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<font face="Helvetica, Helvetica" size=4><b>FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE<br><br>
</font><font face="Helvetica, Helvetica" size=5> <br><br>
</font><font face="Helvetica, Helvetica">CONTACT:<br><br>
</b>Chris Danielsen<br><br>
Director of Public Relations<br><br>
National Federation of the Blind<br><br>
(410) 659-9314, extension 2330<br><br>
(410) 262-1281 (Cell)<br><br>
<a href="mailto:cdanielsen@nfb.org">cdanielsen@nfb.org</a><br><br>
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</font><div align="center"><h1><font size=4><b>U.S. Representatives
Stearns and Bishop Introduce <br>
Fair Wages for Workers with Disabilities Act<br><br>
<br>
</b></font></h1><h2><b>National Federation of the Blind Commends
Action</i></b></h2></div>
<font face="Helvetica, Helvetica"><b> <br><br>
Washington, D.C. (October 4, 2011):</b> Congressman Cliff Stearns (R-FL)
and Congressman Tim Bishop</font>
<font face="Helvetica, Helvetica">(D-NY) today introduced the Fair Wages
for Workers with Disabilities Act of 2011 (H.R. 3086). The bill
would phase out Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA),
which allows employers holding special wage certificates to pay their
workers with disabilities less than the federal minimum wage.
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Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said:
“The Fair Wages for Workers with Disabilities Act is a long-overdue
effort to correct an injustice written into a law meant to protect all
American workers from abuse and exploitation. Workers with
disabilities were excluded from the protections of the Fair Labor
Standards Act because of the false belief that we cannot be as productive
as Americans without disabilities. Courage and creativity are
required to replace the misguided benevolence that has historically
shaped policies toward people with disabilities with real opportunity for
our equal employment and full participation in the workplace. We
applaud Representatives Stearns and Bishop and we hope that a significant
majority of their colleagues possess the courage and creativity to end
over seventy years of exploitation of people with disabilities.”<br><br>
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“Simple fairness and decency require that workers with disabilities
receive equal pay for equal work,” said Congressman Stearns. “I am
asking all of my colleagues to join me in this historic effort to end
wage discrimination against workers with disabilities once and for all.”
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<br><br>
“Ensuring that Americans with disabilities receive equal pay for equal
work is more than a matter of basic fairness, it’s a long-overdue
acknowledgement of the value disabled Americans contribute to our
workplaces every day,” said Congressman Tim Bishop. “I hope all of
my colleagues will support this bipartisan effort to correct over seventy
years of injustice.” <br><br>
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For more information about the Fair Wages for Workers with Disabilities
Act and the National Federation of the Blind, please visit
<a href="http://www.nfb.org/">www.nfb.org</a>. <br><br>
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<b>About the National Federation of the Blind<br><br>
</b>With more than 50,000 members, the National Federation of the Blind
is the largest and most influential membership organization of blind
people in the United States. The NFB improves blind people’s lives
through advocacy, education, research, technology, and programs
encouraging independence and self-confidence. It is the leading
force in the blindness field today and the voice of the nation's
blind. In January 2004 the NFB opened the National Federation of
the Blind Jernigan Institute, the first research and training center in
the United States for the blind led by the blind. <br><br>
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