As a senator weighs congressional hearings on a law allowing workers with disabilities to be paid less than minimum wage, employers are worried that a change could force them to downsize.
Organizations like Goodwill often pay those with disabilities far less than minimum wage, which is allowed under federal law if employers obtain a government certificate. The law is intended to account for the slower pace with which some people with disabilities might perform a job function. Workers in these situations are paid according to their productivity.
However, questions about the practice surfaced last year when it was discovered that employees with intellectual disabilities were being paid just $65 a month to work at an Iowa meat processing facility where they were housed in questionable conditions. Now, Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, wants Congress to take a hard look at the the law and its application to ensure that people with disabilities aren’t being taken advantage of.
That has some providers for adults with disabilities concerned. In the Iowa City, Iowa area alone Goodwill officials say a change in the law could leave 500 people out of work because there simply isn’t enough money to pay all employees minimum wage.
Further, those employing people at low wages say finding jobs at mainstream businesses in the community is unlikely for many of their employees.
Disability advocates, however, are arguing that low wages need to be phased out slowly so that opportunities for work can be established, reports the Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Gazette. To read more click here.
Discrimination continues against Our DISABLED U.S. Citizens! – Discrimination is especially growing from CONGRESS! – $Low Wages for the Disabled has maintained an all time Low. – CONGRESS has $Bailed-Out the $BANKsters whom caused the $Economic CRISIS.- And NOTHING for added assistance for Our DISABED Citizens,- whom are hurting the most. Their has been NO STIMULUS so far. In Fact,- the DISABLED Suffer the most, from CONGRESS’S lax attitude, and ongoing Discriminatory practices against the Disabled U.S. Citizens! – NO $BANK, or any Corporation should Ever come before Our People.- “NONE”! – Especially the anti-American Globalist $BANKsters & WALLsters. – - No where in the CONSTITUTION does it read:- ‘we-the-bankers’, – nor ‘we-the-corporations’. – So what is going on with Our elected officials? – This ‘turn-coat’ attitude has to END! — WE-the-People must remove,- VOTE OUT, these Traitors,- both RED & BLUE!! — Not only are Our most suffering Citizens being un-heard, un-cared about, and un-Represented,– but They are also being denied their’ CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS & Sovereign Citizen Protections. — CONGRESS should be ashamed. — Our Founding Father’s would be so disgusted at the ‘turn-coat’ attitude of Our Federal Government. – Today, the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial,- all hold Corporations above WE-the-People!!! — jward52 –p.s.-(a COLA of at least 50% is over due)
I have Early Onset Dystonia Muscular Deformity, I agree with this article to the point that some people who Have disabilities can’t earn a lot of money monthly in fear of losing their government benefits. People may just want to be productive, instead of losing everything they have from the government, working for less is their only choice.
This topic should really concern the whole community. How can a senator have a congressional hearing on a law allowing workers with disabilities to be paid less than minimum wage? The change should concern everybody. How statisticians can calculate how many people will be disable? Who will be disable in our community? The truth is that the slower pace will never find a job and the Vocational Rehabilitation will never find a job for these types of situations.
The community of People with Disabilities will be challenge with the financial economical situation on the United States. Not only will our services be sacrifice but our wages too.
EVERYONE HAS THE RIGHT TO LIVE A GOOD QUALITY OF LIFE! NO ONE SHOULD BE LIVING IN POVERTY ESPECIALLY IN NORTH AMERICA!
As I have mentioned in countless other posts, the practice of subminimum wage is not only shameful, but it embodies the idea of discrimination. Sure these individuals are “willing” to accept these wages because for many people with disabilities, this is the only means of achieving any employment whatsoever! But all too often they find themselves doing meaningless and menial tasks for hours on end and in some of these sheltered workshops, they work right beside (less productive) “normal” workers who are doing the exact same tasks at rates that are up to 6times as high per hour. Even more despicable is the fact that these high earning corporations are getting huge government kickbacks for having hired people with disabilities and the workshops they work out of also get incentives to keep people with disabilities in the workshops. Also, people with disabilities should not have to worry about losing their entitlements (which are notably insufficient) based on earning regular wages, especially since it is extremely difficult to live off of these to begin with. When you compare an SSI/SSDI recipients annual income to that of a person recieving minimum wage, it doesn’t even come close, especially if you take into consideration other expenses that many of us would not incur without having a disability. These acts are criminal any way you look at it and if all of us are going to benefit off the subminimum-wage people with disabilities, than we all need to defend their right to be paid appropriately. Not a single one of us would stand for being paid double what they make, so we should not expect them to either. The only difference between “them’ and “us” is that many of “them” do not have the opportunity to be heard by a system that has historically allowed them to be placed beneath the rest of society.