<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=iso-8859-1"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;"><br><div style=""><br><div>Begin forwarded message:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 1.0);"><b>From: </b></span><span style="font-family:'Helvetica';">Rose Sloan <<a href="mailto:rosesloan920@gmail.com">rosesloan920@gmail.com</a>><br></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 1.0);"><b>Subject: </b></span><span style="font-family:'Helvetica';"><b>[Nabs-presidents] People with Disabilities Included in President Obama's Executive Order</b><br></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 1.0);"><b>Date: </b></span><span style="font-family:'Helvetica';">February 12, 2014 at 6:39:11 AM PST<br></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 1.0);"><b>To: </b></span><span style="font-family:'Helvetica';">List for NABS State Presidents <<a href="mailto:nabs-presidents@nfbnet.org">nabs-presidents@nfbnet.org</a>>, <a href="mailto:nabs-l@nfbnet.org">nabs-l@nfbnet.org</a><br></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 1.0);"><b>Reply-To: </b></span><span style="font-family:'Helvetica';">List for NABS State Presidents <<a href="mailto:nabs-presidents@nfbnet.org">nabs-presidents@nfbnet.org</a>><br></span></div><br><div>Students:<br><br><br>Below, please see a recent press release from the While House. President<br>Obama plans to include people with disabilities in his executive order to<br>raise the minimum wage for federal contract workers.<br><br><br>Thanks for all your work,<br><br><br>Rose<br><br><br>THE WHITE HOUSE<br><br>Office of the Press Secretary<br><br>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br><br>February 12, 2014<br><br><br><br>*FACT SHEET - **Opportunity For All: Rewarding Hard Work*<br><br><br><br>*Raising the Minimum Wage through Executive Order to $10.10 for Federal<br>Contract Workers*<br><br>*& Calling on Congress to Finish the Job for All Workers by Passing the<br>Harkin-Miller Bill*<br><br><br><br>Today, continuing to fulfill his promise to make 2014 a year of action, the<br>President will sign an Executive Order to raise the minimum wage to $10.10<br>for federal contract workers.<br><br><br><br>The Executive Order the President will sign today will benefit hundreds of<br>thousands of people working under contracts with the federal government who<br>are making less than $10.10 an hour. It will also improve the value that<br>taxpayers are getting from the federal government's investment. Studies<br>show that boosting low wages will reduce turnover and absenteeism, while<br>also boosting morale and improving the incentives for workers, leading to<br>higher productivity overall. These gains improve the quality and efficiency<br>of services provided to the government.<br><br><br><br>In his State of the Union Address, President Obama pledged to both take<br>executive action wherever he can and work with Congress to increase<br>opportunity for all Americans. Consistent with that pledge, the President<br>will continue to work with Congress to finish the job to raise the minimum<br>wage for all Americans and pass the Harkin-Miller bill so that all workers<br>can be paid at least a $10.10 minimum wage.<br><br><br><br>* Details of the Executive Order *<br><br><br><br>Ø *The Executive Order will raise the minimum wage to $10.10 effective for<br>new contracts beginning January 1, 2015. *The higher wage will apply to<br>new contracts and replacements for expiring contracts. Boosting wages will<br>lower turnover and absenteeism, and increase morale and productivity<br>overall. Raising wages for those at the bottom will improve the quality and<br>efficiency of services provided to the government.<br><br><br><br>Ø *Benefits hundreds of thousands of hardworking Americans. *There are<br>hundreds of thousands of people working under contracts with the federal<br>government to provide services or construction who are currently making<br>less than $10.10 an hour. Some examples of the hardworking people who<br>would see their wages go up under this Executive Order include nursing<br>assistants providing care to our veterans at nursing homes, concessions<br>workers in National Parks, people serving food to our troops, and<br>individuals with disabilities working to maintain the grounds on military<br>bases.<br><br><br><br>Ø *Includes an increase in the tipped minimum wage. *This executive order<br>also includes provisions to make sure that tipped workers earn at least<br>$10.10 overall, through a combination of tips and an employer<br>contribution. Employers are currently required to pay a minimum base wage<br>of $2.13 per hour, a base that has remained unchanged for over twenty<br>years, and if a worker's tips do not add up to the minimum wage, the<br>employer must make up the difference. Under the Executive Order, employers<br>are required to ensure that tipped workers earn at least $10.10 an hour.<br>The Executive Order requires that employers pay a minimum base wage of<br>$4.90 for new contracts and replacements for expiring contracts put out for<br>bid after January 1, 2015. That amount increases by 95 cents per year<br>until it reaches 70 percent of the regular minimum wage, and if a worker's<br>tips do not add up to at least $10.10, the employer will be required to pay<br>the difference.