[nabs-l] People with Disabilities Included in President Obama's Executive Order

[Rose Sloan]

Students:


Below, please see a recent press release from the While House.  President
Obama plans to include people with disabilities in his executive order to
raise the minimum wage for federal contract workers.


Thanks for all your work,


Rose


THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 12, 2014



*FACT SHEET - **Opportunity For All: Rewarding Hard Work*



*Raising the Minimum Wage through Executive Order to $10.10 for Federal
Contract Workers*

*& Calling on Congress to Finish the Job for All Workers by Passing the
Harkin-Miller Bill*



Today, continuing to fulfill his promise to make 2014 a year of action, the
President will sign an Executive Order to raise the minimum wage to $10.10
for federal contract workers.



The Executive Order the President will sign today will benefit hundreds of
thousands of people working under contracts with the federal government who
are making less than $10.10 an hour. It will also improve the value that
taxpayers are getting from the federal government's investment. Studies
show that boosting low wages will reduce turnover and absenteeism, while
also boosting morale and improving the incentives for workers, leading to
higher productivity overall. These gains improve the quality and efficiency
of services provided to the government.



In his State of the Union Address, President Obama pledged to both take
executive action wherever he can and work with Congress to increase
opportunity for all Americans. Consistent with that pledge, the President
will continue to work with Congress to finish the job to raise the minimum
wage for all Americans and pass the Harkin-Miller bill so that all workers
can be paid at least a $10.10 minimum wage.



* Details of the Executive Order *



Ø  *The Executive Order will raise the minimum wage to $10.10 effective for
new contracts beginning January 1, 2015.   *The higher wage will apply to
new contracts and replacements for expiring contracts.  Boosting wages will
lower turnover and absenteeism, and increase morale and productivity
overall. Raising wages for those at the bottom will improve the quality and
efficiency of services provided to the government.



Ø  *Benefits hundreds of thousands of hardworking Americans. *There are
hundreds of thousands of people working under contracts with the federal
government to provide services or construction who are currently making
less than $10.10 an hour.  Some examples of the hardworking people who
would see their wages go up under this Executive Order include nursing
assistants providing care to our veterans at nursing homes, concessions
workers in National Parks, people serving food to our troops, and
individuals with disabilities working to maintain the grounds on military
bases.



Ø  *Includes an increase in the tipped minimum wage.  *This executive order
also includes provisions to make sure that tipped workers earn at least
$10.10 overall, through a combination of tips and an employer
contribution.  Employers are currently required to pay a minimum base wage
of $2.13 per hour, a base that has remained unchanged for over twenty
years, and if a worker's tips do not add up to the minimum wage, the
employer must make up the difference. Under the Executive Order, employers
are required to ensure that tipped workers earn at least $10.10 an hour.
The Executive Order requires that employers pay a minimum base wage of
$4.90 for new contracts and replacements for expiring contracts put out for
bid after January 1, 2015.  That amount increases by 95 cents per year
until it reaches 70 percent of the regular minimum wage, and if a worker's
tips do not add up to at least $10.10, the employer will be required to pay
the difference.



Ø  *Covers individuals with disabilities. * Under current law, workers
whose productivity is affected because of their disabilities may be paid
less than the wage paid to others doing the same job under certain
specialized certificate programs. Under this Executive Order, all
individuals working under service or concessions contracts with the federal
government will be covered by the same $10.10 per hour minimum wage
protections.



Ø  *Improves value for the federal government and taxpayers.*  One study
showed that when Maryland passed its living wage law for companies
contracting with the state, there was an increase in the number of
contractors bidding and higher competition can help ensure better quality.
The increase will take effect for new contracts and replacements for
expiring contracts put out for bid after the effective date of the order,
so contractors will have time to prepare and price their bids accordingly.



*Continuing to Work With Congress, States and Localities to Help All
Workers*



The President is using his executive authority to lead by example, and will
continue to work with Congress to raise the minimum wage for all Americans
by passing the Harkin-Miller bill. The bill would raise the Federal minimum
wage for working Americans in stages to $10.10 and index it to inflation
thereafter, while also raising the minimum wage for tipped workers for the
first time in over 20 years.  The President will also continue to support
and encourage state, local and private sector efforts to increase wages and
help more working families.



§  *Businesses like Costco have supported past increases to the minimum
wage because it helps build a strong workforce and profitability over the
long run*. Low wages are also bad for business, as paying low wages lowers
employee morale, encourages low productivity, and leads to frequent
employee turnover--all of which impose costs.



§  *Across the country, Americans are saying it's time to raise the minimum
wage.* The President believes that it's time for action, and people across
the country agree. Since the President called for an increase in the
minimum wage in last year's State of the Union, five states have passed
laws increasing their minimum wage. And many businesses, from small
businesses to large corporations, see higher wages as the right way to
boost productivity and reduce turnover and therefore boost their
profitability.



§  *Raising the minimum wage is good for government, good for business and
workers and key to a stronger economy.*  A range of economic studies show
that modestly raising the minimum wage increases earnings and reduces
poverty without jeopardizing employment.  Higher wages can also boost
productivity, increase morale, reduce costs and improve efficiency.



§  *Raising the minimum wage will make sure no family of four with a
full-time worker has to raise their children in poverty.* It has been seven
years since Congress last acted to increase the minimum wage and, adjusted
for inflation, today the real value of minimum wage is roughly the same as
what it was in the 1950s, despite the fact that the typical American
family's income has doubled since then. And right now a full-time minimum
wage worker makes $14,500 a year, which leaves too many families struggling
to make ends meet. Even after accounting for programs like the Earned
Income Tax Credit, a family of four supported by a minimum wage worker
still ends up living below the poverty line.



§  *Indexing the minimum wage to inflation would help lower-income workers
keep up in the future.* Since it was first established in 1938, the minimum
wage has been increased 22 times, but was eroded substantially over several
prolonged periods between increases because of inflation. Indexing would
prevent a repeat of the 34 percent decline in the real value of the minimum
wage from 1978 to 1989 and the 19 percent decline in real value from 1998
to 2006, as well as the 40 percent decline in the real value of the base
wage for tipped workers since it was last raised in 1991. Last year alone,
workers earning the minimum wage basically got the equivalent of a $200 pay
cut because the minimum wage stayed the same while the cost of living went
up.  Democrats and Republicans agree that indexing the minimum wage to
inflation would ensure that working families can keep up with expenses.
Unfortunately, those families will continue suffer if Congress continues to
not act.



§  *Helping parents make ends meet.* Around 60 percent of workers who would
benefit from a higher minimum wage are women.  Less than 20 percent are
teenagers.  Also, those workers who would benefit from an increase in the
minimum wage brought home 46 percent of their household's total wage and
salary income in 2011.  Raising the minimum wage directly helps parents
make ends meet and support their families.



###