[nfbmi-talk] does this mean 14 c is out by exec order?

Wed Feb 12 15:16:11 UTC 2014

Yes, but most of these CROs are engaged in direct government contracts at 
least in the shelterred shops.

For example both Peckham and New Horizons employ pwd with sub-minimum wages 
in their garment centers which contract directly with the military.

So effectively this while not eliminating 14 c per se as you point out it 
will effectively eliminate it in these contexts for tens of thousands of 
PWD.

And in fact you also make a point about getting a bill in the Senate for we 
can have all the bills we want in the House and if there isn't a Senate bill 
its meaningless.

Anyway there is ccertain to be a lobbying backlash to this from the CROs, 
Ability One and all their self serving cronies in the VR system.

Goes to how interconnected these are here in Michigan for sure.

But I digress.

This does  appear to be a  positive move by the President and goes to show 
how organizations of people with disabilities including of course NFB can 
influence even the highest powers that be if we put our minds to it and if 
we work for common interests.

I think that Prez and Obama have felt the heat. And while I'm awaiting more 
information again, in non-partisan fashion this appears to be a good move by 
the administration.

Joe
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Christine Boone" <christineboone2 at gmail.com>
To: "NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing List" <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
Cc: "Lewis, Anil" <ALewis at nfb.org>; <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, February 12, 2014 9:50 AM
Subject: Re: [nfbmi-talk] does this mean 14 c is out by exec order?

> While this is a positive step, it will not entirely repeal Section 14C. I 
> believe it will mean only that, if an organization wishes to accept a 
> federal government contract and that organization holds a 14C certificate, 
> they will not be able to pay subminimum wages to any worker who is 
> involved in the performance of that contract. Companies can handle this in 
> a number of different ways: Some might opt to let their certificates go, 
> while others may simply choose only their non-disabled workers and highest 
> performing workers with disabilities to work on federal contracts. Under 
> this plan the employer could still pay subminimum wage to its workers with 
> disabilities as long as they did not work on the government contracts.
>
> Only Congress can actually repeal Section 14C as you know, but at least 
> this move does send a positive message and is a move in the right 
> direction. Perhaps it will motivate Congress to pass HR 831 and to 
> introduce a Senate version.
> Boone Christine Sent from my iPhone
>
>> On Feb 12, 2014, at 9:11 AM, "joe harcz Comcast" <joeharcz at comcast.net> 
>> wrote:
>>
>> Under Obama Order, Workers With Disabilities To Get Pay Hike
>>
>> By
>>
>> Michelle Diament
>>
>>
>>
>> February 12, 2014 Text Size
>>
>> A
>>
>> A
>>
>>
>>
>> An executive order requiring federal contractors to be paid at least 
>> $10.10 per hour will apply to workers with disabilities too, White House 
>> officials
>>
>> say.
>>
>>
>>
>> President Barack Obama plans to sign an executive order Wednesday raising 
>> the minimum wage for federal contract workers, including those with 
>> disabilities
>>
>> employed under service or concessions contracts with the government.
>>
>>
>>
>> The move represents an about-face for the White House. When the plan to 
>> hike pay for government contractors was originally announced during Obama’s 
>> State
>>
>> of the Union address last month, it
>>
>> left out
>>
>> many workers with disabilities.
>>
>>
>>
>> Under a federal law known as Section 14(c) that dates back to the 1930s, 
>> employers can obtain special permission from the U.S. Department of Labor 
>> to pay
>>
>> those with disabilities less than the federal minimum wage, which is 
>> currently $7.25 per hour.
>>
>>
>>
>> Obama administration officials initially said that the executive order 
>> would not alter the ability of authorized employers with government 
>> contracts to
>>
>> pay so-called subminimum wage. But under pressure from disability 
>> advocacy groups, the final version of the executive order will now 
>> include such workers.
>>
>>
>>
>> “We applaud the administration for hearing the voices of the disability 
>> community and including disabled workers in the new minimum wage 
>> protections for
>>
>> contractors,” said Ari Ne’eman, president of the Autistic Self Advocacy 
>> Network, one of 25 groups that signed a letter from the Collaboration to 
>> Promote
>>
>> Self Determination urging the White House to include workers with 
>> disabilities.
>>
>>
>>
>> “We hope to work with them going forward to convince Congress to repeal 
>> Section 14(c) for all disabled workers,” Ne’eman said. “Equal rights 
>> should apply
>>
>> to everyone — President Obama and (Secretary of Labor Tom Perez) helped 
>> us take a significant step forward towards realizing that vision today.”
>>
>>
>>
>> The increased minimum wage will apply to new federal contracts and 
>> replacements for expiring agreements beginning Jan. 1, 2015, the White 
>> House said. The
>>
>> move is expected to bring a pay boost to hundreds of thousands of workers 
>> staffing concessions at National Parks, serving food to members of the 
>> military
>>
>> and in other roles.
>>
>>
>>
>> It’s not known precisely how many people with disabilities currently earn 
>> less than minimum wage as federal contract employees, but such workers 
>> are believed
>>
>> to number in the thousands. The White House specifically cited 
>> individuals with disabilities working to maintain the grounds on military 
>> bases as an example
>>
>> of those who will receive a raise.
>>
>>
>>
>> While some in the disability community say that subminimum wage remains 
>> necessary to ensure that employment is available for those with even the 
>> most severe
>>
>> disabilities, the practice has been targeted for elimination in recent 
>> years by numerous advocacy groups who argue that it is outdated.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Source:
>>
>>
>>
>> http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2014/02/12/under-order-pay-hike/19102/
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