[nfbmi-talk] snyder on jobs for pwd

Christine Boone christineboone2 at gmail.com
Wed Nov 27 12:19:27 UTC 2013


Well said my friend.  
Propaganda is neither helpful nor productive, yet our politicians seem to be engaging in this tact more and more often these days.  

On Nov 26, 2013, at 7:19 AM, Terry D. Eagle <terrydeagle at yahoo.com> wrote:

> The words are one thing, and the actions are another reality.  Meijer, Inc.
> is NOT the great company and stellar employer of persons with disabilities,
> at least the blind, that is bragged about in the article below.  Just ask
> Mark Eagle about his experience upon arriving for a job interview at the
> Meijer production facility referred to in the article.  And the Michigan
> Civil Rights Commission did not want to deal with Meijer's discrimination
> practice 
> 
> Meijer mentioned both Peckham and Goodwill as sources of persons with
> disAvilities for employees.  Well, we all know the attitude and record of
> both Peckham and Goodwill with respect to employment of persons with
> disabilities, especially the blind;  submimum slave wages, and refusal to
> make simple reasonable accommodations for the blind to even attempt
> employment in positions offering above slave wages, like in the U.S.
> contracted Passport Center at Peckham in Lansing.  Mark Eagle can also speak
> to Peckham's discriminatory practices toward blind persons.  It appears
> Meijer, Inc., has adopted the attitude of Peckham, Goodwill Industries, and
> the State of Michigan toward blind persons and employment.  And again, The
> Michigan Civil Rights Commission desires to not deal with complaints of
> discrimination against blind persons, whether it be Meijer, Inc., Peckham,
> or the State of Michigan.
> 
> Finally, Mr. Governor, the State of Michigan has a long way to go toward
> exemplary demonstrated equal opportunity for employment, as well as simple
> access to programs, services, and facilities, by persons with disabilities,
> before expecting from the private sector, that which the State of Michigan
> is not dedicated to demonstrate for equal opportunity for persons with
> disabilities, especially blind persons.  Such shift and change of attitude
> will not occur with administrators like Steve Arwood, Edward Rodgers, and a
> puppet advisory commission, who believe they know best for we the blind.
> What is needed is the restoration of true active participation by we the
> blind,  in the policy-making implementation, and evaluation of all things
> related to blindness, which was ripped away from us, without input, by the
> Steve Arwood authored Executive Orders of 2012.
> 
> 
> Governor Snyder Stresses Importance of Hiring People with Disabilities
> November 19, 2013
> 
> As Michigan businesses look to diversify employee bases, Governor Snyder is
> encouraging Michigan employers to hire qualified workers with disabilities.
> The second annual Business Summit on Disability Employment was held
> yesterday in
> Lansing, where Governor Snyder spoke to attendees about the benefits of
> employing people with disabilities and also participated in an audience
> question and answer session.
> 
> Rick Keyes, executive vice president of supply chain operations and
> manufacturing
> for Meijer, Inc., and keynote speaker at the event, shares his thoughts and
> best
> practices.
> Tell us a little about Meijer's commitment to hiring people with
> disabilities.
> Meijer has a longstanding commitment to hiring people with disabilities.  We
> have
> worked very hard during the last four years to seek out opportunities to
> hire people
> with disabilities in Supply Chain and Distribution.  We began this
> initiative in
> our Fresh Assembly facility in Lansing and this initiative now includes more
> than
> 30% of our workforce at that facility.
> Meijer is very excited about this initiative.  It is changing our culture
> and positively
> impacting the lives of people in communities we serve.
> How have you seen success in hiring? Are there training programs, a support
> team
> or specific initiatives that help employees succeed and grow at Meijer?
> We have experienced tremendous success with this program and continue to
> build partnerships
> across our five-state footprint.  Our partnership with Peckham in Michigan
> has helped
> us to identify candidates and have them join our workforce.  They have
> helped provide
> training for our team members as well as our leadership team.  We continue
> to see
> increased productivity, reduced turnover, and improved engagement.
> How do programs like yours benefit not only the employer, but the employee?
> I wouldn't underestimate the impact this is having on our employees.  They
> are achieving
> financial freedom and independence.  The sense of pride they have in the job
> they
> are doing is contagious.  It's not only impacting our team members who have
> joined
> us through this program, but our current employees as well.  I am also very
> pleased
> about the effect this is having on our leadership culture.  Our teams are
> focusing
> on ability and helping our new team members be successful versus focusing on
> a disability.
> Do you have any best practices to share with other employers?
> Key to success in this initiative is strong executive support from the
> highest levels
> of the organization.    Secondly, finding a good partner, like Peckham, that
> understands
> your culture and objectives will help you in your journey.
> What strategies do you use to find a diverse pool of candidates with
> disabilities?
> We have been actively vetting partners in all our facilities, such as
> Peckham (Lansing),
> Goodwill Industries, and Kandu (Lakeshore) who can help us find the right
> people
> who are the right fit for Meijer operations.
> wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Rick-Keyes1.jpg
> Rick is the executive vice president of supply chain operations and
> manufacturing
> for Meijer, Inc., the Grand Rapids, Michigan-based retailer that operates
> more than
> 200 supercenters and grocery stores throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana,
> Illinois
> and Kentucky.
> For a list of resources for people with disabilities, visit
> http://www.michigan.gov/disabilityresources/0,4563,7-223-40851-,00.html
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfbmi-talk [mailto:nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of joe
> harcz Comcast
> Sent: Monday, November 25, 2013 12:57 PM
> To: nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org
> Subject: [nfbmi-talk] snyder on jobs for pwd
> 
> http://blog.michiganadvantage.org/great-companies/governor-snyder-stresses-i
> mportance-of-hiring-people-with-disabilities/
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