[NFBofSC] Let's work to eliminate subminimum wage in SC

[Jennifer Bazer]

At our national convention flags were on affiliates poles that passed bills
for blind parents and eliminating subminimum wage. SC flew our flag proudly
for the blind parents bill passed in 2014.

 

Let's work to eliminate subminimum wage in SC so we can fly our flag high
next year in Houston!

 

 

https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2019/07/08/momentum-growing-end-subminimum-w
age/26859/

 

Momentum Growing To End Subminimum Wage

Disability Scoop

July 8, 2019

by Courtney Perkes

 

With federal lawmakers slow to act, cities and states are increasingly
moving to bar employers from paying workers with disabilities less than
minimum wage.

 

In the last few years, a handful of states and cities have banned or
restricted the practice, and advocates say momentum is growing across the
country. At least five states have pending legislation that would abolish
the so-called subminimum wage, according to the National Association of
State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services or NASDDDS. 

 

"I have seen the issue raised more than once to eliminate subminimum wage,
but it's never gotten to this level of action," said Rie Kennedy-Lizotte,
director of employment policy for NASDDDS.

 

Opponents of subminimum wage, which dates back to 1938 and allows employers
to pay workers with disabilities as little as pennies per hour, say the
practice is antiquated and exploitative. They say many people with
disabilities are already living in poverty but want the opportunity for
competitive, integrated employment. 

 

But some families argue that sheltered workshops where subminimum wage is
commonly used provide a valuable way for adults with severe disabilities to
build their self-esteem and be productive. Such segregated programs,
however, are ineffective at transitioning employees into the general
workforce, according to the National Council on Disability.

 

The recent movement by states began in 2015 when New Hampshire banned
employers from paying subminimum wage, and Maryland followed suit in 2016.
Alaska's Department of Labor ended the practice last year, as did Seattle. 

 

The city of Reno, Nev. implemented a ban this year for city contracts and in
June the governor of Texas signed legislation that will require state
contractors to pay workers with disabilities at least minimum wage. This
month, a Washington state law takes effect that prohibits state agencies
from paying subminimum wage to people with disabilities.

 

States with pending legislation include Connecticut, Illinois, Montana, New
York and North Carolina.

 

Shaun Bickley, who describes himself as an autistic advocate and who led the
campaign that ended subminimum wage in Seattle, said state and local efforts
will likely help drive federal action by building critical mass. 

 

"We have way more momentum on it than we've ever had in both states and the
federal level, and that's increasing," said Bickley, who works for a local
nonprofit disability rights group. "This is the result of years of
organizing by disabled activists."

 

Advocates say the changes are being driven by a variety of factors including
evolving expectations among people with disabilities, better preparation and
support for employment, and Medicaid's shift to home and community-based
services that require integration in the community.

 

Kennedy-Lizotte of NASDDDS noted that 47 percent of people with disabilities
surveyed by the National Core Indicators, a collaboration that allows states
to track outcome measures for people with developmental disabilities, wanted
community employment.

 

"We need to help people do what they're asking for," she said. "Subminimum
wage jobs just don't make sense anymore."

 

At the federal level, two different bills introduced earlier this year in
both the U.S. House and the Senate would eliminate subminimum wage within
six years. However, neither the Raise the Wage Act, H.R. 582, or the
Transformation to Competitive Employment Act, S. 260, have been brought to a
vote. 

 

Bickley said for self-advocates who live in states that haven't taken
action, or who want to influence the federal process, allies already working
on the issue can help.

 

"Identify if you have people on the city, state or federal level that you
can meet with or talk to," Bickley said. "Having legalized discrimination
doesn't help us. We know this model doesn't work."

 

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