Dear Representative,
Good Jobs Nation urges you to vote YES on the Pocan/Ellison Amendment to H.R. 2029, which would prevent funds from being use to enter into a contract with any individual who has been found to engage in wage theft or other labor law violations.
US contract workers at the US Department of Education, the National Zoo, Department of Interior, Union Station and the Ronald Reagan federal building have filed wage theft complaints with the US Department of Labor to collect $5 million in back pay and damages. A recent story in the Washington Post talks about systemic non-compliance with federal labor laws. In addition, Sonia and Anibal Chavez who clean the office of US Education Secretary Arne Duncan have suffered wage theft under a federal contract. Whether workers clean the offices of our US Secretaries or serve food to government officials, no one who works full-time should have to live in poverty because of stolen wages. Taxpayer dollars should not reward corporations that break the law.
For too long, the U.S. government has been America’s largest low-wage job creator, fueling a race to the bottom by creating incentives for companies to cut corners on the backs of workers in order to win federal contracts. By establishing a contracting system that requires prospective federal contractors to disclose labor law violations, this amendment would set an even playing field for private companies, creating a fair structure for private companies bidding for lucrative government contracts. By ensuring these funds are used to enforce and implement this executive order, the federal government will lead by example, ensuring taxpayer dollars are awarded to private businesses that follow wage and safety laws.
The federal government must use all the tools at its disposal to ensure that the Americans who work hard for the government can afford to live in dignity. We urge you to support the Pocan/Ellison Amendment.