[nabs-l] A Ridiculous Question

[Lewis, Anil]

Chris:

Thank you.   I sincerely hope that everyone shares it via email, Facebook, Twitter, and any other social media.

Anil

Mr. Anil Lewis, M.P.A.
Director of Advocacy and Policy
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
(410) 659-9314 ext. 2374 (Voice)
twitter: @anillife

-----Original Message-----
From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Chris Nusbaum
Sent: Thursday, January 2, 2014 8:34 PM
To: 'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] A Ridiculous Question

Anil,

Great appeal to the public mind regarding subminimum wages. Well done. I
will be sure to share this with my sighted friends and colleagues.

Chris Nusbaum



-----Original Message-----
From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Lewis, Anil
Sent: Thursday, January 02, 2014 11:52 AM
To: Affiliate Presidents (state-affiliate-leadership-list at nfbnet.org);
nfb-legislative-directors at nfbnet.org
Cc: NABS List (nabs-l at nfbnet.org); NFB Chapter Presidents discussion list
(chapter-presidents at nfbnet.org)
Subject: [nabs-l] A Ridiculous Question

A Ridiculous Question
Submitted by alewis on Thu, 01/02/2014 - 11:32 Blog Date:
Thursday, January 2, 2014
By Anil Lewis
https://nfb.org/blog/vonb-blog/ridiculous-question


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.
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.
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.
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.
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?"
For more information, visit http://www.nfb.org/fair-wages.


Mr. Anil Lewis, M.P.A.
Director of Advocacy and Policy

"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
Web: www.nfb.org
twitter: @anillife

_______________________________________________
nabs-l mailing list
nabs-l at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
nabs-l:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/dotkid.nusbaum%40gmail.c
om


_______________________________________________
nabs-l mailing list
nabs-l at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for nabs-l:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/alewis%40nfb.org