[NFBWATLK] Article: Seattle to close minimum wage loophole for disabled workers, Bellingham Herald, July 27, 2017

Nightingale, Noel Noel.Nightingale at ed.gov
Mon Jul 31 17:53:48 UTC 2017



http://www.bellinghamherald.com/news/business/national-business/article163903508.html



Seattle to close minimum wage loophole for disabled workers

The Bellingham Herald

July 27, 2017



Seattle officials want to make sure workers with disabilities benefit from the city's $15-an-hour minimum wage law.



The Seattle Times reports (https://goo.gl/HnMuot ) that Mayor Ed Murray and Councilwoman Lisa Herbold announced a proposal Wednesday to close a loophole that allows employers to pay some workers with disabilities less than minimum wage. The measure would eliminate the use of special certificates allowing companies to pay subminimum wages.



The mayor's office says the city's Office of Labor Standards will begin rule revisions this month, with a council vote expected before the end of the year.



Herbold calls the subminimum wages "an outdated practice" that devalues the employee receiving them. She says there are few certificates issued to employers right now, making it the "perfect time to end this practice."




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