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Federal contract workers protest massive wage theft, call on Trump to keep promises

Workers held a strike in Washington, D.C. to chart the path forward.

Latoya Williams strikes in downtown Washington, D.C. with hundreds of federal contractors, Wednesday, December 7, 2016. CREDIT: Kira Lerner
Latoya Williams strikes in downtown Washington, D.C. with hundreds of federal contractors, Wednesday, December 7, 2016. CREDIT: Kira Lerner

WASHINGTON, DC — Hundreds of federal contract workers held a one-day strike in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, calling on President-elect Donald Trump to fulfill his campaign promises to American workers.

From a plaza across the street from Trump’s Pennsylvania Avenue hotel, workers said they expect to see the new president — who vowed on the campaign trail to create jobs and improve wages — make efforts to stop federal contractors from stealing wages from their workers.

While workers across the country are fighting for a higher minimum wage and better benefits, federal contractors said their situation is particularly dire. The federal government funds more low-wage workers than McDonald’s and Wal-Mart combined, according to a 2013 study. And a report released earlier this week found that federal contractors stiff workers of billions of dollars each year by violating minimum wage laws, misclassifying workers as “independent contractors,” and denying them paid leave and other benefits.

Contract workers at the rally spoke to ThinkProgress about the importance of working with Trump to end wage theft.

“I’m fighting for better living wages,” said LaShawn Craddock, who works as a federal contractor at a call center. “We need to keep pushing forward and we need to hold President-elect Trump accountable to the promises that he made. I want to see results.”

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When she secured her contracting position 15 months ago, Craddock thought that working for the government meant that she would be well compensated, she said. But she quickly learned her mistake.

“The key word is ‘contract worker,’” she said. “If you’re a contract worker, there are no benefits. There is no leave. You don’t get all those benefits that the government workers get. And so its very disheartening.”

“Every day, day in and day out, I’m assisting with callers, tracking down their benefits and making sure they get what they need,” she continued. “But every day, I’m making a decision, okay do I do groceries this week or do I do laundry?”

Contractors launched the “Good Jobs Defense” effort on Wednesday, December 7, 2016. CREDIT: Kira Lerner
Contractors launched the “Good Jobs Defense” effort on Wednesday, December 7, 2016. CREDIT: Kira Lerner

Progressive leaders including Bernie Sanders and Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) spoke to the contractors’ rally, persuading them that the effort should continue with just as much fervor under Trump’s administration.

Under President Obama, the workers’ efforts led to a number of important executive orders to increase the minimum wage for contractors and to end wage theft. While Trump could easily undo Obama’s actions, Ellison said that just because there won’t be an ally in the White House does not mean that progress will slow down.

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“At the end of the day, it’s not about who’s in office,” he told ThinkProgress. “It’s about the people and what they’re willing to do.”

“Our need to get out into the street and organize is still the same,” he added. “It’s more or less knocking on a locked door rather than pushing on an open door, but we’ve still got to be out there.”

One worker who said she is ready to work with Trump and hold him accountable is Latoya Williams, who helps Americans connect with flood insurance at a FEMA call center. Williams told ThinkProgress that her wage is so low that she often has to skip medical appointments in order to pay other bills.

“I’m ready for change,” she said. “I want my voice to be heard so that other people can be heard also.”

Craddock and Williams both work for a call center that has been hit with complaints by the Communications Workers of America over their low wages. In a December 2 letter, the union asked the Department of Labor to investigate the contractors’ practices of paying low wages to experienced employees and of not raising wages of the course of its contract.

When asked why she’s willing to give Trump a chance, despite all of the ways he has proven himself to be anti-worker, Craddock said she can’t afford to work for low wages any longer. “I need more immediate results,” she said.