[nfbwatlk] SUB MINIMUM WAGE

Mon Aug 13 21:04:28 UTC 2012

Carl,

How right you are when you say that blind trumps everything else in the
minds of the uninformed public.  

Several years ago at my cousin's high school graduation party, I encountered
friends of my aunt and uncle.  The woman told me about someone she knew
whose daughter was deaf, blind, mentally retarded and had cerebral palsy.
"You look exactly like her!" the woman exclaimed.

My immediate reaction was to fume inwardly at the comparison.  I had just
recently graduated from the university.  How dared she to compare me with
someone who couldn't move or communicate?

Now I know that, although the woman was incorrect on a surface level, she
was right on target!  It was only my insecurity that caused me to separate
myself from that other young woman.  I have no idea who she is, where she
is, or if she's still alive.  I can only hope that she's getting the
opportunity to live her life to the fullest, whatever her physical or mental
capacity.  My aunt's friend was right, in everything that really
matters,"She looks exactly like me!"

When I was on the staff of the workshop whose management felt so virtuous
about giving Joe make work that didn't even pay him enough to buy a beer for
himself and his Dad, I was getting the minimum wage.  How productive was I?
My "work" was keeping Joe and thirteen other people working away at sorting
nuts and bolts that I later mixed together again.  I was paid minimum wage
for supervising make work.  They were paid pennies for doing make work.  I
have no shame about taking my minimum wage.  I do feel shame about not
speaking out more forcefully against a system that imposed a sham work
regime.  The supervisors deliberately chose to continue make work rather
than taking the opportunity when no real work was available to teach classes
or crafts or something personally valuable to the "clients."  Their
explanation when I raised the issue?  "These are adults; they deserve the
dignity of work."  

I'm grateful they didn't keep me on staff after my six months of government
funded employment was over.  Much as I despised the entire system, I would
have hung on because I was young and neededd a job myself.

I suppose that's a perfect example of the banality of evil.  How easy it was
for me to talk myself into the dillusion that I was doing some good, even
though I knew I was selling out my principles.  

-----Original Message-----
From: nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Frye, Daniel
Sent: August 13, 2012 8:37 AM
To: Carl Jarvis; NFB of Washington Talk Mailing List
Cc: alewis at nfb.org; Feder, Emily
Subject: Re: [nfbwatlk] SUB MINIMUM WAGE

Here, here-my friend.

Dan

From: Carl Jarvis [mailto:carjar82 at gmail.com]
Sent: Monday, August 13, 2012 11:06 AM
To: Frye, Daniel; NFB of Washington Talk Mailing List
Cc: alewis at nfb.org; Feder, Emily
Subject: Re: [nfbwatlk] SUB MINIMUM WAGE

Dan,
Well stated.  Of course it speaks to human nature not just to us blind
people.
We are quick to cry out when our own rights are trampled, and we can expand
our outrage to include those of our own immediate circle, but we become
indifferent and insensitive when others are treated in the same manner.
I am reminded of the words of pastor Martin Niemöller:
First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a
Jew.
Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not
a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was
not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me.

If each of us fails to stand up and defend the human dignity of all people,
who will stand up for us when the heavy boot of discrimination is on our own
neck?

Are we really so shallow that we place productivity ahead of human dignity?
Why does a person have to produce so many widgets an hour in order to
deserve a basic living standard?
What is it in our nature that allows us to see the cold, harsh
discrimination placed upon us blind people, and then turn about and do
exactly the same to others who we have lumped into a category called, "The
Less Fortunate".
Do we no longer believe that a government of the people should care for all
of its people?  When did we turn on our own people and hitch our wagon to
the coat tails of the wealthy, pretending that we might one day be like
them?
Are we honestly willing to abandon our brothers and sisters in the hope that
we will receive a pat on the head by the Master?
Pretending that we are better than some of our own members is not going to
change how the public sees us as blind people.  The very brightest and most
accomplished of us are measured by the same Universal Blind Stereotype as is
the most unaccomplished, unskilled member of our blind community.  It makes
no difference to the World if I am the most remarkable blind man or a blind
man burdened by multiple disabilities.  Blind trumps all in the minds of the
general population.
If we cut loose from some of our members, it will not put us in a more
favorable light in the eye of the public, it will simply make us fewer in
number.
And how dare we proclaim our right to defend our equal status in the world,
when we can't defend our own brothers and sisters?  What lesson are we
passing along to future blind people?  Are we saying, "You must be blind by
our standards if you are to have our support"?
If, by demanding a decent standard of living for our members working in work
shops means that some of those programs shut their doors and lay off their
underpaid "workers", is that reason enough to fight to keep the programs
open?  To allow them to continue to oppress our brothers and sisters?  For
what purpose?  At what price?
Would it not be better to fight for funding for the underpaid folks and
provide them an environment where they can participate at whatever level
they are able, and rejoice in their achievements.

