[nfb-talk] Des Moines Register About Iowa Goodwill Protest

[Michael D. Barber]

Hello:  I want to say that we in Des Moines did everything we could to get the facts out to the public.  This reporter was given everything we could give him, including the NFB Fair Wages web site so he could obtain more facts.  
He indicated he was thinking of doing an investigative article to follow this one up, but we haven't seen it as yet.  I don't know if we will, but we're not done with this yet.
Right now, though, my efforts are being spent on our upcoming state convention as well as trying to keep theBoard of Regents from combining programs for the blind and programs at the Iowa  School for the deaf.



Cordially,
Michael D. Barber

On Sep 7, 2012, at 4:19 PM, "Rovig, Lorraine" <LRovig at nfb.org> wrote:

> Chris, I have to disagree a little with you. We in the NFB do rock but that article is written to throw rocks, lots of rocks right at us. The article states in the second sentence: "... the National Federation of the Blind of Iowa braved a steady rain to voice opposition to Goodwill Industries' use of the federal provision, which allows employers to pay the disabled according to their productivity rather than at the established minimum hourly wage."  That sentence states blind workers are paid "according to their productivity" with nowhere in the article any facts on how the employers  manage conditions in their tests and in their factories to show workers at less than full productively.  Any fair-minded person reading this will think it fair to pay people who do less work a lesser salary.  The article never says that blind workers are worth minimum wage because they can work as hard, as fast, and with equal productivity as their sighted neighbors.  The article then gives us all the employer lines about employees in Goodwill moving out after training into jobs that pay at least minimum wage; and right at the end it boo-hoos about all that money Goodwill would have to pay out if it went to minimum wage.  Again, we know the employers are tossing around numbers that hide the ugly real story.  In what this reporter must think is fairness, this reporter quotes our side every now and then, but he did not dig very deep; not enough to show that what we are saying is factual.  We have more work to do in Des Moines to get the facts out, but our protest there is one of the good things that at least influences all the people passing by to start thinking.
> 
> Lorraine Rovig
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Chris Nusbaum
> Sent: Sunday, August 26, 2012 5:51 PM
> To: 'NFB Talk Mailing List'
> Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] Des Moines Register About Iowa Goodwill Protest
> 
> Hi Michael,
> 
> You all in Iowa do rock, as does our Federation as a whole!!!! I'm glad you all got some good press in the Des Moines Register! This inspires me to check the Baltimore Sun to see if our protest got any press.
> 
> Chris
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Michael D. Barber
> Sent: Sunday, August 26, 2012 10:58 AM
> To: NFB Talk Mailing List; NFB Affiliate Presidents List; NFB Chapter Presidents discussion list
> Subject: [nfb-talk] Des Moines Register About Iowa Goodwill Protest
> 
> Here's the link to an article which appeared in the Sunday edition of the Des Moines Register.  We rock!!!!
> 
> http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20120826/NEWS09/308260049/Disabled-
> worker-pay-law-assailed?News&nclick_check=1
> Cordially,
> Michael Barber, President
> National Federation of the Blind of Iowa
> 
> 
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