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Companies can pay disabled people below minimum wage. The Biden admin wants to change that. (www.motherjones.com)

submitted 1 week ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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A proposal from the Department of Labor recommends the end of certificates that allow a subminimum wage for disabled people.

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (7 children)

those with intellectual and developmental disabilities

Would these people get hired at all if they have to be paid minimum wage? I figure that they have the option of applying for jobs normally rather than through these programs, so they would already be doing so if they could get hired that way.

[–] shalafi 8 points 1 week ago (3 children)

No, they would not have jobs at all. With the extra supervision and care required, I seriously doubt these companies are saving money, and in fact are probably paying more than minimum wage at the end of the day.

I'm guessing it's more of a "put people to work so they can feel productive and good about themselves" rather than "evil capitalist plot".

OTOH, for all lemmy harps about the minimum wage, almost no one gets paid that.

The percentage of hourly paid workers earning the prevailing federal minimum wage or less edged down from 1.3 percent in 2022 to 1.1 percent in 2023. This remains well below the percentage of 13.4 recorded in 1979, when data were first collected on a regular basis.

https://www.bls.gov/opub/reports/minimum-wage/2023/

So maybe paying them minimum wage wouldn't make a difference?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

OTOH, for all lemmy harps about the minimum wage, almost no one gets paid that.

Is that cause or effect? I.e., is nobody paid that because it's ridiculously low and hasn't kept up with inflation? If minimum wage was $0.01, then the number of people paid minimum wage would be 0%, but I don't think that's a good thing.

[–] Fosheze 3 points 1 week ago

but I don't think that's a good thing.

If we implemented reasonable a UBI then I could actually see eliminating minimum wage laws. There's not much reason to have a minimum wage if everyone is already guaranteed a minimum income.

[–] Cort 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

OTOH, for all lemmy harps about the minimum wage, almost no one gets paid that.

The percentage of hourly paid workers earning the prevailing federal minimum wage or less edged down from 1.3 percent in 2022 to 1.1 percent in 2023.

I don't think 3 million people is 'almost no one'.

And that's only what the statutory minimum wage is currently. If the minimum wage had kept up with inflation, it would be $25/hr by now. About a third of Americans make less than that.

[–] Ensign_Crab 2 points 1 week ago

And that’s only what the statutory minimum wage is currently. If the minimum wage had kept up with inflation, it would be $25/hr by now. About a third of Americans make less than that.

Centrists consider that a win.

[–] Fredselfish 1 points 1 week ago

No your wrong go to your local Goodwill to see it in practice. They don't supervise them any more rhan someone at a normal job. But they hire a ton of disabled people.

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