Stand Up Against Subminimum Wage
How do you think people around the country would react if the government suddenly passed a law stating that people with blue eyes would be paid less to perform jobs than people with brown, green, or hazel eyes?
Chances are people would be in an uproar and stand up to the government for passing a law dependent on something like eye color which no one can control. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about subminimum wage laws, which allow companies to pay people with disabilities based on performance, even though people with disabilities can’t help the fact that they have disabilities any more than people can help their eye color.
Many people with disabilities these days earn pennies per hour at sheltered workshops. According to an article on the National Public Radio (NPR) website www.npr.org, such sheltered websites are regulated by the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 which allows companies to pay subminimum wages, based on how productive a person with disabilities is compared to a worker without disabilities doing the same task.
The NPR article goes on to detail how the law mentioned above was originally intended to encourage the hiring of veterans with disabilities, but in recent years has come under fire for reinforcing poverty and segregation of those with disabilities.
The fact that this problem still exists in a country where over the past couple years the idea of nearly doubling minimum wage to $15 an hour has been a hot button issue is ludicrous. Think about it this way. The country is considering doubling minimum wage for able-bodied workers who often have lengthy gossip sessions during smoke breaks or sit on their cellphones making weekend plans while taking restrooms breaks yet the country is perfectly okay to pay workers with disabilities who are often very enthusiastic and dedicated to their jobs a subminimum wage. In what way does that make any sense?
As a disability advocate I’ll tell you, it makes no sense at all. Advocates fought for years to have the rights of people with disabilities in all aspects of public life, including employment protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The rights that we gained under the ADA should not be threatened by another law. Especially a law that is clearly outdated.
Unfortunately, there are many people who disagree with me and support subminimum wages by saying that most people with disabilities are happy to work regardless of their wage. Additionally, supporters of subminimum wages believe that working is what impacts self-esteem and not wages earned so therefore their wages do not matter. In a world where the housing and job markets are flooded with competition, the idea that wages earned do not matter is absolutely crazy.
Personally, I’d like to ask the lawmakers without disabilities who support subminimum wages a couple of questions. Firstly, I’d like to ask them if they would be okay with being compared to other lawmakers and being paid based on their performance? Secondly, if given a chance to speak to a supporter of subminimum wage, I’d question, if pay based on productivity is fair, why pay earned during smoke breaks, restroom breaks, and other unproductive times is not deducted from the paychecks of able-bodied workers?
Advocates have been asking politicians questions like the ones above for many years to no avail. Lawmakers have told advocates for various states that it would take too long and be too costly to outlaw subminimum wages, but that has not advocates from fighting for “Real jobs and real wages” for people with disabilities. A small victory occurred for advocates in 2014 when President Obama signed an executive order raising the minimum wage for workers employed by federal contractors including those with disabilities to $10.10. According to an article on www.the mighty.com, another small victory occurred this February when Alaska became the third state alongside New Hampshire and Maryland to eliminate subminimum wages. These small victories are proof that subminimum wages can be outlawed, but the fact that only a few states have gotten rid of such laws shows that we have a long way to go before getting subminimum wages outlawed nationally.
I hope this article inspires others to join the fight and stand up against subminimum wage. If abolishing subminimum wage is something you believe in, then there are few ways you can make your voice heard. Contact your state senator and express why subminimum wages should be outlawed, start a petition to outlaw subminimum wages and get others to sign it, and/or educate others about this issue so that they will join the fight. Remember…nothing about us with us.
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