[nabs-l] Fwd: [Nfbnet-members-list] Fwd: National Federation of theBlind Urges Boycott of Goodwill Industries

[Sophie Trist]

I forwarded it to a lot of my offlist, non-blind contacts in 
hopes that they will take up the boycott as well. We need to 
spread this!

 ----- Original Message -----
From: "Stephanie H. DeLuca" <sjhhirst at gmail.com
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>,Elizabeth Dong <elizdong at gmail.com>, Thuy 
Tuong Nguyen <tweety.86 at gmail.com>,Kristian Kaufmann 
<khanyisokaufmann at gmail.com>, Meryl Harsadi 
<mharsadi at gmail.com>,Julia Koehler 
<julia.koehler at vanderbilt.edu>, Mom <laurie.lk at hotmail.com>, 
Alice DeLuca <alice at solynx.com
Date sent: Fri, 8 Jun 2012 10:22:29 -0500
Subject: [nabs-l] Fwd: [Nfbnet-members-list] Fwd: National 
Federation of theBlind Urges Boycott of Goodwill Industries

So this is interesting....

In the field of observation, chance favors only the prepared 
mind.
    ~Louis Pasteur, lecture 1854


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: David Andrews <dandrews at visi.com
Date: Thu, Jun 7, 2012 at 11:37 PM
Subject: [Nfbnet-members-list] Fwd: National Federation of the 
Blind Urges
Boycott of Goodwill Industries
To: nfbnet-members-list at nfbnet.org



*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
*


*CONTACT:
*
Chris Danielsen

Director of Public Relations

National Federation of the Blind
(410) 659-9314, extension 2330
(410) 262-1281(Cell)
cdanielsen at nfb.org



*National Federation of the Blind Urges Boycott of Goodwill 
Industries*


*Condemns Practice of Paying Subminimum Wages to Workers with 
Disabilities*



*Baltimore, Maryland (June 7, 2012):* The National Federation of 
the
Blind<http://www.nfb.org/>(NFB), one of the oldest and largest
organizations of Americans with
disabilities, today called for a boycott of Goodwill Industries
International, Inc., the nonprofit manufacturer and retailer, for 
its
payment of subminimum wages to many of its workers with 
disabilities.
Freedom of information requests filed by the NFB confirmed that 
Goodwill
Industries employees have been paid as low as $1.44 an hour.  The 
NFB and over
forty-five other
organizations<http://nfb.org/Images/nfb/documents/word/HR_3086_Su
pport_List_2.doc>support
legislation, the Fair
Wages for Workers with Disabilities
Act<http://nfb.org/Images/nfb/SI/Fair%20Wages%20for%20Workers%202
012.pdf>(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<http://www.dol.gov/whd/specialemployment/CRPlist.htm>to 
pay
subminimum wages to workers with disabilities.



Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the
Blind<http://www.twitter.com/nfb_voice>,
said: “Goodwill Industries is one of the most well-known and 
lucrative
charitable organizations in the United States, yet it chooses to 
pay its
workers with disabilities less than the federal minimum wage.  
While this
practice is currently legal and many entities engage in it, many 
other
nonprofit organizations have successfully transitioned to paying 
their
employees the minimum wage or higher.  That Goodwill Industries 
exploits
many of its workers in this way is ironic, because its president 
and chief
executive officer is blind.  Goodwill cannot credibly argue that 
workers
with disabilities are incapable of doing productive work while 
paying its
blind CEO over half a million dollars a year.  Goodwill should be 
ashamed
of such blatant hypocrisy.   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 its workers with disabilities.”



For more information on this critically important issue, please 
visit
www.nfb.org/fairwages.





*###
*

*
*

*
*
*About the National Federation of the Blind
*


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
United States.   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 United States for the blind led by the 
blind.

*
*






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