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<b>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br><br>
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>
<div align="center"><h1><b>Language to End Subminimum Wages Included in
New Minimum Wage Bill</b></h1></div>
<b>Baltimore, Maryland (May 25, 2017)</b>: The National Federation of the
Blind today applauded the inclusion of language in the Raise the Wage Act
of 2017, simultaneously introduced in the House and the Senate, which
calls for the end of the payment of subminimum wages to workers with
disabilities.<br><br>
Mark A. Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind,
said: "The National Federation of the Blind has advocated for the
elimination of the subminimum wage since our founding. The recognition of
this issue by leaders in both houses of Congress and both parties
confirms that the time has long passed to eliminate the unfair and
separate wage system for people with disabilities. Time and time again,
we have demonstrated that the idea of people with disabilities being less
productive is simply an antiquated misconception that has been allowed to
permeate throughout society. This wrong and harmful notion has resulted
in multiple generations of disabled Americans being grossly underpaid and
overly reliant on government assistance programs to survive. We want to
work. We want to rid society of these low expectations. For those
reasons, we applaud the promotion of economic self-sufficiency for people
with disabilities set forth in the bill."<br><br>
Under current law, there is no minimum as to how little an employee with
disabilities can be paid. Some workers earn pennies per hour. Section 6
of the Raise the Wage Act of 2017 would implement an immediate minimum
wage of $4.25 for all workers classified under Section 14(c) of the Fair
Labor Standards Act of 1938. This absolute minimum wage rate would
increase by two dollars per year until it matched the minimum wage earned
by the rest of the American workforce. At which point, employers would no
longer be permitted to pay employees with disabilities a subminimum
wage.<br><br>
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The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the
expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles
between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want;
blindness is not what holds you back.<br><br>
For more information about the National Federation of the Blind, please
visit:
<a href="https://nfb.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=8480&qid=1816438">
www.nfb.org</a><br><br>
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