Declaring that “No one working 40 hours a week should live below the poverty line” in his address to Congress Wednesday, President Joe Biden renewed his push for a $15 minimum wage a day after issuing an executive order to raise the minimum wage paid by federal contractors to $15. After calling on Congress to pass the PRO Act, another piece of pro-labor legislation, Pres. Biden pressed Congress, “By the way: While you’re thinking of sending things to my desk, let’s raise the minimum wage to $15.” Longtime supporters of the Fight for $15 cheered Biden’s call. “By ensuring federally contracted workers earn a more livable wage, President Biden is setting a responsible and moral example for companies nationwide to follow while responding to the demands from working people who have been struggling to support their families and our economy,” said SEIU 32BJ's Louis Davis. “Because companies rarely - if ever - raise wages on their own,” Davis added, “low-wage workers have only government leaders and unions to rely on. The difference that $15 an hour can make for so many struggling families and our economy cannot be underestimated." The new minimum for federal contractors is expected to take effect next year and is likely to increase the pay of hundreds of thousands of workers.
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