MTD-affiliated American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is saluting President Biden’s executive order that establishes a $15 per hour minimum wage for federal government work.
The White House announced the action January 21. The AFL-CIO, including the MTD, has been fighting for years to increase the nation’s minimum wage, which has remained at $7.25 an hour since 2008. The labor federation called this another step toward that effort.
“Today, President Biden is raising the pay of nearly 70,000 American workers in one of his most significant actions to date, delivering on a campaign promise, and fulfilling a long-sought goal of the Labor Movement,” declared AFGE National President Everett Kelley.
“For the tens of thousands of workers who will start seeing more money in their paychecks each week, this is a transformative policy choice that will improve their everyday lives. Setting a new $15 per hour wage floor for federal government work will encourage employers across the country who are currently paying poverty wages to compete for labor and start paying fairer rates, lifting the wages of American workers across the country,” Kelley added.