President Biden directed his administration on Friday to work on an executive order that will require federal contractors to pay a $15 minimum wage and provide employees with emergency paid leave, garnering praise from the contracting community.
This was one of several actions Biden took Friday aimed at empowering the federal workforce and providing Americans with economic relief. He said he would like to be able to issue the executive order for contractors within his first 100 days.
“This was something that the president talked about on the campaign, that when we are using taxpayers’ dollars federal contractors should be provided the benefits and pay that workers deserve,” said National Economic Council Director Brian Deese, during a briefing on Friday. “The American people are hurting, they need help right now,” but the actions taken today are “not a substitute for comprehensive legislative relief.”
Many in the contracting community welcomed the news.
“Thank you President Biden for taking this important step,” said Taiwanna Milligan, leader of the Fight for $15 movement and McDonald’s worker. “Extending a $15 wage to workers on federal contracts and subcontracts would give some 700,000 workers a raise, including many essential workers like custodial and food service workers. And we know that it’s Black and Brown workers who have both been devastated by the pandemic and who bear the burden of poverty wages in this country.”
Employees of Maximus––which employs one of the largest federal contracting workforces in the country, through a contract with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to handle call phones from Medicare and Affordable Care Act participants––also applauded the order.
“Despite the essential health se ..
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