Larger number of underpaid workers than at McDonald’s and Walmart combined
Washington, D.C. - In a ground-breaking executive action President Joseph R. Biden will sign this afternoon, more than 700,000 federal government contract workers, mostly women and people of color, are on a path to winning a significant raise to a guaranteed minimum wage of at least $15 an hour.
“With today’s executive action, President Biden is leading by example and heeding the demands working people have been making that leaders must respect, protect and pay them,” said
Service Employees International Union International President Mary Kay Henry . “Too often the Black and brown workers, especially women, who keep our government running behind the scenes have been ignored and their work devalued. These courageous workers have been speaking up and making their voices heard. It’s a breath of fresh air to have a president who stands shoulder-to-shoulder with them and we look forward to seeing what else comes from the Biden administration.”