Obama to raise minimum wage for federal contractors [Taxpayers Foot the Bill]

CNN ^ | 1/28/14 | Adam Aigner-Treworgy

[SoFloFreeper]

While President Barack Obama’s attempts to increase the nation’s minimum wage through legislation have stalled in Congress, the White House announced plans on Tuesday to use the president’s executive powers to partially address the problem.

Just hours before the President is scheduled to deliver his fifth State of the Union address, the White House revealed that Obama will issue an executive order to increase the minimum wage for new federal contract workers.....

. In a fact sheet announcing the action, the White House highlighted several occupations that will be helped by the move, including kitchen and laundry workers on military bases, as well as janitors at federal buildings and construction workers at government building sites.

[SoFloFreeper]

So the TAXPAYER is now paying janitors $10.10 an hour.

[Road Warrior ‘04]

So, when will Bowbama run out of other people’s money?

[P-Marlowe]

He has no authority whatsoever to do this. This money needs to come out of his own pocket.

[TigerClaws]

Checks and balances.

[FlingWingFlyer]

There he goes again. Spending our grandchildren’s money. Something else for him to brag about during his gala State of the Union Show tonight.

[sport]

Most of the things he has done, he had no Constitutional authority to do. Has that stopped him? The Republican Party?

[11th Commandment]

This is another meaningless act by Obama. He states that the minimum wage does not increase unemployment even though study after study proves otherwise. Now we know why he believes this- because he looks through the eye of government.

NO FEDERAL CONTRACT JOBS will be lost over this executive order. In fact, if I have a federal contract, I welcome the change. This is because my contract is not fixed cost, but cost plus. This means that if my cost go up my profit goes up.

This brings me to another point- since Obama's decision will not increase unemployment, why didn't he increase the minimum wage to $15.00 an hour. We always hear the left bloviating about a living wage. $15 would be the wage that an individual would not live in poverty and qualify for services and ObamaCare subsidies... This tells me Obama is not serious about income equality.

Finally, I doubt there are few workers on federal contracts earning minimum wage.

[sten]

yes... janitors will get a raise from $7.25 to $10.10 ... a raise of $2.85, or 39%

this also means that all union workers working at companies with govt contracts will also receive a 39% raise.

i say... give them the raises... and just start firing people. as they collect their last check, make sure to remind them that 0bama sends his regards

[CaptainAmiigaf]

Checks and balances. HE writes the CHECKS and YOUR bank BALANCE goes down. I don’t think this was the purpose of the phrase “checks and balances.”
Actually I know that wasn’t the purpose.

[kabar]

This has a chain reaction effect. What about the people who already make $10 an hour? Will their wages be increased to prevent wage compression?

And where is the money coming from? Doesn't Congress have to approve appropriations and budgets. Increasing the costs of government requires more deficit spending and a larger national debt.

[Mustangman]

No need to acknowledge economic reality and the laws of supply and demand when you can print money.....

In what world do you raise the cost of something (in this case: Labor) when you are having trouble selling it to the customer (In this case employers)? In Obama’s world, naturally.

[Pearls Before Swine]

Federal contractors pay “prevailing wage” —i.e., union rates anyway. I doubt the minimum wage affects any of their employees. Maybe it affects caterers.

[kabar]

An estimated 2 million Americans work on federal contracts, though the number of workers receiving the minimum wage would be a fraction of that.

A survey by the National Employment Law Project of contractors who manufacture military uniforms, provide food and janitorial services, and truck goods found that 75 percent of them earn less than $10 per hour. One in five was dependent on Medicaid for health care, and 14 percent used food stamps.

[11th Commandment]

A survey by the National Employment Law Project of contractors who manufacture military uniforms, provide food and janitorial services, and truck goods found that 75 percent of them earn less than $10 per hour. One in five was dependent on Medicaid for health care, and 14 percent used food stamps.

Thanks for the info- proving my point if Obama was serious about his income equality he would have raised the minimum to $15/hour.

[cincinnati65]

If Congress appropriates $105,000 for a contract job, at $7.50 an hour, that means there's about 7 workers that can be hired. If Obama raises to $10 and hour, that means that only around 5 can be hired, right?

I mean, it's squidgy as to whether or not he can "raise the minimum wage by executive order", but he can't raise the appropriation, right? So the natural consequence is that fewer workers can be hired. Obama's war on employment continues.

[Graewoulf]

IMHO, the STATE OF THE OBAMANATION IRON CURTAIN SPEECH tonight will include the following:

* An increase in Federal Wage Control regulation of increased redistribution of taxpayer wealth to the least skilled workers under Obamanation minimum wage control.

* Approval of the XL Pipeline if the evil Republicans will approve of, for an unspecified time, unlimited redistribution of taxpayer wealth as authorized by US President Valerie Jarrett.

* An increase in the total number of illegal alien invaders from Mexico that will receive an increased redistribution of taxpayer wealth and full voting rights.

* An increase in the redistribution of taxpayer wealth given away to the least qualified high school student loan candidates.

* An increase in the redistribution of taxpayer wealth to fund Republican-caused cost overruns to the following essential Obamanation Iron Curtain Programs:
****Obamacare re-education camp style advertising to the Obama-Youth;
****IRS Harassment of the evil Republican enemies of Obamanation;
****NSA spy on your neighbor;
****Benghazi Cover Up hush money to victim witnesses;
****purchase of teleprompters for all Democrat 2014 Federal Candidates;
****purchase of hollow point small arms ammunition for non-military Federal Bureaus;
****and increased manufacturing of Obamanation Barrycades.

* An increase in the redistribution of taxpayer wealth to pay for the cost of the Air Force One trips required after completion of this State of the Obamanation Iron Curtain Speech.

FORWARD!

[shelterguy]

I do a lot of government work. On most of the jobs you have to follow the prevailing wage brought on by the Davis Bacon Act. In Minneapolis the lowest wage I can pay ANYONE is $45.12 per hour. That is for an unskilled laborer.

[Cringing Negativism Network]

This is so stupid.

Of all the ideas Obama could come up with, he chooses paying more to federal employees, when America is 17 trillion (and growing) in debt.

Just stupid.

[Travis McGee]

[Cheerio]

Uh, Nobama has ABSOLUTELY NO AUTHORITY to raise one single penny of taxes. SOMEONE BETTER BE HEADING TO SCOTUS THE DAY AFTER HE PUTS THIS INTO EFFECT.