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<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>FYI</FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message -----
<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A
title=ALewis@nfb.org href="mailto:ALewis@nfb.org">Lewis, Anil</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=nfb-legislative-directors@nfbnet.org
href="mailto:nfb-legislative-directors@nfbnet.org">nfb-legislative-directors@nfbnet.org</A>
</DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Friday, November 01, 2013 12:49 PM</DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> [Nfb-legislative-directors] Truthout.org: Activists
Petition Goodwill to Pay Disabled Workers the Minimum Wage</DIV></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV class=WordSection1>
<P class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></P>
<H2 style="LINE-HEIGHT: 29.25pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Georgia','serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 27pt; FONT-WEIGHT: normal">Activists
Petition Goodwill to Pay Disabled Workers the Minimum
Wage<o:p></o:p></SPAN></H2>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: 18.75pt; BACKGROUND: white" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
class=itemdatecreated><SPAN
style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 1pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; FONT-FAMILY: 'Georgia','serif'; COLOR: #999999; FONT-SIZE: 8.5pt; BORDER-TOP: windowtext 1pt; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in">Friday,
01 November 2013 10:37</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN class=itemdatecreated><SPAN
style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 1pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; COLOR: #999999; FONT-SIZE: 8.5pt; BORDER-TOP: windowtext 1pt; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: 18.75pt; BACKGROUND: white" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
class=itemauthor><I><SPAN
style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 1pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; FONT-FAMILY: 'Georgia','serif'; COLOR: #9c162e; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; BORDER-TOP: windowtext 1pt; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in">By</SPAN></I></SPAN><SPAN
class=apple-converted-space><I><SPAN
style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 1pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; FONT-FAMILY: 'Georgia','serif'; COLOR: #9c162e; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; BORDER-TOP: windowtext 1pt; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in"> </SPAN></I></SPAN><SPAN
class=itemauthor><I><SPAN
style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 1pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; FONT-FAMILY: 'Georgia','serif'; COLOR: #9c162e; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; BORDER-TOP: windowtext 1pt; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in"><A
href="http://truth-out.org/author/itemlist/user/44659"><SPAN
style="COLOR: #9c162e">Mike Ludwig</SPAN></A>,</SPAN></I></SPAN><SPAN
class=apple-converted-space><I><SPAN
style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 1pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; FONT-FAMILY: 'Georgia','serif'; COLOR: #9c162e; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; BORDER-TOP: windowtext 1pt; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in"> </SPAN></I></SPAN><SPAN
class=itemauthor><I><SPAN
style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 1pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; FONT-FAMILY: 'Georgia','serif'; COLOR: #9c162e; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; BORDER-TOP: windowtext 1pt; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in"><A
href="http://truth-out.org/"><SPAN
style="COLOR: #9c162e">Truthout</SPAN></A></SPAN></I></SPAN><SPAN
class=apple-converted-space><I><SPAN
style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 1pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; FONT-FAMILY: 'Georgia','serif'; COLOR: #9c162e; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; BORDER-TOP: windowtext 1pt; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in"> </SPAN></I></SPAN><SPAN
class=itemauthor><I><SPAN
style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 1pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; FONT-FAMILY: 'Georgia','serif'; COLOR: #9c162e; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; BORDER-TOP: windowtext 1pt; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in">|
</SPAN></I></SPAN><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 13pt"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: 18.75pt; BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Georgia','serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 13pt">Leaders of
national advocacy groups for the disabled delivered a petition to Goodwill
Industries on Thursday demanding that the company stop using a 75-year-old
section of federal labor law to pay disabled employees less than the minimum
wage.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: 18.75pt; BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Georgia','serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 13pt">About
170,000 people signed<SPAN class=apple-converted-space> </SPAN><A
href="http://www.change.org/goodwill" target=_blank><SPAN
style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 1pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; COLOR: #9c162e; BORDER-TOP: windowtext 1pt; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in">the
Change.org petition</SPAN></A>. Representatives from the Autistic Self Advocacy
Network (ASAN) and the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) delivered copies
of the petition to Goodwill's headquarters in Maryland and to stores across the
country as pickets were held outside.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: 18.75pt; BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Georgia','serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 13pt">Goodwill
Industries, a massive nonprofit that provides job opportunities at thrift stores
nationwide, has been facing down a public relations debacle since<A
href="http://watchdog.org/83209/policies-tax-dollars-enrich-goodwill-execs/"
target=_blank><SPAN
style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 1pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; COLOR: #9c162e; BORDER-TOP: windowtext 1pt; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in">investigations
by NBC News and Watchdog.org revealed</SPAN></A><SPAN
class=apple-converted-space> </SPAN>that disabled employees at some
Goodwill stores had earned as little<SPAN
class=apple-converted-space> </SPAN><A
href="http://investigations.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/06/25/19062348-disabled-workers-paid-just-pennies-an-hour-and-its-legal?lite%20"
target=_blank><SPAN
style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 1pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; COLOR: #9c162e; BORDER-TOP: windowtext 1pt; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in">as
22 cents an hour in recent years</SPAN></A>. A<A
href="http://investigations.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/08/10/19916979-more-disabled-workers-paid-just-pennies-an-hour"
target=_blank><SPAN
