Under current state law, employers can pay people with disabilities less than the state’s minimum wage.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Thanks to a 2006 constitutional amendment, Ohio’s minimum wage will increase from $9.30 to $10.10 next January. Two Democratic state lawmakers want to make sure all of the state’s minimum wage workers get that raise.
Under current state law, employers can pay people with disabilities less than the state’s minimum wage. When lawmakers approved the changes in 2000, their stated intent was to open more doors to employment. But Reps. Brigid Kelly, D-Cincinnati, and Dontavius Jarrells, D-Columbus, argue the two tier system harms rather than helps.
“Frankly, if we’re really serious about giving people more opportunity for a better life, if we’re really serious about ensuring that people have access to jobs, regardless of their disability status,” Kelly said, “then we should certainly, one, not be paying less than a minimum wage, and two, we should be raising the minimum wage.”
Kelly explained they came across the provisions in a previous general assembly while working on a broader minimum wage increase. She said many lawmakers are surprised when they find out the practice exists.
But Ohio’s legislative language actually mirrors federal law. Under section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act, employers can apply for certificates to pay people with disabilities less than minimum wage. According to data from the Department of Labor, 44 Ohio companies have...
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