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<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>From:</span></font></b><font size=2
face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'> Freeh, Jessica
[mailto:JFreeh@nfb.org] <br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Thursday, September 20, 2012
4:11 PM<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> Adelmo Vigil; State President,
Puerto Rico; State President, Nebraska; State President, Connecticut; State
President, Arizona; State President, New York; State President, Kentucky;
Charlene Smyth; State President, New Mexico; State President, Montana; State
President, Kansas; State President, North Dakota; State President, Idaho; Frank
Lee; State President, Vermont; Schroeder, Fred; State President, North
Carolina; State President, Missouri; J.W. Smith; State President, Pennsylvania;
State President, Minnesota; State President, New Jersey; John Batron; State
President, Wisconsin; Joyce Scanlan; State President, Wyoming; Ken Rollman;
Kimberly Flores; State President, California; State President, Maryland; State
President, Iowa; State President, Washington; State President, Hawaii; State
President, Louisiana; State President, South Carolina; State President,
Illinois; Brown, Ron; State President, Mississippi; State President, Colorado;
State President, Alabama; State President, Alaska; State President, Arkansas;
State President, Delaware; State President, District of Columbia; State
President, Florida; State President, Georgia; State President, Maine; State
President, Massachusetts; State President, Michigan; State President, Nevada; State
President, New Hampshire; State President, Oklahoma; State President, Rhode
Island; State President, Tennessee; State President, Utah<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> National Federation of
the Blind Applauds Ruling Requiring Equal Pay for Disabled Workers</span></font><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face=Helvetica><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Helvetica><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-weight:bold'>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Helvetica><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face=Helvetica><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-weight:bold'>CONTACT:<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Helvetica><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Chris
Danielsen<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Helvetica><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Director
of Public Relations<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Helvetica><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>National
Federation of the Blind<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Helvetica><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>(410)
659-9314, extension 2330<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Helvetica><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>(410)
262-1281 (Cell)<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Helvetica><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><a
href="mailto:cdanielsen@nfb.org">cdanielsen@nfb.org</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<h1 align=center style='text-align:center'><b><font size=4 color=black
face=Arial><span style='font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Arial;
color:windowtext'>National Federation of the Blind Applauds Ruling<br>
Requiring Equal Pay for Disabled Workers<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></h1>
<h2 align=center style='text-align:center'><b><i><font size=3 color=black
face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Arial;
color:windowtext;font-style:italic'>$1.3 Million in Back Pay and Other Damages
Awarded<o:p></o:p></span></font></i></b></h2>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face=Helvetica><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><b><font size=3 face=Helvetica><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>Baltimore, Maryland (September 20,
2012): </span></font></b><a href="http://www.nfb.org"><font size=3><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>The National Federation of the Blind</span></font></a><font
size=3><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>, the nation’s leading advocate for
</span></font><a href="http://www.nfb.org/fair-wages"><font size=3><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>fair wages for workers with disabilities</span></font></a><font
size=3><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>, today applauded a recent ruling by the
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, Davenport Division,
finding that a turkey processing service violated the Americans with
Disabilities Act by paying its disabled employees less than federal and state
minimum wages. The ruling in Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v.
Hill Country Farms, Inc. d/b/a Henry’s Turkey Services (Case number: </span></font><font
size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial'>No.
3-11-cv-41-CRW-TJS)</span></font><font size=3><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>
found that the defendant had </span></font><font size=3 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial'>“engaged in unlawful and
discriminatory pay practices in violation of the Americans with Disabilities
Act,” and awarded the workers $1.3 million in back pay and other damages.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Helvetica><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face=Helvetica><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><a
href="http://www.nfb.org/marc-maurer-bio"><font size=3><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Dr. Marc Maurer</span></font></a></span></font><font size=3><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>, President of the </span></font><a
href="http://www.facebook.com/NationalFederationoftheBlind"><font size=3><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>National Federation of the Blind</span></font></a><font
size=3><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>, said: “We have long contended
that the antiquated practice of paying workers with disabilities less than the
minimum wage is discriminatory and out of step with the enlightened view of the
capacity of workers with disabilities reflected in statutes like the Americans
with Disabilities Act. For this reason, we are calling for </span></font><a
href="https://www.nfb.org/images/nfb/documents/pdf/fair-wagesforworkers-2012.pdf"><font
size=3><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>the repeal of Section 14(c) of the Fair
Labor Standards Act,</span></font></a><font size=3><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>
which, based on the fallacy that workers with disabilities are not productive,
authorizes the payment of subminimum wages to workers with disabilities.
This ruling, in a case with facts that ought to shock the conscience of every
American, makes it clear that a labor practice dating from the 1930s is
fundamentally irreconcilable with modern laws prohibiting discrimination
against workers with disabilities. We hope that the United States
Congress will soon update the nation’s statutes by phasing out Section
14(c) so that no employer can ever again engage in such unconscionable
discrimination.”<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Helvetica><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><font size=3
face=Helvetica><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><font size=3
face=Helvetica><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>###<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face=Helvetica><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face=Helvetica><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'>About the National Federation of the Blind<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>With more than 50,000 members, the National Federation of
the Blind is the largest and most influential membership organization of blind
people in the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">United States</st1:place></st1:country-region>. The
NFB improves blind people’s lives through advocacy, education, research,
technology, and programs encouraging independence and self-confidence. It
is the leading force in the blindness field today and the voice of the nation's
blind. In January 2004 the NFB opened the National Federation of the
Blind Jernigan Institute, the first research and training center in the <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">United States</st1:place></st1:country-region>
for the blind led by the blind. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face=Helvetica><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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