By: Hadas Gold, Politico

Federally contracted workers at two Smithsonian food courts are planning to strike Thursday morning, calling on President Barack Obama to help them get a “living wage.”

“These low-wage workers are part of an invisible army of 2 million workers employed by private businesses that serves the American public by greeting visitors and selling memorabilia at the Smithsonian Museums, working in the food courts at government buildings like Union Station and the Ronald Reagan Building, driving trucks hauling federally-owned loads, and making military uniforms for our troops,” a statement Good Jobs nation, a group representing low-wage workers employed under federal concession agreements, said.

The protest will start at the Smithsonian Air and Space museum with a news conference, followed by a march to the Smithsonian Castle.Smithsonian spokeswoman Linda St.Thomas said the museum restaurants are all open and fully staffed, and that the strike is just a protest.

“All Smithsonian restaurants are open and fully staffed. There was an outdoor protest today about wages paid by contractors in federal buildings. For Smithsonian, that is McDonalds and Restaurant Associates. The group, called Good Jobs Nation, has been staging protests around Washington since early May,” St. Thomas said. “The employees are not public workers. They work for private companies contracted by the federal government.”

Smithsonian spokeswoman Linda St.Thomas said museum restaurants are all open and fully staffed.

“All Smithsonian restaurants are open and fully staffed. There was an outdoor protest today about wages paid by contractors in federal buildings. For Smithsonian, that is McDonalds and Restaurant Associates. The group, called Good Jobs Nation, has been staging protests around Washington since early May,” St. Thomas said in an e-mail.

The group has filed a complaint with the Labor Department, alleging food vendors contracted at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center are paying workers less than the minimum wage and illegally withholding overtime pay. The Reagan building is managed by the General Services Administration.

According to a spokesperson for the group, Obama could raise the worker’s wages without approval by Congress.