I am honored to be at the White House to witness the signing of the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order. The Metal Trades Department and its affiliated unions have been advocating for and supporting this action for many years.
Our organizations have witnessed first hand the abuses of unscrupulous federal contractors wage theft of their workers and the unlawful retaliation when workers try to exercise their rights. The terms of the Contractor’s federal contracts require them to obey and abide by the laws. Although the vast majority of contractors play by the rules, every year tens of thousands of American workers are not treated fairly. Many are denied overtime wages, not hired or paid fairly because of their gender or age, or have their health and safety put at risk by corporations contracting with the federal government that cut corners. Today, President Obama is cracking down on federal contractors who put workers’ safety and hard-earned pay at risk.
This Executive Order means that there will be consequences that will actually deter this unlawful action.
We thank President Obama for issuing this Executive Order.
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The Metal Trades Department is a trade department of the AFL-CIO. It was chartered in 1908 to coordinate negotiating, organizing and legislative efforts of affiliated metalworking and related crafts and trade unions. Seventeen national and international unions are affiliated with the MTD today. More than 100,000 workers in private industry and federal establishments work under contracts negotiated by MTD Councils. Workers retain membership in their own trade unions.