Letter to the President from Edilcia

Dear Mr. President:

My name is Edilcia and I’ve served food to government officials for 3 years.

I’m a victim of wage theft.  Even though I worked 10 hours a day 7 days a week, I never received a dime in overtime pay.  I am owed over $30,000 in back wages and damages.

I am not the only one who is being cheated by government contractors. Last year, I joined with other workers to file a wage theft complaint with the U.S. Department of Labor.  Together, we are owed over $4 million dollars in back pay and damages.

Thank you for signing the Fair Pay & Safe Workplaces Executive Order to make sure federal contractors follow labor laws.

But the truth is that even if contractors actually paid us the legal minimum wage plus overtime, we would still be earning poverty wages.

That’s why women like me need more than the minimum – we need federal contractors to pay us living wages and benefits and allow us to collectively bargain!

Thank you,

Edilcia Banegas

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