Feb. 12 (Bloomberg) — President Barack Obama signed an executive order raising the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour for U.S. government contract workers in the future, fulfilling a promise from his State of the Union address.

The order applies to U.S. contractors such as National Park Service concessions workers and military food-service employees, according to a White House fact sheet. The 39 percent increase from $7.25 an hour takes effect for new contracts starting Jan. 1, 2015.

Obama is making the change without action from Congress, an approach he vowed to follow during his Jan. 28 State of the Union speech outlining his vision for reducing income inequality. At a White House signing ceremony today, he again urged lawmakers in Congress to raise the minimum wage for all U.S. workers to $10.10, saying it's good for workers as well as for the economy.