Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg introduced an economic policy proposal Friday that aims to expand employee protections and rights, including safeguards for gig-economy workers as part of a bid to double union membership nationwide.

The proposal would also raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour – a proposal the U.S. House just passed and one that several of his Democratic rivals have advocated for -- end “right to work” laws in Indiana and other states, implement what he calls gender pay transparency and broaden federal protections to include farm and domestic workers.

“Our economy is changing, and too many Americans are working full time, some working two or even three jobs, and still finding it impossible to make ends meet,” Buttigieg said in a statement announcing the proposal. “Things continue to get more expensive, but paychecks aren’t getting any bigger.”

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Buttigieg's proposal points to the decline in private- and public-sector union membership, which in the U.S. has fallen to roughly 10 percent of wage and salary workers last year from about 20 percent in 1983, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Buttigieg, who spoke Friday in Indianapolis at the National Urban League conference, takes companies as far-flung as McDonald's, Google and Lyft and Uber to task in his policy rollout.

He said that the fast-food company doesn't bargain with workers because they are employed by small franchises, pointed to a news article that says the tech giant's temporary and contract workers outnumber its full-time employees and argued that the two large ride-hailing companies misclassify drivers as independent contractors.

Highlights of Pete Buttigieg's economic proposal

The federal minimum wage would be set at $15 an hour and would be indexed to median wage growth.

would be set at $15 an hour and would be indexed to median wage growth. Millions of independent contractors would have access to bargaining rights.

would have access to bargaining rights. It would prevent gig-economy workers from being denied minimum-wage and overtime pay and the ability to unionize.

from being denied minimum-wage and overtime pay and the ability to unionize. Regarding gender equity , he says he'd propose legislation to make public the gender pay gap at every large company. Buttigieg suggests such companies would face pressure to not only close that gap but to hire, promote and retain women.

, he says he'd propose legislation to make public the gender pay gap at every large company. Buttigieg suggests such companies would face pressure to not only close that gap but to hire, promote and retain women. His proposal would also change the government contracting process by giving preference to companies that are unionized and offer good pay and benefits to their entire workforce.

by giving preference to companies that are unionized and offer good pay and benefits to their entire workforce. Undocumented workers who seek the enforcement of minimum wage, support union activities or other labor- and employment-law safeguards would be protected from retaliation by employers.

who seek the enforcement of minimum wage, support union activities or other labor- and employment-law safeguards would be protected from retaliation by employers. Obama administration overtime regulations that have been overturned would be restored, guaranteeing time-and-a-half pay.

Buttigieg's proposal is drawing mixed reviews in his home state.

Indiana Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Kevin Brinegar agreed with Buttigieg that workplaces should be free from harassment and discrimination, but he called much of the economic plan “bad for business, the workforce and the economy.”

“The unionization proposals from Mayor Pete are good for the unions, but not the workers or the country,” Brinegar said. “There’s a reason unionization numbers have declined – people don’t want to be forced to join a union as a condition of employment or keeping their job.”

The Indiana Chamber of Commerce advocates on behalf of 25,000 members across state. Indiana’s right-to-work status has led businesses to relocate or expand their operations here, Brinegar said. And though employees are their companies’ biggest asset, economic realities have to be factored into their business decisions, he added.

Brinegar also took issue with Buttigieg’s $15 minimum wage proposal, arguing that some studies have found that enacting the policy — such as one recently released by the Congressional Budget Office — would result in the loss of millions of American jobs.

That report, released earlier this month, looked at the impacts of rising the federal minimum to $10, $12 and $15 per hour. A $15 per hour minimum wage would boost the wages of 17 million workers who otherwise would earn less than that and cost 1.3 million people their jobs when fully implemented in 2025.

The current federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour.

“Ask any employer today and most all will say that their employees are their biggest asset. They want to do what’s right for them, but economic realities have to be factored into their business decisions,” he said. “Simply put, there are things that must be left up to individual employers. Increasing benefits falls into this category.”

Michael Hicks, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at Ball State University, said some ideas in the proposal have merit but that some are meant more to appeal to Democratic primary voters.

“Some of the problems Mayor Buttigieg identified are real. There are polarizing labor markets, and automation and trade have cause big regional inequalities,” Hicks said in an email to IndyStar.

But problems like the gender pay gap, he contends, are better handled through better education policies.

“To fix that you don’t target wages," he said, "but rather target educational opportunities and work to eliminate gender stereotypes in occupations."