[nabs-l] Goodwill Informational Protest

[Lewis, Anil]

Goodwill Informational Protest

Taking Our Fight for Fair Wages to the Streets


Where:                 Goodwill Thrift Store Locations Around the Country
Date:                     August 25, 2012
Time:                    11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Local Time

This is an informational protest.  Our purpose is to promote public awareness of the unfair, discriminatory, and immoral practice of paying subminimum wages to workers with disabilities.  Goodwill is a household name, but most households do not realize that Goodwill is one of the many employers that pay less than the federal minimum wage to their workers with disabilities.  In order to effect a change in this policy, we are urging people not to shop at thrift stores affiliated with Goodwill Industries International and/or donate goods to Goodwill until they adopt a policy to pay at least the federal minimum wage to all of their workers with disabilities.  Signs will be used to attract attention and informational flyers will be distributed to the general public.

We are aware that some Goodwill-affiliated agencies pay their workers the minimum wage, and others have chosen to limit the vocational potential of these individuals by paying them pennies per hour.  The agencies that value their employees with disabilities by paying at least the federal minimum wage are setting an example for the others to follow, and they can provide the technical assistance necessary for the others to adopt a similar business model that pays a competitive wage to every employee.  As a result, Goodwill is in a better position than most to assist in bringing this discriminatory practice to an end.

We are setting up informational protests at Goodwill Thrift Store locations across the country.  The protests will occur between the hours of 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. local time.  The following website can be accessed to find local Goodwill Thrift Store locations: http://locator.goodwill.org.  A larger protest makes a better media presentation.  More protest sites provide greater direct public awareness.

One Goodwill Protest Site Location form should be completed for each protest site.  A form is attached and will be available for download at: www.nfb.org/fairwages<http://www.nfb.org/fairwages>.  All completed forms and emailed request should be sent to alewis at nfb.org<mailto:alewis at nfb.org>.

Protest signs will be provided when requested.  All orders for signs must be submitted by August 20 to ensure they will be received in time for the protest.  Remember that only the signs will be provided.  Site Coordinator should obtain a four-foot length of 2-inches-wide by 1-inch-thick lumber that will be needed to support each sign.  A staple gun should be used to attach the lumber between two signs so that the sign can be read from either side.

Informational flyers will be available for download shortly before the protest date from www.nfb.org/fairwages<http://www.nfb.org/fairwages>.

Each site will have a Media Contact responsible for dealing with inquiries from the local media.  Of course, our national staff will be available to assist with this effort.  A national press release about the protest will be issued prior to the event, and a template to develop a local press release will be distributed and made available upon request.  We will also distribute talking points that can be used by a local spokesperson when interacting with the media.

We will be taking our fight for fair wages to the cyber streets as well.  We encourage everyone to take advantage of social media to spread the word about the protests.  Twitter users should Use the twitter hash tag #fairwages and the Goodwill twitter handle of @goodwillintl to post about local protests, and Facebook users should Post comments to Goodwill's Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/GoodwillIntl.

Sincerely,

Mr. Anil Lewis, M.P.A.
Director of Strategic Communications

"Eliminating Subminimum Wages for People with Disabilities"
http://www.nfb.org/fairwages

NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place
Baltimore, Maryland   21230

(410) 659-9314 ext. 2374 (Voice)
(410) 685-5653 (FAX)
Email: alewis at nfb.org<mailto:alewis at nfb.org>
Web: www.nfb.org<http://www.nfb.org>
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