On Friday, Queens and Bronx Congressman Joe Crowley and Congresswoman Linda Sánchez (D-California), co-founder and co-chair of the Labor and Working Families Caucus, released the following statement welcoming the Department of Labor’s (DOL) proposed rule to raise the minimum wage for federal contractors to $10.10 an hour, including concession workers in federal buildings. In February, Crowley and Sánchez led 50 House Democrats in a letter to President Obama urging him to include concession workers in federal buildings, such as those working for fast food businesses, in an executive order raising the wages of federal contractors.
“This will help fast food workers, dry-cleaning workers, souvenir shop workers, and many more if the final rule is adopted. Economists and experts across the nation agree: raising the minimum wage will help lift hardworking Americans out of poverty and will help build an economy that works for everyone.,” said Crowley, with Sánchez in a joint statement. “The majority of workers in the $200-billion-a-year fast food industry – many of whom work in concessions – are family breadwinners, however they are not paid enough to make ends meet. Raising the minimum wage not only provides stability to affected workers and their families, but it also has a positive impact across the broader U.S. economy.
That’s why we urged President Obama to also consider concession workers in federal buildings in his Executive Order, and we are pleased that the proposed rule includes these hardworking Americans. We have to make sure this rule stays intact and moves forward. And, as cosponsors of the Fair Minimum Wage Act, we will continue to push House Republicans to bring to a vote a broad minimum wage increase not just for those working in federal buildings but for all Americans.”
The draft rule will now go through a 30-day public comment period and stakeholder feedback process before being finalized.
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