[Nfbc-info] FW: [berkeley-disabled] Under Obama Order, Workers With Disabilities To Get Pay Hike

Eric Calhoun eric at pmpmail.com
Wed Feb 12 22:42:55 UTC 2014



Original Message: 
From: Adrienne Lauby <adrienne at sonic.net>
To: berkeley-disabled <berkeley-disabled at yahoogroups.com>,
adapt-CAL at yahoogroups.com
Subject: [berkeley-disabled] Under Obama Order, Workers With Disabilities
To Get Pay Hike
Date: 
Wed, 12 Feb 2014 09:03:41 -0800

Under Obama Order, Workers With Disabilities To Get Pay Hike
By Michelle Diament | February 12, 2014
 From Disability Scoop

An executive order requiring federal contractors to be paid at least
$10.10 per hour will apply to 
workers with disabilities too, White House officials say.

President Barack Obama plans to sign an executive order Wednesday raising
the minimum wage for 
federal contract workers, including those with disabilities employed
under service or concessions 
contracts with the government.

The move represents an about-face for the White House. When the plan to
hike pay for government 
contractors was originally announced during Obama's State of the Union
address last month, it left 
out many workers with disabilities.

Under a federal law known as Section 14(c) that dates back to the 1930s,
employers can obtain 
special permission from the U.S. Department of Labor to pay those with
disabilities less than the 
federal minimum wage, which is currently $7.25 per hour.

Obama administration officials initially said that the executive order
would not alter the ability 
of authorized employers with government contracts to pay so-called
subminimum wage. But under 
pressure from disability advocacy groups, the final version of the
executive order will now include 
such workers.

"We applaud the administration for hearing the voices of the disability
community and including 
disabled workers in the new minimum wage protections for contractors,"
said Ari Ne'eman, president 
of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, one of 25 groups that signed a
letter from the Collaboration 
to Promote Self Determination urging the White House to include workers
with disabilities.

"We hope to work with them going forward to convince Congress to repeal
Section 14(c) for all 
disabled workers," Ne'eman said. "Equal rights should apply to everyone -
President Obama and 
(Secretary of Labor Tom Perez) helped us take a significant step forward
towards realizing that 
vision today."

The increased minimum wage will apply to new federal contracts and
replacements for expiring 
agreements beginning Jan. 1, 2015, the White House said. The move is
expected to bring a pay boost 
to hundreds of thousands of workers staffing concessions at National
Parks, serving food to members 
of the military and in other roles.

It's not known precisely how many people with disabilities currently earn
less than minimum wage as 
federal contract employees, but such workers are believed to number in
the thousands. The White 
House specifically cited individuals with disabilities working to
maintain the grounds on military 
bases as an example of those who will receive a raise.

While some in the disability community say that subminimum wage remains
necessary to ensure that 
employment is available for those with even the most severe disabilities,
the practice has been 
targeted for elimination in recent years by numerous advocacy groups who
argue that it is outdated.

Printed from Disability Scoop: http://www.disabilityscoop.com

Direct URL:
http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2014/02/12/under-order-pay-hike/19102/


Copyright © 2008-2013 Disability Scoop. All Rights Reserved.


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