Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins on Tuesday proposed raising the minimum wage for private employees who do contract work for the county.

Full-time workers who handle janitorial duties, security and other labor would be paid at least $10.25 per hour under the policy. Currently, many of those employees are paid at or slightly above the federal minimum, which is $7.25 per hour.

“We all do better when we all do better and everyone gets a chance to get ahead,” Jenkins said. “And when you are making $8 an hour cleaning out a toilet, you don’t have as much of a chance to get ahead.”

The exact details of the proposal still need to be ironed out, officials said. But Jenkins said he envisions including a minimum among the specifications it requires when it seeks bids for contract work. The Commissioners Court considered one such bid during Tuesday’s meeting, approving janitorial services for the county’s Health and Human Services building.

Jenkins abstained from the vote because the contractor planned to hire a janitor who would work 40 hours per week at $8 per hour. That adds up to over $16,000 per year, with no medical benefits. The others members of the court unanimously approved the contract.

More at source: Dallas News

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