Carl Jarvis

----- Original Message -----
From: Frye, Daniel<mailto:Daniel.Frye at ed.gov>
To: NFB of Washington Talk Mailing List<mailto:nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org>
Cc: alewis at nfb.org<mailto:alewis at nfb.org> ; Feder,
Emily<mailto:Emily.Feder at ed.gov>
Sent: Monday, August 13, 2012 5:37 AM
Subject: RE: [nfbwatlk] SUB MINIMUM WAGE

Paul and Others In Sympathy With His Perspective:

I could use this note to articulate all of the rationale, statistics, and
philosophy to generate arguments for why paying sub-minimum wages to
disabled people, while not having the same standard and policy for
abled-body folks, is wrong. But I won't do this. Instead, I'll simply
observe that I always find myself saddened and perplexed by blind people who
can accept as a matter of policy that a general practice that treats our
community differently from the majority is acceptable. If the inequity of
treating disabled people differently from non-disabled people doesn't
intuitively resonate with one, I hardly know what arguments I can advance
that will get such people to see reason and fairness. And then I just wilt
in resignation when these same "accomplished" blind folks, who justify
discriminatory treatment by lamenting the hardship to business caused by
those who are not productive, run on with a sense of self-righteous
arrogance about their competence and capacity. How about transferring some
of that skill that you've developed, no doubt all on your own, to
demonstrating  some compassion towards those who may not be as successful as
you. In all likelihood, you'll still get to feel superior to these poor,
unfortunate creatures. They'll likely never earn $50,000 per year, so your
worth will still stand unquestioned. We're advocating for a basic minimum
that everybody shares in common; this is not a campaign for something as
reasonable as an actual living wage or decent standard of living. Smile!
Numbers and nuanced arguments notwithstanding, this is simply a matter of
basic fairness and decency. So long as a minimum wage exists in law, let it
apply to us all. So long as every non-disabled person is not subject to a
productivity standard, let this practice apply universally. And, finally, if
these folks who are exempt from receiving the minimum wage would not
otherwise qualify as being employees, let's be honest, allow them to do the
same thing, and call their program what it is--education, recreation, or
some other euphemism to make people feel good about themselves.

Dan Frye

-----Original Message-----
From: nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org<mailto:nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org>
[mailto:nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Mike Freeman
Sent: Sunday, August 12, 2012 5:50 PM
To: 'NFB of Washington Talk Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [nfbwatlk] SUB MINIMUM WAGE

Paul:

(1) NO two workers have the same productivity. Yet (at least in industry)
workers doing a given job are supposed to be paid the same wage whether they
are powerhouses of productivity or are just barely scraping by. Differences
in worker output are usually made up in consequences such as whether workers
get bonuses, how quickly and whether they advance or not, etc. Why should
disabled workers of whatever talent be treated differently?

(2) Most of the entities who are against paying minimum wages for disabled
workers get massive subsidies from either various governmental agencies or
from private donations. Presumably, all those who "employ" these workers do
so in order to make them feel productive or useful. NO one gainsays such
motives although I am often moved to wonder whether those who prattle on
about the dignity of work (even at subminimum wages) would themselves deign
to accept that reasoning as an excuse to be paid less than the Federal
minimum wage. All that might even be OK except that these governmental and
private agencies who "employ" these workers go on to sell the products of
their labor, thus benefiting twice from that labor without compensatory
benefits to the workers. And few of these agencies really train disabled
workers to go out into private industry. Think about it: if you're a
business, you *keep* your most productive workers. If you train people, you
*place* your most productive workers. You can't have it both ways. Agencies
can't have it both ways -- profiting from workers while paying them a
pittance. That's little more than slavery IMO.

Mike

-----Original Message-----
From: nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org<mailto:nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org>
[mailto:nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of PUBLIC RADIO 113
Sent: Sunday, August 12, 2012 12:16 PM
To: nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org<mailto:nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org>
Subject: [nfbwatlk] SUB MINIMUM WAGE

Would you hire a driver who only drove 20 miles/hour on the freeway?  If any
of you reading this ever ran a business of your own you would realize that
you cannot afford to hire workers who are less productive.  When I began my
medical transcription career in Chicago I earned far less than minimum wage
because I was paid on the basis of the work I could turn out in an 8-hour
day.  It took a while for me to get my typing speed up to 120 words/minute,
but I did.  After 30 years of being an MT I retired in June.
 I made $50,000 last year WITH BENEFITS.  People who are so disabled that
they cannot compete can always use SSDI, low-cost housing, food stamps,
etc.,  to supplement their income.  It should not be up to the employer to
provide a subsidy for disabled workers.   Let's pay congress what they're
worth.

--
Paul Van Dyck

www.publicradio113.weebly.com<http://www.publicradio113.weebly.com>

OR

www.kboo.fm/soundsofawareness<http://www.kboo.fm/soundsofawareness>
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