Tell President Obama to Give Federal Contract Workers a Raise

Tell President Obama to Give Federal Contract Workers a Raise

Tell President Obama to Give Federal Contract Workers a Raise

While raising the minimum wage for all workers requires the cooperation of Congress, President Obama can unilaterally raise the wages of federal contract workers.   

Facebook
Twitter
Email
Flipboard
Pocket

As his 2014 State of the Union address nears, President Obama has said that he’s willing to use executive actions to circumvent a gridlocked Congress and to take real steps to fight inequality. He could start by giving a raise to millions of federal contract workers.

According to the National Employment Law Center (NELP), three out of four workers in service-industry federal contract jobs make less than $10 per hour and only eleven percent have employer-provided health insurance. Of the workers that NELP interviewed, fifty-six percent admitted to having trouble paying their monthly bills.

TO DO

The president has indicated that he’s considering an executive action and activists are hoping that he’ll make an announcement during his State of the Union address. To help keep up the pressure on the president, sign our petition urging him to give federal contract workers a raise.

TO READ

Last week, employees working under federal contracts—including around fifty food service and janitorial workers at the Pentagon—walked off the job. At Salon, Josh Eidelson covered the strike and the growing movement to improve the pay and working conditions of federal contract workers.

TO WATCH

This video created by Good Jobs Nation, the coalition behind last week’s strike and previous actions, looks at the organizing that got the movement to where it is today.

Thank you for reading The Nation!

We hope you enjoyed the story you just read. It’s just one of many examples of incisive, deeply-reported journalism we publish—journalism that shifts the needle on important issues, uncovers malfeasance and corruption, and uplifts voices and perspectives that often go unheard in mainstream media. For nearly 160 years, The Nation has spoken truth to power and shone a light on issues that would otherwise be swept under the rug.

In a critical election year as well as a time of media austerity, independent journalism needs your continued support. The best way to do this is with a recurring donation. This month, we are asking readers like you who value truth and democracy to step up and support The Nation with a monthly contribution. We call these monthly donors Sustainers, a small but mighty group of supporters who ensure our team of writers, editors, and fact-checkers have the resources they need to report on breaking news, investigative feature stories that often take weeks or months to report, and much more.

There’s a lot to talk about in the coming months, from the presidential election and Supreme Court battles to the fight for bodily autonomy. We’ll cover all these issues and more, but this is only made possible with support from sustaining donors. Donate today—any amount you can spare each month is appreciated, even just the price of a cup of coffee.

The Nation does not bow to the interests of a corporate owner or advertisers—we answer only to readers like you who make our work possible. Set up a recurring donation today and ensure we can continue to hold the powerful accountable.

Thank you for your generosity.

Ad Policy
x