[Colorado-talk] Final Goodwill Protest Press Release

[Scott C. LaBarre]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

CONTACT:

Scott C. LaBarre

President

National Federation of the Blind of Colorado

(303) 504-5979 (office)

(303) 520-3584 (cell)

slabarre at labarrelaw.com

 

Coloradans with Disabilities to Protest Goodwill's payment of Subminimum
Wages

 

Protesters to Urge Boycott, Demand Fair Wages

 

Denver, Colorado (August 25, 2012): The National Federation of the Blind
(NFB), of Colorado, the state's oldest and largest organization of the
blind, announced that it, along with affiliates of the Federation all over
the nation and other organizations of people with disabilities, will conduct
over eighty coordinated nationwide protests today in front of thrift stores
operated by Goodwill Industries International, Inc., the nonprofit
manufacturer and retailer.  NFB Colorado will conduct two informational
protests in front of the Goodwill stores located at 21 S. Broadway, Denver
and 2007 S. Circle Drive, Colorado Springs, today Saturday, August 25th from
11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.  The informational protests will raise awareness of
Goodwill's practice of paying subminimum wages to many of its workers with
disabilities.  Freedom of information requests filed by the NFB confirmed
that Goodwill Industries employees with disabilities have been paid as low
as $0.22 an hour.  The NFB and nearly fifty other organizations of people
with disabilities including the Colorado Cross Disability Coalition support
legislation, the Fair Wages For Workers with Disabilities Act (H.R. 3086),
which would phase out and then repeal the nearly seventy-five-year-old
provision of the Fair Labor Standards Act that permits special certificate
holders to pay subminimum wages to workers with disabilities.    

Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said:
"Goodwill Industries is one of the most well-known charitable organizations
in the United States, but most members of the general public are unaware
that Goodwill exploits people with disabilities.  We are conducting
informational protests to make the public aware of this practice that,
although sadly still legal, is unfair, discriminatory, and immoral.  Given
its lucrative retail operations and the fact that it can lavish
half-a-million dollars on the salary of its president and chief executive
officer, Goodwill is certainly in a position to stop exploiting its workers
with disabilities.  We are calling upon all Americans to refuse to do
business with Goodwill Industries, to refuse to make donations to the
subminimum-wage exploiter, and to refuse to shop in its retail stores until
it exercises true leadership and sound moral judgment by fairly compensating
all of its workers with disabilities."

"Locally, we have called upon Goodwill organizations in Colorado to abandon
the unfair and immoral practice of paying subminimum wages but they refuse,"
said Scott LaBarre, President of the National Federation of the Blind of
Colorado.  In fact, both Goodwill organizations in Colorado have confirmed
that over 100 of its workers with disabilities receive less than the minimum
wage.  In contrast, the two chief executives of these organizations earn
salaries and benefits of several hundred thousand dollars each.  "The CEO of
the Denver based Goodwill, Jesse Wolf, has met with us and agreed to engage
in a dialogue with the Federation to consider reforms to these antiquated
wage practices, but the CEO of Goodwill based in Colorado Springs has
shockingly and recklessly refused even to meet with us," commented LaBarre. 

 

For a media contact for the Denver protest, contact James Gashel, Secretary
of the National Federation of the Blind, at  <mailto:jgashel at comcast.net>
jgashel at comcast.net and 720 295-7401.  For a media contact at the Colorado
Springs protest, contact Scott LaBarre at  <mailto:slabarre at labarrelaw.com>
slabarre at labarrelaw.com and 303 520-3584.  For more background regarding
this critically important issue, please visit
<http://www.nfb.org/fair-wages> www.nfb.org/fair-wages and to learn about
the Federation in Colorado, go to  <http://www.nfbco.org> www.nfbco.org.