[NFBWATLK] Article: Seattle bans 'subminimum wages' for people with disabilities, KUOW, April 13, 2018

[Albert Sanchez]

It's about time!
Albert Sanchez
Greenville, NC
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Nightingale, Noel via NFBWATLK" <nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org>
To: <nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org>
Cc: "Nightingale, Noel" <Noel.Nightingale at ed.gov>
Sent: Tuesday, April 17, 2018 12:25 PM
Subject: [NFBWATLK] Article: Seattle bans 'subminimum wages' for people with 
disabilities, KUOW, April 13, 2018


>
>
> http://kuow.org/post/seattle-bans-subminimum-wages-people-disabilities
>
>
>
> Seattle bans 'subminimum wages' for people with disabilities
>
> KUOW
>
> April 13, 2018
>
> By Paige Browning
>
>
>
> Paying low wages to people with disabilities is no longer allowed in 
> Seattle. Seattle officials have eliminated what's known as the subminimum 
> wage, becoming one of the first cities in the nation to do so.
>
>
>
> Since 1938 the U.S. Department of Labor has allowed certain employers to 
> pay people with disabilities less than the federal minimum wage ($7.25 in 
> 2018).
>
>
>
> The Seattle City Council voted April 2 to prohibit subminimum wages by any 
> employer in the city, and today Mayor Jenny Durkan signed it into law. The 
> ban will go into effect May 13.
>
>
>
> Marcie Carpenter at the National Federation of the Blind, Washington, 
> testified to the City Council earlier this month that it was time to pay 
> all workers the minimum wage.
>
>
>
> "These kinds of laws were based on a 1930s mentality of disability: low 
> expectations, few people were educated and even fewer people worked," 
> Carpenter said.
>
>
>
> "Times have changed, there's now supported employment programs like the 
> one that the City of Seattle operates."
>
>
>
> She said the Federation of the Blind is starting to work toward banning 
> subminimum wages at the state level.
>
>
>
> The practice was intended to be an initial wage for people receiving job 
> training, but the Federation said many workers end up with lower wages for 
> years.
>
>
>
> Seattle City Councilmembers Lisa Herbold and Teresa Mosqueda worked to 
> pass the legislation.
>
> Mosqueda said in a statement: "It's already challenging to make ends meet 
> for low-wage workers living and working in Seattle, and even more so if 
> one is not afforded the right to earn at least the City's minimum wage."
>
>
>
> It's the first labor policy backed by Mosqueda to receive a unanimous vote 
> from the City Council. Mosqueda has named labor and worker's rights as 
> some of her top priorities.
>
> _______________________________________________
> NFBWATLK mailing list
> NFBWATLK at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbwatlk_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
> NFBWATLK:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbwatlk_nfbnet.org/albertsanchez%40suddenlink.net