Goodwill Opening Disrupted by Rochester ADAPT

In continuation of my outrage of allowance of Section 14C of the Fare Labor Standards Act, I participated in a local action with Rochester ADAPT at the new Goodwill Store located on Dewey Avenue in Greece, NY. Section 14C of the Fare Labor Standards Act (FLSA), a federal law which authorizes employers after receiving a certificate from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Wage and Hour Division (WHD), to pay special minimum wages—wages less than the federal minimum wage—to workers who have disabilities for the work being performed. The certificate also allows the payment of wages that are less than the prevailing wage to workers who have disabilities.

Since Goodwill is the largest known organization that has Section 14C certificates and uses them, my colleagues & I went to disrupt the official ribbon cutting ceremony of their new store. This disruption included several chants targeted at both the company itself and Gidget Hopf who is both the Chief Executive Officer/President of Goodwill of the Finger Lakes and Chair of the Board for Goodwill International. As Chair of the Board Hopf has the power to dictate the policy of this organization, therefore we have three specific demands related to Goodwill International relinquishing immediately their Section 14C certificates. These demands are: Goodwill International Chairwoman Hopf take steps to ensure that every chapter of Goodwill International surrender their 14C certificates, Hopf release a public letter calling on all employers in the US who hold Section 14C certificates to surrender theirs, and for Goodwill of the Finger Lakes to surrender its 14C certificates immediately. My role in this action was acting as the Rochester ADAPT Spokesperson which involved talking with all media personnel who came to the event getting our position across. I spoke with Channel 8 and Channel 10 News stations along with a media representative from the National Federation of the Blind (NFB). I was pleased and honored representatives from the NFB came to stand with us during this important local action. This shows the entire Disability Community is standing together related to Equal Pay for Equal Work in direct opposition to Section 14C which specifically allows for Unequal Pay for Equal Work. This law has been on the books for 76 years too long and there is currently a bill pending in a committee of the House of Representatives which is H.R 831 Fare Wages for Workers with Disabilities Act of 2013 that has 77 co-sponsors. The Disability Community has tried to get legislation related to this subject passed since as early as 2010, but I personally feel we are closer than ever before in passage of this legislation. With many actions like this one the bill shall eventually make it to the House’s floor. This is not my first Goodwill battle and I am certain it shall not be my last because I along with my fellow colleagues intend on continuing this fight until it crosses the finish line.