March 17, 2014
By Mary Kay Henry, SEIU President
Washington, DC — After President Obama announced an executive order that would expand overtime pay to more workers, Mary Kay Henry, President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) issued the following statement:
"THe action by the President is one more step in the right direction for workers who deserve a raise. By making more people eligible for overtime pay, both workers and our economy will benefit. When workers have more money to spend in their local communities, everybody wins.
"But government can't do everything when it comes to reducing income inequality in our economy. The private sector, enjoying record profits, has a responsibility to step up and raise wages for their workers. We have already seen major corporations like GAP raise wages on their own. The rest of corporate America should follow the lead of GAP and others and raise wages for their employees so they don't have to turn to public assistance or string two, even three, jobs together."
