Socialist Progressives

In effect, the federal government has been subsidizing contractor misconduct with our tax dollars. As long as federal contractors have known that their law-breaking would not jeopardize the next contract, they have had little financial incentive to stop mistreating their workers.

By signing the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order, President Obama signaled that it’s time for this to stop. The order will ensure that federal contractors obey workplace laws before receiving government contracts. Once implemented, the order:
• Will require federal contractors to disclose their record of compliance with workplace laws;
• Will ensure that law-breaking companies clean up their acts by empowering federal agencies to consult with the U.S. Department of Labor to investigate and remediate ongoing problems with contractors.

For far too long, federal contractors have been able to cheat or injure their employees, secure in the knowledge that their lawbreaking will not count against them when their contracts come up for renewal. Once implemented, the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order will take that security away from them.