The federal minimum wage is a hot topic of discussion in the offices of political leaders and at family dinner tables. Yet the wage gap doesn’t start at $7.25 an hour, but lower. That’s because people with disabilities are subject to a draconian practice called “subminimum wage.” Thankfully, this practice could end should a joint resolution (S. 533), a bill to end subminimum wage in South Carolina, receive the YES vote it deserves on the floor of the House of Representatives in the coming weeks. South Carolina could become the third state in the southeast following North Carolina and Tennessee, and the fourteenth state in the nation, to end subminimum wage.
In 1938 the Fair Labor Standards Act made sweeping reforms, for the betterment of laborers, leading to the development of today’s middle class. However, the world of nearly 100 years ago did not take kindly to the employment of people with disabilities. In a time when no opportunities were available for individuals with disabilities, the law, under section 14(c), established that employers could obtain a certificate to pay disabled employees less than the federal minimum wage. This was based on the perceived impact the employee’s disability had on their ability to perform the job. While the law might have intended for 14(c) programs to be a place where people with disabilities could learn employment skills and transfer to competitive, integrated employment, this is not what happens, lifetimes after its initial passing....
New Delhi / Atlanta: Indian-origin doctor Dr. Jitendra Patel, along with his Atlanta-based clinic Advanced Urology, has agreed to a settlement of approximately 161 crore (USD 14 million) to resolv...