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

[Darian Smith]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Rose Sloan <rosesloan920 at gmail.com>
> Subject: [Nabs-presidents] People with Disabilities Included in President Obama's Executive Order
> Date: February 12, 2014 at 6:39:11 AM PST
> To: List for NABS State Presidents <nabs-presidents at nfbnet.org>, nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> Reply-To: List for NABS State Presidents <nabs-presidents at nfbnet.org>
> 
> 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.
> 
> 
> 
> ###
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