Issued July 22, 2021
WASHINGTON, DC: Service Employees International Union International President Mary Kay Henry released the following statement after the U.S. Department of Labor unveiled a proposal to implement President Joe Biden's executive order directing federal contractors to pay a $15 minimum wage starting next year:
"President Biden and his administration understand the federal government has a moral obligation to use every lever of power it possesses to lift up working people and ensure every community can thrive. Today the Department of Labor took decisive action affirming the administration’s commitment to fight for working families across the United States, including, importantly, in Puerto Rico and other territories that live under the legacy of US colonialism.
Even though this one action by President Biden will affect the livelihood of hundreds of thousands of low-wage federal contractor workers of color and their families, millions of essential workers from coast to coast are still demanding $15/hr.
Just yesterday, workers with the Fight for $15 and a Union went on strike for $15/hr across the country as we approach 12 years without an increase in the federal minimum wage. It’s time for the U.S. Senate to heed workers’ demands and raise the wage to $15/hr for all."
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