Executive Order Increases Federal Contractor Minimum Wage, Includes People with Disabilities

February 12, 2014

Andrew J. Imparato, JD
Executive Director
240-821-9370
[email protected]

Kim E. Musheno
Director of Public Policy
301-588-8252
[email protected]

Today, the White House announced that President Barack Obama will sign an Executive Order raising the minimum wage to $10.10 for all future federal contract workers, including workers with disabilities. Under the current law, workers with disabilities may be paid significantly less than the wage paid to workers without disabilities doing the same job. This Executive Order, which covers all new federal contracts, will end that practice among contractors beginning in 2015.

AUCD applauds the President for increasing wages for hardworking Americans, and especially for including people with disabilities in his Executive Order. "By ensuring that people with disabilities receive equal pay for equal work, the President is allowing individuals to secure competitive, integrated employment," said Andy Imparato, Executive Director of the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD). "AUCD believes that this new law will assure equality and opportunity for all and eliminate any policies of discrimination on the basis of disability. We continue to urge Congress to take further action and increase employment opportunities for all by passing the Senate bill to reauthorize the Workforce Investment Act."

Learn more information about the Executive Order on AUCD's website here or on the White House page here.

About AUCD

The Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) is a membership organization that supports and promotes a national network of university-based interdisciplinary programs. Through its members, AUCD is a resource for local, state, national, and international agencies, organizations, and policy makers concerned about people living with developmental and other disabilities and their families. AUCD Network members consist of 67 University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD), 43 Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) Programs, and 15 Intellectual and Developmental Disability Research Centers (IDDRC). For more information and directory of University Centers, see www.aucd.org.

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