WASHINGTON, DC: Service Employees International Union (SEIU) President April Verrett issued the following statement in response to the President’s rescission of a Biden-era executive order that raised the minimum wage floor to $15 an hour with cost of living adjustments for more than 700,000 federal government contract workers who now make at least $17.75/hr. This new executive order opens the door to roll back wages for new or renewed members of this workforce largely represented by women and people of color.

“This is yet another anti-worker move from an administration that promised to deliver jobs with higher wages, lower the cost of eggs and improve our economy for working families. This executive order does none of that. Instead, it makes life harder for hundreds of thousands of hard-working Americans who keep our government running behind the scenes in good and bad times. These courageous federally contracted workers are already doing their jobs in an extremely chaotic environment marred by confusion and intimidation from DOGE. They don’t deserve to have their essential work further devalued. 

“As much as the new administration tries to erase history, we see through the scapegoating of federal workers and refuse to be silenced. We’ve beat back similar attacks in the past. Working people made historic victories under Fight $15 and a Union and we’re ready to do it again.”

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