“Low-wage federal workers walked off the job Tuesday morning across Washington, DC, to demand an executive order for higher wages—building on a successful push earlier this year to raise the wage of federal contract workers to $10.10.” The Nation
“$10.10 is a good start, but it’s not enough,” said Keyona Dandridge, a striking contract worker. I want to go back to school to become a registered nurse,” she said. “I completed one year, but I couldn’t afford books and tuition, so I had to drop out.” MSNBC
The latest strike comes after last week’s Congressional Ad Hoc Hearing on Wage Theft which shined a spotlight on how federal contractors routinely violate federal wage and hour laws. In the last month, the Congressional Progressive Caucus successfully passed four amendments to spending bills that would deny contracts to firms that have a record of wage theft. U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison said, “If you are a federal contractor and you want to do business with the United States, you should be fair to your workers.” The Huffington Post
At the hearing CPC leaders issued a letter to the President urging him to use his executive powers to do more than the $10.10 EO and only reward lucrative federal contracts to companies that don’t steal worker wages, provide living wages and benefits and allow workers to collectively bargain so they don’t need to keep striking to be heard.
“A Good Jobs Executive Order, which could impact millions of workers, is a logical next step after raising the wage of federal contract workers to $10.10 earlier this year,” the letter states. “We urge you to adopt it as a centerpiece of your ongoing effort to grow and strengthen the middle class.” Politico
“Workers need more than a Minimum Wage Executive Order … Workers need a Good Jobs Executive Order,” said Rev. Michael Livingston, referring to a proposal being pushed by the Congressional Progressive Caucus that would protect workers’ legal rights and favor employers that offer living wages, full benefits and collective bargaining.” Roll Call
“The taxpayers of the United States believe that their hard-earned money ought to go to contractors who treat their employees fairly. The federal government should set high labor standards that can radiate throughout the rest of the economy,” said US Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. The Ed Shultz Show
During the strike, a dozen workers and national faith leaders were arrested for engaging in civil disobedience. “If we need to disrupt things—what I would call moral obedience, some may call civil disobedience—then we’ll do so. So I’m honored to be able to do that and to stand with these workers,” said Rev. Sekinah Hamlin, Director of the Ecumenical Poverty Initiative. NPR
“Workers need living wages to support their families and the leverage to bargain collectively for fair pay and working conditions. With the stroke of a pen, the President can ensure that all federal contract workers receive fair and just compensation.” Rev. J. Herbert Nelson, The Presbyterian Church USA
Obama has cited the Costco retail chain as a model which “allows workers to bargain without interference, doesn’t steal from them and doesn’t overpay CEOs,” the Rev. Michael Livingston, former National Council of Churches president, told the crowd. “If Costco can do it,” Livingston asked, “why can’t the federal government?” Government Executive
“There is a long history of using the contracting system to set labor standards. The earliest example was President Martin Van Buren’s order in 1840 establishing a 10-hour workday for all workers employed on public works. In the 1960s, President Lyndon Johnson signed Executive Order 11246 which prohibited federal contractors from discriminating in employment decisions.” The New Republic