American Notes WASHINGTON

Deep in the bowels of the building, the employees toil in cramped, poorly ventilated rooms, working up to 70 hours a week without overtime. A Dickensian tale about a 19th century sweatshop? Hardly. The scene takes place in the mail "folding room" of the U.S. House of Representatives, where workers have long complained about "prison-like" conditions of employment.

The quiet scandal, uncovered by the Washington newspaper Roll Call, exists because Congress may constitutionally exempt itself from compliance with its own laws. As a result, congressional employees are not covered by fair-labor laws and civil rights legislation. Thus workers in the folding room do not receive any pay for the overtime hours they spend stuffing envelopes with legislators' free mailings.

Under an amendment proposed by Texas Republican Steve Bartlett, Congress may be forced to provide better working conditions. The measure would bring more than 1,000 Capitol Hill employees, including grounds keepers, plumbers and mail-room workers, under the protection of the fair-employment act.