WE ARE ONE STEP CLOSER
President
Obama today signed a new executive order (EO), the "Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces
Executive Order," which requires
companies bidding for federal contracts to disclose their recent compliance
with labor and employment laws and instructs federal agencies to consider this
compliance, or lack thereof, in the process of awarding federal contracts. One in five U.S. workers is employed by a
firm that receives at least one federal contract, so this will have strong and
rippling effects throughout the labor market, not just for those workers
directly employed through government contracts.
As the
President noted in his speech before the signing, taxpayer dollars should
provide good jobs with decent wages and safe working conditions.
The
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness (OPW) is pleased that the
President is addressing this issue. It is good for workers, for law-abiding
employers, and for U.S. taxpayers. The OPW
has been advocating for greater enforcement of existing labor law for some time
and only two days ago, I risked arrest in order to move the President to take
actions such as this one. I rejoice that the President is hearing the voice
of Presbyterian public witness and other partners in the faith community.
Your
continued support through action alerts and support for the PC(USA) Office of
Public Witness is greatly appreciated. We believe that Jesus Christ is laying
the foundation for many great works ahead – one
step at a time.
Reverend
J. Herbert Nelson
Director
for Public Witness
Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.)
Washington, DC
