“The first item of interest is the news that the Department of Labor has provided 69$ million in funding to train young adults with disabilities. Here’s what Google tells us: “The Department of Labor is providing significant funding to develop innovative strategies that help young people with disabilities successfully transition into the workforce.” That certainly is good news, and we hope the training is truly beneficial. As we continue to search, we find more good news!
The End of Subminimum Pay
Currently there is a program that lets some employers pay disabled workers less than the minimum wage, and the news is that the Department of Labor is proposing to phase out that program. Currently the law has about 40,000 disabled workers laboring for half the minimum wage (which is $7.25/hr.) or less.
Subminimum pay for employees with disabilities can, should and must become a thing of the past. More than a dozen states and the District of Columbia have banned the program and Illinois has passed legislation to end subminimum wage for disabled workers by 2029.
The following is from the National Organization on Disability [LINK]: “Still, even if the proposal is not enacted, subminimum pay for those with disabilities could become a thing of the past, as more than a dozen states and the District of Columbia have already banned the program. The Illinois legislature recently passed legislation to end subminimum wage for disabled workers by 2029. California Nevada and Virginia are also phasing out the program.”
Apparently, the program was started in 1938 as a way to provide jobs for injured military veterans. Currently there are disabled people who work in what are called sheltered workshops where they are paid as little as 25 cents an hour. It’s a sad thought to realize that people are working for pennies because of a disability. This must change. We are very pleased to see the beginning of the end of this inhumane program.
Employment for Disabled Veterans
The previous news brings us to thinking about disabled veterans. What is being done for our veterans with disabilities? The first news that we found is that the Department of Labor has created an online toolkit to help disabled veterans. Here is what the DOL website says about it:
“Developed by the department’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service and the Office of Disability Employment Policy, the Veterans Accommodations Toolkit offers tips and strategies on ways to enhance workplace supports and accommodations designed to facilitate the recruitment, hiring, training, and retention of disabled American veterans in apprenticeship and other employment settings. The toolkit includes resources that not only help disabled veterans, but also benefit employers, apprenticeship sponsors, and workforce development specialists.”
We encourage a visit to the DOL toolkit at this [LINK]. We certainly hope that the toolkit is helpful to the individuals and employers who utilize it. We owe military veterans our respect and more. Disabled veterans should be given helpful information leading to the employment they are seeking and employers should be given the beneficial DOL information. Below is a quote from the article with some data:
“Currently, more than 5 million American veterans aged 18 or older have service-connected disabilities. Each year, roughly 200,000 service members – including approximately 22,000 who have some type of disability – transition to the private sector and many remain unemployed after transition. The employment rate for working-age veterans with disabilities is 43.5%, compared to 79.8% for nondisabled veterans. The toolkit aims to help close this employment gap and get skilled, capable Americans back into the workforce.”
Good News is Good
In reviewing the disability employment news, we are pleased that young people with disabilities are receiving help from the DOL. That is good news! It’s also good news that a program allowing some employers to pay disabled workers less than the minimum wage is being phased out. Very good news! And, it is good news that resources are being made available to help disabled veterans and their employers.
AMS Fulfillment has hired individuals with disabilities for many years, providing accommodations when needed. Do we pay disabled individuals less than their peers? Of course not. We work with local community organizations that provide job training to disabled individuals and we hire fully qualified individuals from that pool of talent.
Integrity matters to AMS. Our clients know that not only do we handle their product fulfillment expertly, there is a plus – AMS Fulfillment is a values-based organization.
What does that actually mean… values-based? For an answer we went to Jeff Bruce, VP of Human Resources at AMS: “Our number one value is Integrity which means we do the right thing in the face of adversity, we do the right thing even when the road is tough, we do the right thing when others aren’t doing it, and we are willing to stand alone. This is why doing business with AMS is the right thing.”
Please feel free to visit our website, amsfulfillment.com, and get in contact with us.
