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In an ironic twist, some of the the employers who take advantage of this law--such as Goodwill Industries--have built their reputations on helping the 'needy.'
The 1938 law allows employers to petition the U.S. Department of Labor to pay disabled workers below minimum wage if the employer claims the worker's 'productive capacity is impaired' by disability.
The petition declares that employers can pay 'special minimum wages' to people with disabilities that include 'blindness, mental illness, mental retardation, cerebral palsy, alcoholism and drug addiction'.
There is no set minimum for this 'special minimum wage': if the petition is granted, employers can pay as little as they want.
A majority of those who petition for low wages are nonprofit organizations. However, a public list shows that the number of for-profit businesses that pay disabled people below minimum wage is not small and includes big names such as Ramada Inn, Holiday Inn, McDonald's, and 7 Eleven. High Schools and universities are also numbered among institutions that petition to suppress wages for disabled people
The result? Some disabled workers make as little as 22, 38, and 41 cents per hour.
NBCreports that disabled Goodwill employees are outraged at what they call a civil rights disaster at the hands of an employer that is not short on money:
"If they really do pay the CEO of Goodwill three-quarters of a million dollars, they certainly can pay me more than they're paying," said Harold Leigland, who is legally blind and hangs clothes at a Goodwill in Great Falls, Montana for less than minimum wage.
"It's a question of civil rights," added his wife, Sheila, blind from birth, who quit her job at the same Goodwill store when her already low wage was cut further. "I feel like a second-class citizen. And I hate it."
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Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
In an ironic twist, some of the the employers who take advantage of this law--such as Goodwill Industries--have built their reputations on helping the 'needy.'
The 1938 law allows employers to petition the U.S. Department of Labor to pay disabled workers below minimum wage if the employer claims the worker's 'productive capacity is impaired' by disability.
The petition declares that employers can pay 'special minimum wages' to people with disabilities that include 'blindness, mental illness, mental retardation, cerebral palsy, alcoholism and drug addiction'.
There is no set minimum for this 'special minimum wage': if the petition is granted, employers can pay as little as they want.
A majority of those who petition for low wages are nonprofit organizations. However, a public list shows that the number of for-profit businesses that pay disabled people below minimum wage is not small and includes big names such as Ramada Inn, Holiday Inn, McDonald's, and 7 Eleven. High Schools and universities are also numbered among institutions that petition to suppress wages for disabled people
The result? Some disabled workers make as little as 22, 38, and 41 cents per hour.
NBCreports that disabled Goodwill employees are outraged at what they call a civil rights disaster at the hands of an employer that is not short on money:
"If they really do pay the CEO of Goodwill three-quarters of a million dollars, they certainly can pay me more than they're paying," said Harold Leigland, who is legally blind and hangs clothes at a Goodwill in Great Falls, Montana for less than minimum wage.
"It's a question of civil rights," added his wife, Sheila, blind from birth, who quit her job at the same Goodwill store when her already low wage was cut further. "I feel like a second-class citizen. And I hate it."
_____________________
In an ironic twist, some of the the employers who take advantage of this law--such as Goodwill Industries--have built their reputations on helping the 'needy.'
The 1938 law allows employers to petition the U.S. Department of Labor to pay disabled workers below minimum wage if the employer claims the worker's 'productive capacity is impaired' by disability.
The petition declares that employers can pay 'special minimum wages' to people with disabilities that include 'blindness, mental illness, mental retardation, cerebral palsy, alcoholism and drug addiction'.
There is no set minimum for this 'special minimum wage': if the petition is granted, employers can pay as little as they want.
A majority of those who petition for low wages are nonprofit organizations. However, a public list shows that the number of for-profit businesses that pay disabled people below minimum wage is not small and includes big names such as Ramada Inn, Holiday Inn, McDonald's, and 7 Eleven. High Schools and universities are also numbered among institutions that petition to suppress wages for disabled people
The result? Some disabled workers make as little as 22, 38, and 41 cents per hour.
NBCreports that disabled Goodwill employees are outraged at what they call a civil rights disaster at the hands of an employer that is not short on money:
"If they really do pay the CEO of Goodwill three-quarters of a million dollars, they certainly can pay me more than they're paying," said Harold Leigland, who is legally blind and hangs clothes at a Goodwill in Great Falls, Montana for less than minimum wage.
"It's a question of civil rights," added his wife, Sheila, blind from birth, who quit her job at the same Goodwill store when her already low wage was cut further. "I feel like a second-class citizen. And I hate it."
_____________________