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<DIV>Greetings to all!</DIV>
<DIV>Received from John Pare, Executive Director of Advocacy and Policy,
NFB.</DIV>
<DIV>The following was forwarded to the affiliate presidents distribution
list.</DIV>
<DIV>Please read and share.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Joe </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000">We
care. We
share. We grow. We make a difference<BR>Joe Ruffalo, President <BR>National
Federation of the Blind of New Jersey <BR>973 743
0075<BR>nfbnj1@verizon.net<BR><A
href="http://www.nfbnj.org">www.nfbnj.org</A></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000">Raising
Expectations To Live The Life You Want!</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000">Your
old
car keys can be keys to literacy for the blind.<BR>Donate your unwanted
vehicle
to us by clicking <BR>www.carshelpingtheblind.org <BR>or call 855 659
9314<BR></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT size=3 face=Calibri>**</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV>Below is an article by President Riccobono that appeared in The Hill
last
Friday.</DIV>
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<DIV>American Nightmare: How workers with disabilities are denied economic
prosperity</DIV>
<DIV>By Mark A. Riccobono</DIV>
<DIV>The Hill - 11/30/2018</DIV>
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<DIV>"Workers paid only a few dollars per hour." "Disabled workers exploited
for
profit." "Employers pay next to nothing for manual labor." If you read these
headlines at the top of your newspaper, would you think you were reading
about
sweatshops in some distant developing country? If someone were to tell you
that
every day hundreds of thousands of workers with disabilities are paid less,
typically far less, than the minimum wage in cities like Boston, Los
Angeles,
Cleveland, or Salt Lake City, would you believe them? Would the thought ever
cross your mind that this could happen right here in the United
States?</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The stark reality is that everything you just read is true. People with
disabilities are paid subminimum wages and it's completely legal for
companies
to do so<<A
href="https://www.vox.com/2018/5/3/17307098/workers-disabilities-minimum-wage-waiver-rock-river-valley-self-help">https://www.vox.com/2018/5/3/17307098/workers-disabilities-minimum-wage-waiver-rock-river-valley-self-help</A>>.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The Fair Labor Standards Act, passed in 1938, was a landmark law
enacted
with the specific intention of protecting the rights of American workers. It
established such modern norms as a 40-hour workweek, overtime pay,
restrictions
against child labor, and the federal minimum wage. However, it also
introduced
an exception to that minimum wage with the inclusion of Section 14(c), which
allows employers to obtain a special wage certificate granting the
permission to
pay people with disabilities at a rate "lower than the minimum wage." There
it
is in black and white, discrimination codified into United States law.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>According to the Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division, 321,131
Americans with disabilities are currently employed under 14(c) certificates.
That is more than 300,000 people who are legally able to be paid less than
the
minimum wage by employers like major restaurant and hotel chains,
consignment
stores and school districts. Even more disturbing is that the vast majority
of
these organizations are nonprofits, which receive set aside government
contracts
for hiring workers with disabilities while paying those same workers
subminimum
wages. This is perhaps the most insidious and cruel form of
"double-dipping."</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Many argue that giving disabled Americans something to do, even if it
means
paying us next to nothing, is better than us doing nothing. They will argue
that
earning a paycheck, even if a week's check amounts to just a few dollars,
provides a sense of dignity for disabled Americans. They argue that
providing
some place for disabled Americans to go, even if it is a workshop where we
perform repetitive and mind-numbing labor, is better than sitting at home.
They
argue that all of these things foster feelings of pride and independence in
disabled Americans. This misguided notion of charity is actually pity, and
is
insulting to disabled workers, because it presumes we do not know and can't
understand the value of money. I'm not convinced that anyone can feel proud
and
independent when their paycheck for a week of work is not enough to afford a
value meal at a fast food restaurant. Are you?</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>To put it bluntly, Americans with disabilities do not want your pity.
We
want your respect. We want you to respect us enough to extend the
opportunity to
work in a meaningful job, to work side-by-side with you toward a common
goal,
and most importantly to earn a living wage so that we can be
independent.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The American Dream is generally understood as the opportunity for
anyone,
regardless of background, to achieve success and prosperity through hard
work
and determination. Section 14(c) creates a second class of citizens, based
solely on disability, that are unable to experience the benefits of that
dream.
Americans with disabilities are determined, we are willing, and we are most
definitely able to work hard, but regardless of how hard we work, success
and
prosperity will always be well out of reach as long as Section 14(c) is on
the
books. Our nation's commitment to end discrimination against people with
disabilities must include ending the payment of subminimum wages, otherwise
it
is nothing more than a hollow platitude.</DIV>
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<DIV><A
href="https://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/civil-rights/419107-american-nightmare-how-workers-with-disabilities-are-denied">https://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/civil-rights/419107-american-nightmare-how-workers-with-disabilities-are-denied</A></DIV>
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