Despite decades of progress for disability employment protections and civil rights, it is still legal to pay people with disabilities less than minimum wage. Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act has allowed employers to pay disabled workers subminimum wages for close to 90 years. According to recent data, disabled employees working under a 14(c) certificate earned $3.34 per hour on average, with many workers making even less than this. It’s beyond time we end this injustice.
Join us in calling on the Department of Labor to End Subminimum Wages.
Sign the petition today.
Petition
ACT NOW: End Subminimum Wages for Disabled Workers!
Support Ending the Practice of Paying Disabled Americans Subminimum Wages
Many disabled workers are being paid far below minimum wage, and it’s completely legal. These policies are based on the idea that disabled people are inherently less productive, and their work is less valuable. This is undeniably false. Disabled workers deserve a fair wage, and we need your help to put an end to the practice of paying disabled workers subminimum wages. This discriminatory practice cannot continue.
Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act allows employers to pay disabled American workers subminimum wages. Section 14(c) leaves room for employers to engage in discriminatory practices which include segregating disabled employees, cutting them off from community settings and limiting their ability to receive opportunities for career advancement or development.
Research from the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights shows that between 2017 and 2018, the average wage of a person with a disability working under a 14(c) certificate was $3.34 per hour, less than half of the federal minimum wage. Many disabled workers made even less.
The time to act is NOW. The Department of Labor recently announced they will begin a comprehensive review of Section 14(c) to determine the future viability of the program.
Disabled people deserve dignity, and they deserve equal pay. I urge President Biden and Acting Secretary of Labor, Julie Su, to end the practice of paying disabled workers subminimum wages.