109 HR 6422 IH: To amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C.
U.S. House of Representatives
2006-12-08
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EN
Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
1.
(a)Over 10% of
Federal Contract workers earn below poverty level wages.
(b)The majority of
federal contractors paying poverty level wages are defense contractors
(62%).
(c)Most contractors
are large businesses (59%), not small businesses or nonprofit
organizations.
(d)Over a quarter of
one million direct federal workers work at poverty level wages. (EPI Study
released in 2000)
(e)Since members of
Congress last voted to boost minimum wages, they have raised their own pay by
23%. (Christian Science Monitor 1/30/06)
(f)While real income
is declining for working families, top corporate executives receive an average
431 times the salary of a worker in his or her company. (Christian Science
Monitor 1/30/06)
(g)A graduated
increase of the minimum wage proposed in current pending legislation from
$5.85/hr. to $7.25/hr. does not bring the annual income of a family of four
above the poverty line.
2.Amendment to the
fair labor standards act of 1938
(a)Section 6(a)(1) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938
(29 U.S.C. 206(a)(1)) is amended to read as follows:
(1)except as
otherwise provided in this section, not less than an hourly wage (or salary
equivalent) sufficient for a worker to earn, while working 40 hours a week on a
full-time basis, equal to or above what it would cost to cover the cost of
housing, food, childcare, transportation and healthcare needs of a family of
four based on the regional or municipal cost of living; and
(2)an additional
amount, determined by the Secretary based on the locality in which a worker
resides, sufficient to cover the costs to such worker to obtain any fringe
benefits not provided by the worker's employer; and
(3)an hourly wage
that will be adjusted annually in accord with Federal Cost of Living
Adjustments; and that
(4)the hourly wage
for Federal Workers and Contract Workers will increase by the same percentage
as the Congressional pay raise whenever Congress votes to raise their salaries
above COLA.
(5)The amendment made by section (a) above shall take effect 60
days after the date of enactment of this Act; and
(b)Section 6 of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29
U.S.C. 206) shall apply to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana
Islands.
(1)Notwithstanding
subsection (a), the minimum wage applicable to the Commonwealth of the Northern
Mariana Islands under section 6(a)(1) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938
(29 U.S.C. 206(a)(1)) shall be—
(a)except as
otherwise provided in this section, not less than an hourly wage (or salary
equivalent) sufficient for a worker to earn, while working 40 hours a week on a
full-time basis, equal to or above what it would cost to cover the cost of
housing, food, childcare, transportation and healthcare needs of a family of
four based on the regional or municipal cost of living; and
(b)an additional
amount, determined by the Secretary based on the locality in which a worker
resides, sufficient to cover the costs to such worker to obtain any fringe
benefits not provided by the worker's employer; and
(c)an hourly wage
that will be adjusted annually in accord with federal Cost of Living
Adjustments; and that
(d)the hourly wage
for Federal Workers and Contract Workers will increase by the same percentage
as the Congressional pay raise whenever Congress votes to raise their salaries
above COLA.
(2)Any items produced
or manufactured displaying a Made in the USA
label must be
compensated with an hourly wage that complies with the federally mandated
minimum wage standards in section (b) above.
(3)The amendment made by section (b) above shall take effect 60
days after the date of enactment of this Act.