WASHINGTON (AP) ” A group of low-wage contract workers walked off the job at the Capitol and other federal buildings and landmarks on Thursday to press for higher pay.

“It’s hard to give my son a better life on $11.85 an hour,” said Tony Brawner, 43, who works at the Capitol Visitor Center.

Earlier this year, President Barack Obama raised the minimum wage for federal contract workers to $10.10 an hour on all new government contracts beginning on Jan. 1. Congress so far has blocked Obama’s efforts to raise the current $7.25 an-hour minimum wage to that level for all workers nationwide. Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia have acted on their own to raise the minimum wage.

Contract workers include those who serve food and provide janitorial services in federal buildings and museums. Protest organizers said about 400 workers participated in Thursday’s one-day walkout.

Demonstrators at the Capitol called for a “living wage” of at least $15 an hour and pressed for better working 

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