On July 21, 2021, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) announced that it is seeking public comment on a proposed rule which would require federal contractors to pay a $15.00 per hour minimum wage by January 30, 2022. The rule would implement President Biden’s April 27, 2021 Executive Order 14026 (“EO 14026”), which mandated an increase in the minimum wage of workers on federal government contracts (and associated subcontracts). Currently, the minimum wage for workers on federal contracts is $10.95 per hour and the tipped minimum wage is $7.65 per hour.  EO 14026 builds on President Obama’s 2014 Executive Order 13658, which established a $10.10 per hour federal contractor minimum wage that would increase annually. The final rule covering EO 14026 is scheduled to be issued by November 24, 2021, and the new minimum wage obligations are slated to go into effect on January 30, 2022.

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