Brown Applauds Biden Administration Rule to Raise Minimum Wage for Federal Contractors

WASHINGTON, D.C. – December 3, 2021 – Today, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) released the following statement after the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced a rule to increase the hourly minimum wage for employees on federal contracts. The rule implements an executive order signed by President Biden in April to increase federal contractors’ wages to $15 an hour, starting January 30, 2022.

“Thanks to President Biden, nearly 400,000 workers across the country are getting a raise next year. This is a pro-worker administration and they’re proving that by raising wages for these federal contract workers and working to lower costs for families. This is an important step that recognizes the value of work in our country – now we need to raise the federal minimum wage for all workers, so hard work pays off for everyone.”

In January, Brown announced the introduction of legislation to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025. The Raise the Wage Act of 2021 would gradually increase the federal minimum wage to $15 by 2025. Beginning in 2026, the federal minimum wage would be indexed to median wage growth. According to an independent analysis conducted by the Economic Policy Institute, the Raise the Wage Act would increase wages for nearly 32 million Americans, including roughly a third of all Black workers and a quarter of all Latino workers.