BURLINGTON, Vt., Aug. 24 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement Wednesday after the Department of Labor finalized a rule to require prospective federal contractors to disclose labor violations and give guidance to agencies on how to consider labor violations when awarding contracts:

“It’s time for the federal government to be a model employer. Requiring that the companies who receive federal contracts do not consistently violate labor law is a critical step toward that goal.

“The reality is that the largest low-wage employer in this country is the federal government. That has got to change. The time has come for the president and the U.S. Senate to end this injustice by requiring all contract workers to be paid at least $15 an hour with the right to form a union.”

Sanders successfully pushed the president to use executive action in 2014 to raise wages for federal contract workers. He has continued to stand with workers as they push for more action.