style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 1pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; COLOR: #9c162e; BORDER-TOP: windowtext 1pt; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in">subsequent
investigation found</SPAN></A><SPAN
class=apple-converted-space> </SPAN>that employees at a few Goodwill
franchises were paid less than 10 cents an hour in 2011.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: 18.75pt; BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Georgia','serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 13pt"><A
href="http://www.goodwill.org/meaningful-work-for-people-with-disabilities/"
target=_blank><SPAN
style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 1pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; COLOR: #9c162e; BORDER-TOP: windowtext 1pt; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in">In
a statement, Goodwill said</SPAN></A><SPAN
class=apple-converted-space> </SPAN>the petition "painted an inaccurate
picture" by taking "isolated incidences of a few workers" and implying that they
are typical of the company. Goodwill would not comment the "specific
circumstances" of any employee because of privacy issues.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: 18.75pt; BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Georgia','serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 13pt">Under a
Section 14 of the Fair Labor Standards Act, originally passed in 1938, employers
such as Goodwill can obtain Special Minimum Wage Certificates to pay disabled
workers a wage that is less than the federal minimum if their disability
directly impairs them from performing on the job.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: 18.75pt; BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Georgia','serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 13pt">"Goodwill
should step out of the 1930s and adopt a business model that provides real
training and opportunities for workers with disabilities to earn the federal
minimum wage or higher," said Anil Lewis, policy and advocacy director of the
NFB.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: 18.75pt; BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Georgia','serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 13pt">The NFB,
ASAN and the<SPAN class=apple-converted-space> </SPAN><A
href="http://www.ncd.gov/" target=_blank><SPAN
style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 1pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; COLOR: #9c162e; BORDER-TOP: windowtext 1pt; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in">National
Council on Disability</SPAN></A>, a federal advisory committee, have called for
Section 14 to be phased out. About 300,000 disabled workers are paid less than
the minimum wage under Section 14 of the Fair Labor Standards Act, according to
the NFB.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: 18.75pt; BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Georgia','serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 13pt">Goodwill,
however, has steadfastly defended the provision, arguing that many people with
severe disabilities would be unable to find a job if employers could not apply
for the exemptions.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: 18.75pt; BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Georgia','serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 13pt"><A
href="https://nfb.org/fair-wages" target=_blank><SPAN
style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 1pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; COLOR: #9c162e; BORDER-TOP: windowtext 1pt; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in">The
NFB says</SPAN></A><SPAN class=apple-converted-space> </SPAN>many employers
are profiting off the labor of disabled workers and often receive lucrative
federal contracts, so there is no reason to pay anyone less than the minimum
wage, regardless of their abilities.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: 18.75pt; BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Georgia','serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 13pt">In an
editorial in the Huffington Post this year, Goodwill CEO Jim Gibbons claimed
Goodwill was "unfairly singled out" by activists and the media for paying
disabled workers less than the minimum wage.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: 18.75pt; BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Georgia','serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 13pt">"While it
is quite easy to look at this provision quickly and ask why people with
disabilities should be paid less than other workers, the truth is the
certificate allows Goodwill and many other employers to provide opportunities
for people with severe disabilities who otherwise might not be a part of the
workforce,"<SPAN class=apple-converted-space> </SPAN><A
href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jim-gibbons/goodwill-and-the-power-of_b_3293985.html"
target=_blank><SPAN
style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 1pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; COLOR: #9c162e; BORDER-TOP: windowtext 1pt; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in">Gibbons
wrote</SPAN></A>.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: 18.75pt; BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Georgia','serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 13pt">But
advocates for the disabled point out that Gibbons brought home $729,000 in
salary and deferred payment in 2011, and the CEO of Goodwill Southern California
made $1.1 million that same year, according to reports. Salaries for CEOs at 150
Goodwill franchises across the country total $30 million.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: 18.75pt; BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Georgia','serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 13pt">"Twenty-three
years after the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Goodwill's
actions should be universally recognized as disgraceful," said Ari Ne'eman,
president of ASAN and member of the National Council on Disability. "If you can
afford to pay six- and seven-figure salaries to your executives, you can afford
to pay minimum wage to your employees."<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: 18.75pt; BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Georgia','serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 13pt">Goodwill
claims that 5,000 to 7,000 of its 113,000 employees are paid under Special
Minimum Wage Certificates, and the average hourly pay of those employees is
approximately $7.45 an hour, which is slightly above the federal minimum of
$7.25.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: 18.75pt; BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Georgia','serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 13pt">Legislation
introduced this year by Rep. Gregg Harper, a Republican from Mississippi, would
repeal Section 14 of the Fair Labor Standards Act, and groups such as the NFB
are working to<SPAN class=apple-converted-space> </SPAN><A
href="https://nfb.org/national-federation-blind-applauds-introduction-fair-wages-legislation"
target=_blank><SPAN
style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 1pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; COLOR: #9c162e; BORDER-TOP: windowtext 1pt; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in">rally
support for the bill in Congress</SPAN></A>.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></P></DIV>
<P>
<HR>
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