The Department of Labor (DOL), besieged by requests for more time to comment on its proposal to raise the minimum wage for federal contract employees, has extended the public commentary period until July 28, 2014.
In announcing the extension, the DOL explained the proposal in this way:
The Department is proposing regulations to implement Executive Order 13658, Establishing a Minimum Wage for Contractors. The Executive Order seeks to increase efficiency and cost savings in the work performed by parties that contract with the Federal Government by raising the hourly minimum wage paid by those contractors to workers performing work on covered federal contracts to: (i) $10.10 per hour, beginning January 1, 2015; and (ii) beginning January 1, 2016, and annually thereafter, an amount determined by the Secretary of Labor. The NPRM [Notice of Proposed Rulemaking] incorporates existing definitions, procedures, remedies, and enforcement processes under the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Service Contract Act, and the Davis-Bacon Act.