimed the regulations are an attack on workers and would eliminate overtime pay,” he said in a prepared statement.

“After they relayed their thoughts to me, I shared their obvious concern. Thus, I made inquiries into the matter and had my staff attend two separate briefings with (Labor Department) officials in attendance.

“After gathering information from both parties, I am convinced there is an unfortunate misinterpretation of the new regulations and the impact they would have on union members. The truth is millions of workers in America are not going to lose their overtime pay if the (Labor Department) completes its proposed update to ‘white collar’ overtime regulations.”

Brewer argues that while the regulations would not affect workers currently covered by union contract, the rules change definitely would become a source of contention at future negotiations.

“It will be a very uphill battle for labor to get a contract for overtime when the law doesn’t require it,” he said.

Brewer said the union, which represents almost 4,900 Boeing Wichita engineers and technical and office workers, was in favor of extending benefits to the country’s lowest-paid workers but was concerned that the language of the rules would disqualify thousands of Wichita workers who now were being paid overtime.

Boeing spokesman Dick Ziegler said the company has been unable to draft a statement on its stance on the changes because it was still trying to determine exactly what the changes were.