<br><br><br><br>Ø *Covers individuals with disabilities. * Under current law, workers<br>whose productivity is affected because of their disabilities may be paid<br>less than the wage paid to others doing the same job under certain<br>specialized certificate programs. Under this Executive Order, all<br>individuals working under service or concessions contracts with the federal<br>government will be covered by the same $10.10 per hour minimum wage<br>protections.<br><br><br><br>Ø *Improves value for the federal government and taxpayers.* One study<br>showed that when Maryland passed its living wage law for companies<br>contracting with the state, there was an increase in the number of<br>contractors bidding and higher competition can help ensure better quality.<br>The increase will take effect for new contracts and replacements for<br>expiring contracts put out for bid after the effective date of the order,<br>so contractors will have time to prepare and price their bids accordingly.<br><br><br><br>*Continuing to Work With Congress, States and Localities to Help All<br>Workers*<br><br><br><br>The President is using his executive authority to lead by example, and will<br>continue to work with Congress to raise the minimum wage for all Americans<br>by passing the Harkin-Miller bill. The bill would raise the Federal minimum<br>wage for working Americans in stages to $10.10 and index it to inflation<br>thereafter, while also raising the minimum wage for tipped workers for the<br>first time in over 20 years. The President will also continue to support<br>and encourage state, local and private sector efforts to increase wages and<br>help more working families.<br><br><br><br>§ *Businesses like Costco have supported past increases to the minimum<br>wage because it helps build a strong workforce and profitability over the<br>long run*. Low wages are also bad for business, as paying low wages lowers<br>employee morale, encourages low productivity, and leads to frequent<br>employee turnover--all of which impose costs.<br><br><br><br>§ *Across the country, Americans are saying it's time to raise the minimum<br>wage.* The President believes that it's time for action, and people across<br>the country agree. Since the President called for an increase in the<br>minimum wage in last year's State of the Union, five states have passed<br>laws increasing their minimum wage. And many businesses, from small<br>businesses to large corporations, see higher wages as the right way to<br>boost productivity and reduce turnover and therefore boost their<br>profitability.<br><br><br><br>§ *Raising the minimum wage is good for government, good for business and<br>workers and key to a stronger economy.* A range of economic studies show<br>that modestly raising the minimum wage increases earnings and reduces<br>poverty without jeopardizing employment. Higher wages can also boost<br>productivity, increase morale, reduce costs and improve efficiency.<br><br><br><br>§ *Raising the minimum wage will make sure no family of four with a<br>full-time worker has to raise their children in poverty.* It has been seven<br>years since Congress last acted to increase the minimum wage and, adjusted<br>for inflation, today the real value of minimum wage is roughly the same as<br>what it was in the 1950s, despite the fact that the typical American<br>family's income has doubled since then. And right now a full-time minimum<br>wage worker makes $14,500 a year, which leaves too many families struggling<br>to make ends meet. Even after accounting for programs like the Earned<br>Income Tax Credit, a family of four supported by a minimum wage worker<br>still ends up living below the poverty line.<br><br><br><br>§ *Indexing the minimum wage to inflation would help lower-income workers<br>keep up in the future.* Since it was first established in 1938, the minimum<br>wage has been increased 22 times, but was eroded substantially over several<br>prolonged periods between increases because of inflation. Indexing would<br>prevent a repeat of the 34 percent decline in the real value of the minimum<br>wage from 1978 to 1989 and the 19 percent decline in real value from 1998<br>to 2006, as well as the 40 percent decline in the real value of the base<br>wage for tipped workers since it was last raised in 1991. Last year alone,<br>workers earning the minimum wage basically got the equivalent of a $200 pay<br>cut because the minimum wage stayed the same while the cost of living went<br>up. Democrats and Republicans agree that indexing the minimum wage to<br>inflation would ensure that working families can keep up with expenses.<br>Unfortunately, those families will continue suffer if Congress continues to<br>not act.<br><br><br><br>§ *Helping parents make ends meet.* Around 60 percent of workers who would<br>benefit from a higher minimum wage are women. Less than 20 percent are<br>teenagers. Also, those workers who would benefit from an increase in the<br>minimum wage brought home 46 percent of their household's total wage and<br>salary income in 2011. Raising the minimum wage directly helps parents<br>make ends meet and support their families.<br><br><br><br>###<br>_______________________________________________<br>Nabs-presidents mailing list<br><a href="mailto:Nabs-presidents@nfbnet.org">Nabs-presidents@nfbnet.org</a><br>http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-presidents_nfbnet.org<br></div></blockquote></div><br></body></html>