By Marianne LeVine
Several members of Congress and left-leaning organizations joined forces to urge the president to give preference in awarding federal contracts to employers who pay a living wage (“at least $15 an hour”), provide benefits and allow collective bargaining.
“For those employers that are good employers … those merit the full support of our federal government,” said Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), co-chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, in a teleconference. “Those that continue to exploit the workforce should not reap the benefits of taxpayer dollars.”
Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), the other co-chairman of the caucus, and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) also support the proposal.
The policy plan, outlined in a report titled “More Than the Minimum: The President’s Unfinished Agenda,” builds on executive orders issued earlier this year in which President Barack Obama raised the federal contract minimum to $10.10 and required prospective federal workers to disclose labor law violations.
A report from the National Employment Law Project, a left-leaning nonprofit, found that 74 percent of federal contract workers earn less than $10 an hour; that about 60 percent receive no benefits; and that many rely on public assistance.
“This isn’t an abstract question,” said Robert Borosage, co-director of Campaign for America’s Future, a left-leaning advocacy group. “Millions of workers will be lifted out of poverty immediately if the president acts.”
The call for executive action comes nearly a week after four red states — Arkansas, Alaska, South Dakota and Nebraska — voted to increase the state minimum wage by overwhelming margins. A poll conducted for Good Jobs Nation, a coalition of labor groups calling for better pay for low-wage workers, found almost 90 percent of respondents were concerned about the growing inequality gap between rich and poor.
The poll, which was conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research and surveyed 1,000 likely 2016 voters between Nov. 5 and 9, found that 77 percent favored awarding federal contracts to companies that provide benefits and a living wage. Anna Greenberg, senior vice president of GQRR, said the measure received strong support from both Democrats and Republicans. Respondents also viewed the president’s past executive actions favorably. “There’s nothing controversial about raising the wages and improving the work conditions for low-wage workers,” she said.
Grijalva emphasized the importance of executive action, doubting that a Republican Congress would pass the policy proposal’s suggested reforms.
“The Republican leadership is saying the government should have no involvement in the economic future of this nation,” he said. “But in reality, the Americans voted against a lack of economic agenda for working-class families.”