Response to Paying Minimum Wage Workers the Minimum Article

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Justin Young

Response to Paying Minimum Wage Workers the Minimum Article

In the October 3rd, 2014 edition of the Democrat & Chronicle there was an article discussing the issue of equality in minimum wages. The article discussed whether to adjust the state’s minimum wage for so-called “tipped workers” — which is not the $8 an hour most base-salary workers in the state are paid, but a measly $5 an hour. The argument of tipped employees not being paid a minimum wage is valid, but unlike workers with disabilities under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) still have the opportunity to reach minimum wage. Section 14C of the FLSA authorizes agencies to apply for a special certificate paying their workers with disabilities significantly less than the minimum wage levels [2]. Furthermore, a reliable report indicates that nationally, 3,315 employers pay a total of 228,693 people with disabilities below minimum wage and in this report it also indicates a Dutchess county non-profit paid a developmentally disabled employee a penny per hour [3]. Several grass root agencies along with the National Federation of the Blind have pushed for federal legislation to abolish Section 14C which has been on the books for 76 years too long! By permanently eliminating Section 14C it would narrow the gap when it comes to minimum wage equality.