Loading...
During the State of the Union Address on Tuesday night, President Barack Obama is going to announce the increase of the minimum wage for workers operating on federal contracts. The rate will be increased to $10.10 per hour, according to The Huffington Post.
The increased rate will be put into effect by an executive order. Thousands of workers whose jobs are supported using federal money could have their jobs affected. Obama is doing this in part to put pressure on Congress to pass a bill that would increase the minimum wage across the board. Federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour right now and has been sitting at that rate since 2009.
The Obama administration said that the executive order is going to take care of “workers who are performing services or constructing buildings and are getting paid less than $10.10 an hour.”
Construction workers, dishwashers and food servers are the employees most likely to obtain an increase in wages.
Representative Keith Ellison, a Democrat from Minnesota, said, “We feel the federal government has a responsibility to set good labor conditions. We’re not talking about anything outrageous. If you look at the economics here, corporate profitability is very high now. They can afford it.”
Get JD Journal in Your Mail
Subscribe to our FREE daily news alerts and get the latest updates on the most happening events in the legal, business, and celebrity world. You also get your daily dose of humor and entertainment!!
Multiple one-day strikes in Washington, D.C. occurred over the past couple of months when workers who wanted better wages joined The Change to Win labor federation. This federation includes the Service Employees International Union. Workers at the Pentagon, Reagan Building and Union Station took part in the one-day strikes. The executive order from President Obama can be viewed as a win for this group.
