On November 10, 2014
When Congress reconvenes, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said that she will introduce a bill that directs federal agencies to give preferential points to federal government vendors and contractors based on their labor practices.
Points would be given to vendors and contractors that pay their employees a living wage with benefits without passing on additional costs to the federal government, as well as for permitting workers to unionize. According to Norton, these points will help level the playing field and encourage private contractors and concessionaires to treat their workforce with the dignity they deserve.
“The federal government, through contracts, funds approximately two million jobs that pay less than a livable wage,” said Norton. “The federal contracting system should not be contributing to growing income inequality. My bill will not only afford federal government contract workers a decent wage, but the federal government would see significant savings in benefits, such as food stamps it now offers to supplement the income of these low-wage workers.”