[Nfbnet-members-list] Language to End Subminimum Wages Included in New Minimum Wage Bill

Fri May 26 00:28:05 UTC 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:

Chris Danielsen

Director of Public Relations

National Federation of the Blind

(410) 659-9314, extension 2330

(410) 262-1281 (Cell)

<mailto:cdanielsen at nfb.org>cdanielsen at nfb.org

Language to End Subminimum Wages Included in New Minimum Wage Bill

Baltimore, Maryland (May 25, 2017): The National Federation of the 
Blind today applauded the inclusion of language in the Raise the Wage 
Act of 2017, simultaneously introduced in the House and the Senate, 
which calls for the end of the payment of subminimum wages to workers 
with disabilities.

Mark A. Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind, 
said: "The National Federation of the Blind has advocated for the 
elimination of the subminimum wage since our founding. The 
recognition of this issue by leaders in both houses of Congress and 
both parties confirms that the time has long passed to eliminate the 
unfair and separate wage system for people with disabilities. Time 
and time again, we have demonstrated that the idea of people with 
disabilities being less productive is simply an antiquated 
misconception that has been allowed to permeate throughout society. 
This wrong and harmful notion has resulted in multiple generations of 
disabled Americans being grossly underpaid and overly reliant on 
government assistance programs to survive. We want to work. We want 
to rid society of these low expectations. For those reasons, we 
applaud the promotion of economic self-sufficiency for people with 
disabilities set forth in the bill."

Under current law, there is no minimum as to how little an employee 
with disabilities can be paid. Some workers earn pennies per hour. 
Section 6 of the Raise the Wage Act of 2017 would implement an 
immediate minimum wage of $4.25 for all workers classified under 
Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. This absolute 
minimum wage rate would increase by two dollars per year until it 
matched the minimum wage earned by the rest of the American 
workforce. At which point, employers would no longer be permitted to 
pay employees with disabilities a subminimum wage.

###

The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the 
characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise 
the expectations of blind people, because low expectations create 
obstacles between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life 
you want; blindness is not what holds you back.

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