[nfb-talk] My reasons for reconsideration of joining the NFB, please read.

Michael D. Barber michael.nfbi at gmail.com
Sun Jul 15 20:13:23 UTC 2012


Mike:  As a former member of ACB, I certainly sympathize and understand your
views.  I encourage you to go  the NFB site and study it carefully.  Read
the Braille Monitors, find and listen to past banquet speeches by both Dr.
Jernigan and Dr. Maurer, and find out who the state president is in your
state   and contact him/her immediately and indicate your interest.  As soon
as you locate a chapter in your area, please start attending the monthly
meetings and get active and learn all you can.  You will never regret
joining our organization, just as I've never regretted my decision to come
back to NFB years ago.
We're delighted to have you in our organization. Please let me know if
there's anything at all I can do to help you.


Cordially,
Michael D. Barber, President
National Federation of the Blind of Iowa
nfbiowa at qwestoffice.net

-----Original Message-----
From: nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Michael Capelle
Sent: Sunday, July 15, 2012 1:54 PM
To: nfb-talk at nfbnet.org
Subject: [nfb-talk] My reasons for reconsideration of joining the NFB,
please read.

Hello.
This is going to be a long post, and a lot of heads will turn, I'm sure.
For many years, a lot of people will know, that I was heavilly involved in
the American Council of the Blind, (ACB). Well, this years convention
definitely decided for me, read on, and you will find out why. Now, before I
continue, I want everyone to remember, that I'm not trying to bash ACB, just
speaking my opinion. First of all, the biggest complaint I had, was I felt
the conference/convention was very disorganized. The roll call of states,
seemed very disorganized, and honestly, the "fat" 
jokes were getting very old. Then, on monday, the door prize people were not
even ready, to hand out door prizes. I just felt it was not good as in
previous years. Now, on to the biggest complaint. as some of you know, we
are in the process of passing a bill, for the subminimum wages. 
Basically, making it illegal to pay blind persons less money then their
sighted colleagues. The following information, below, is taken from the
publication. The NFB, (national Federation of the Blind) definitely supports
this, and so do I, again, see below.
Voice of the Nation's Blind
National Federation of the Blind Logo
Marc Maurer, President
200 East Wells Street
at Jernigan Place
Baltimore, MD 21230
Phone 410 659 9314 Fax 410 685 5653
www.nfb.org
The Fair Wages for Workers with Disabilities Act of 2011 H.R. 3086 Disabled
workers have been unfairly excluded from the federal minimum wage for 74
years, and today over 300,000 disabled workers are working for subminimum
wages.
Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) discriminates against
people with disabilities. This section allows the Secretary of Labor to
grant special wage certificates to employers, permitting them to pay their
workers with disabilities less than the minimum wage, often in sheltered
work environments. In some instances disabled workers are being paid pennies
per hour.
This discrimination is rooted in low expectations based on misconceptions
about the capabilities of disabled people. The law falsely implies that
people with disabilities cannot be productive employees, and subminimum wage
employers prey on society's misconception that disabled people are incapable
of being competitively employed. In reality, when provided the proper
rehabilitation training and tools, workers with disabilities can be
productive and financially independent.
Subminimum wage supports an outdated business model that fosters the
underemployment of workers with disabilities. Section 14(c) was only to be
used "to the extent necessary to prevent curtailment of opportunities" for
employment of people with disabilities. Instead, subminimum-wage sheltered
workshops have eroded into day custody centers, limiting opportunities for
workers with disabilities ever to transition into integrated, competitive
work. These institutions instill a philosophy of incapacity, which becomes a
self-fulfilling prophecy resulting in long-term underemployment.
The sheltered work system is a cash cow for the subminimum wage employer.
Many employers insist that paying the minimum wage to disabled employees
would result in lack of profitability and a reduction in their workforce,
but most benefit from philanthropic donations, preferred status when bidding
on federal contracts, and federal funding. Moreover, while their disabled
workers receive subminimum wages that are subsidized by Social Security and
public assistance, some workshop executives are earning salaries far above
industry norms. The economics overwhelmingly favor subminimum wage
employers, encouraging the perpetuation of subminimum wage employment and
leaving workers with disabilities little to no choice for real employment.
The Fair Wages for Workers with Disabilities Act of 2011:
Discontinues the practice of issuing special wage certificates. The
secretary of labor will no longer issue special wage certificates to new
applicants.
Phases out all remaining special wage certificates over a 3-year period. 
Entities currently holding special wage certificates will begin compensating
their workers with disabilities at no less than the federal minimum wage,
using the following schedule:
.
private for-profit entities' certificates will be revoked after 1 year; .
public or governmental entities' certificates will be revoked after 2 years;
and . non-profit entities' certificates will be revoked after 3 years.
Repeals Section14(c) of the FLSA. Three years after the law is enacted, the
practice of paying disabled workers subminimum wage will be officially
abolished, and workers with disabilities will no longer be excluded from the
workforce protection of a federal minimum wage.
STOP THE DISCRIMINATION
PROMOTE EQUAL WORK FOR EQUAL PAY
Cosponsor the Fair Wages for Workers with Disabilities Act H.R. 3086 For
more information contact:
Anil Lewis, Director of Strategic Communications National Federation of the
Blind
Phone: (410) 659-9314, Extension 2374 E-mail: alewis at nfb.org To cosponsor
the bill, contact:
James Thomas in Congressman Cliff Stearns's office
Phone: (202) 225-5744 E-mail: james.thomas at mail.house.gov
-OR-
Tim Powers in Congressman Tim Bishop's office
Phone: (202) 225-3826 E-mail: tim.powers at mail.house.gov Voice of the
Nation's Blind Now, when this was taken up at the ACB's convention, there
was a "do not pass" recommendation. It went through. This made me very
upset, and proves, that in my opinion, ACB does not care about the future of
the BLIND. Therefore, I've decided to give the NFB another try, once I can
afford to, I will pay my dues, to join NFB.
Thanks for reading.
Mike.


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