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<DIV>Justin, I am in agreeance with you both of this discrimination still
occurs.You are saying to amke calls nd write should do to all being
senators and local too. Thank you for putting this out for us all to
see.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>In a message dated 1/4/2014 7:20:2Elizabeth2 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
PRESIDENT@alumni.ecu.edu writes:</DIV>
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<H1><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt">A Ridiculous Question<o:p></o:p></SPAN></H1>
<P class=MsoNormal style="LINE-HEIGHT: 18pt"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; COLOR: #333333'>Submitted
by <SPAN class=username>alewis</SPAN> on Thu, 01/02/2014 - 11:32
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="LINE-HEIGHT: 18pt"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; COLOR: #333333'>Blog
Date: <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="LINE-HEIGHT: 18pt"><SPAN
class=date-display-single><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; COLOR: #333333'>Thursday,
January 2, 2014</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; COLOR: #333333'><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 0in; LINE-HEIGHT: 18pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0in; mso-margin-top-alt: 12.0pt"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; COLOR: #333333'>By
Anil Lewis<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 0in; LINE-HEIGHT: 18pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0in; mso-margin-top-alt: 12.0pt"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; COLOR: #333333'><A
title=https://nfb.org/blog/vonb-blog/ridiculous-question
href="https://nfb.org/blog/vonb-blog/ridiculous-question">https://nfb.org/blog/vonb-blog/ridiculous-question</A><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 0in; LINE-HEIGHT: 18pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0in; mso-margin-top-alt: 12.0pt"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; COLOR: #333333'><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 0in; LINE-HEIGHT: 18pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0in; mso-margin-top-alt: 12.0pt"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; COLOR: #333333'><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 0in; LINE-HEIGHT: 18pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0in; mso-margin-top-alt: 12.0pt"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; COLOR: #333333'>So
you go to work tomorrow, and it is pay day. You receive a paycheck for $15.00
for two weeks of work. You speak to your supervisor, and you are informed that
the company has switched to a new payroll model based on a new law, Section D
(9) (u), that calculates wages based on a new commensurate wage formula. This
new formula is only used to calculate the wages paid to you and others like
you. Although you are as productive as the other employees, no one else but
you and others like you are subjected to this new wage formula, especially not
management or the company executives. In fact, the executives are now
receiving six-figure salaries as a result of the cost savings created by the
new wage structure for workers like you. You complain, to no avail. Managers
attempt to convince you that this new structure still offers you the ability
to receive the tangible and intangible benefits of work. After all, it is not
about the money, it is about fulfillment.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 0in; LINE-HEIGHT: 18pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0in; mso-margin-top-alt: 12.0pt"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; COLOR: #333333'>This
is not acceptable to you, so you seek vocational training that allows you to
be a more productive employee. You go to a section D(9)(u) vocational training
program that claims to be the best training program for people like you. This
community training program is operated in a sheltered, segregated environment
comprised of other people like you. The program assists you in developing the
work and interpersonal skills necessary to be a competitive employee. They
focus on teaching you real-world job skills like how to fold letters, stuff
envelopes, sort hangers, hang clothes, and screw caps on pens. Although none
of these tasks match your unique skills, talents, abilities or interests, it
is what the training program has to offer. If there are no letters to be
folded, envelopes to be stuffed, hangers to be sorted, or pens to be capped,
the program offers you the opportunity to play video games, play cards, read
books, or sleep.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 0in; LINE-HEIGHT: 18pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0in; mso-margin-top-alt: 12.0pt"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; COLOR: #333333'>The
section D(9)(u) program costs more than other conventional training programs,
but it is subsidized with public funds and operates as a charitable 501(c)(3)
organization. The program has a competitive employment placement rate of less
than 5 percent and therefore, most of the workers spend their entire
vocational existence in this “training” program. Even though the program has
no measureable positive impact on improving the employment of people like you,
the marketing team is successful in their efforts of convincing public policy
makers and philanthropic funding sources to feel that this is the best
employment strategy for people like you.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 0in; LINE-HEIGHT: 18pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0in; mso-margin-top-alt: 12.0pt"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; COLOR: #333333'>It
is obvious that this new policy is denying you the opportunity to reach your
full vocational potential, while endorsing incompetent training programs and
substandard employers. You want this policy repealed and you want the same
workplace and wage protections as every other employee.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 0in; LINE-HEIGHT: 18pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0in; mso-margin-top-alt: 12.0pt"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; COLOR: #333333'>Okay,
there is no Section D(9)(u) that exempts you from receiving equal wage
protections, but there is a Section 14(c ) of the Fair Labor Standards Act
(FLSA) that exempts people like me from being guaranteed the federal minimum
wage. So my question is, “Why is this type of discriminatory policy not so
ridiculous when it applies to people like me?”<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 0in; LINE-HEIGHT: 18pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0in; mso-margin-top-alt: 12.0pt"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; COLOR: #333333'>For
more information, visit <A title=http://www.nfb.org/fair-wages
href="http://www.nfb.org/fair-wages">http://www.nfb.org/fair-wages</A>.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal>Mr. Anil Lewis, M.P.A.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal>Director of Advocacy and Policy<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal>“Eliminating Subminimum Wages for People with Disabilities”
<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><A title=http://www.nfb.org/fairwages
href="http://www.nfb.org/fairwages">http://www.nfb.org/fairwages</A><o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal>NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal>200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal>Baltimore, Maryland 21230<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal>(410) 659-9314 ext. 2374 (Voice)<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal>(410) 685-5653 (FAX)<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal>Email: <A title=mailto:alewis@nfb.org
href="mailto:alewis@nfb.org">alewis@nfb.org</A><o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal>Web: <A title=http://www.nfb.org/
href="http://www.nfb.org/">www.nfb.org</A><o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal>twitter: @anillife <o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></P></DIV><BR><BR>_______________________________________________<BR>Ct-nfb
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