The Walz administration is making a push with millions of dollars in grants to help adults with disabilities move into the mainstream workforce and out of jobs that pay less than the minimum wage.
For decades, Minnesotans with disabilities, including Down syndrome, cerebral palsy and autism spectrum disorder, have toiled at menial jobs that pay less than the federal minimum wage — a practice that has long been decried by civil rights advocates as discriminatory and archaic. Under a loophole in federal law, employers that hold special certificates can pay people with disabilities based on their productivity, rather than a fixed hourly rate. Pay through this system, known as "piecework," often amounts to just pennies on the dollar.
From 4,500 to 6,000 Minnesotans with disabilities made less than the minimum wage in 2021, according to a state task force report. Many work at day and employment centers — sometimes referred to as "sheltered workshops" — that receive state funding to provide a broad range of support services.
Prodded by years of activism and a new state law, the Department of Human Services (DHS) and disability service providers have been exploring alternatives to this unequal payment system. On Friday, the department announced that nearly two dozen employment service providers across the state will receive a total of $10.5 million toward supporting adults with disabilities work in mainstream jobs at competitive wages.
The grants, funded by the federal American...
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