Union Station Contract Workers Walk Off Jobs Over Wages

Some federally contracted concessions workers walked off their jobs at 9 a.m. to hold a rally in front of the train station

Some employees at Union Station staged a walk-off calling for higher wages Thursday.

The federally contracted concessions workers walked off their jobs at 9 a.m. to hold a rally in front of the train station, calling for President Barack Obama to issue an executive order to grant them a living wage.

The walk-off comes a week after food service workers at two Smithsonian museums held a similar protest and press conference. Thursday's event was expected to conclude with a performance like last week's, when activists portraying Ronald McDonald and Uncle Sam climbed into bed together.

Organizers said last week they were demonstrating against "the exorbitant amount of reimbursement contractor CEOs receive from the federal government, while paying workers at or below the minimum wage."

The workers demonstrating Thursday are part of the Good Jobs Nation campaign.Last week, the Smithsonian tweeted about the protests:

This is the latest in a string of protests by service workers at federal buildings. In addition to last week's demonstration, about 200 federally contracted workers staged strikes around D.C. in May to protest their low wages.

Workers protested outside the Reagan Building, the American History Museum, and Columbus Circle at Union Station.

Mayor Vincent Gray is also contemplating a living wage bill for workers at big-box retailers in the city, although sources say he will likely veto is.

The D.C. Council approved a living wage bill last week, which would require big-box retailers to pay their employees a minimum of $12.50 an hour. Gray has implied he will likely veto it, though, because Walmart threated to pull out of the city is the bill becomes law.

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