Topics: Discrimination, Harassment & Retaliation, Employee Hiring, Discipline & Termination, Personnel Policies and Procedures, Wage & Hour Issues
For years, Federal law authorized employers to pay wages below the federal minimum wage to incentivize employers to hire disabled employees who might not otherwise have been hired. To qualify, employers were required to obtain a “section 14(c) certificate” from the Department of Labor (DOL) authorizing a special minimum wage. 29 C.F.R. § 525.5. The DOL authorized section 14(c) certificates for workers with intellectual disabilities, visual and hearing impairments, and psychiatric disabilities, such as anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder.
Last week, the DOL proposed a rule phasing out section 14(c) certificates, reasoning that employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities have increased dramatically since the federal regulations were last updated in 1989. Under the proposed rule, the DOL will no longer issue new section 14(c) certificates on or after the effective date of the final rule. Employees subject to the FLSA would then be entitled to the federal minimum wage ($7.25 per hour) despite any impact their disability may have on productivity. Existing section 14(c) certificate holders will be able to continue paying the subminimum wage for up to 3 years after the effective date of the final rule. The DOL will hear comments on the proposed rule until January 17, 2025. This rule, along with many...
In a combative interview with U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, right-wing firebrand Tucker Carlson made a host of contentious and often demonstrably false claims that quickly went viral on...