Although various Democrats and rights groups have advocated in recent years for disabled workers to pay higher wages, reducing certain low-wage job programs can have harmful effects on such workers.

Many workers with intellectual or developmental disabilities are dependent Minimum wage Job Programs Established in Section 14(c) of Fair Labor Standards Act 1938, allowing employers to pay workers with disabilities less than the federal minimum wage. Advocacy for various obstacles Organization and Democrat In recent years, there have been lawmakers. phone To abolish sub-minimum wage-paying duties programs and argue that they are unfair and exploitative.

But some experts have I warned Thus, eliminating minimum wage jobs actually reduces job opportunities for people with disabilities. There are a few Concerns Raising the minimum wage could raise consumer costs, leading to employers reducing employment for low-wage workers and adopting technical alternatives for workers, such as self-check-out kiosks.

“Obviously, the main problem is that there are people with serious cognitive, developmental or physical disabilities who find it extremely difficult to find paid employment within the normal minimum wage range,” Ryan Bourne, an economic expert at the Cato Institute, told the Daily Carener News Foundation. “Simply because many employers think it’s not beneficial to hire them, simply because they need to perform tasks in a modified way that is costly for the employer, due to the need for constant supervision, for a variety of reasons, because of the need for productivity challenges, for constant supervision. And if you raise their wages for the general wage for the job, if you’re an employer, you’re going to hire someone at margin that you intend to work productively without this special attention.”

In particular, people with disabilities who have recently paid wage jobs must be paid “based on the individual productivity of the workers, no matter how limited,” proportional to the wages and productivity of experienced workers with no disabilities who do essentially perform the same type of work, and at the same time “based on the individual productivity of the workers.” According to To the Ministry of Labor.

“The main problem with eliminating minimum wages is significantly reducing employment opportunities for people with the most severely disabled,” Bourne said.

Many states have introduced laws over the past few years and have begun phased out minimum wage programs. Nevada, California and Virginia. January, Democratic Illinois Governor JB Pretzker signature Bill to the law that eliminates his state’s minimum wage by 2030. (Related: It rained in the federal government while Central America watched private sector gigs disappear)

In Washington state, invoice Phasing down the 14(c) program in Washington in 2021 Supervisor Public guidance investigation The publication in 2023 revealed that 25.73% of students in states with disabilities were not enrolled in higher education or engaged in employment opportunities within a year of graduating from high school.

Furthermore, the Biden Harris administration’s Department of Labor (DOL) announcement The rules proposed in December 2024 aim to gradually phase out the issuance of Section 14(c) certificates. an Estimated 38,524 people earned subminim wages in the United States as of July 2024, according to DOL data collected by the Association of Peoples who Support Employment.

2023, roughly 789,000 US workers fell below the federal minimum wage, According to To the Labor Statistics Bureau.

“Very often these [sub-minimum wage] Bourne provides structure, supervision and training that are not usually present in a typical wage environment,” Bourne explained to DCNF. “The main reason why many families of many disabled families are extremely valuable is not because of their wage levels, but often relatively low, because they regularly work with these tasks, providing a source of self-worth, independence and structure to those who do not have many opportunities due to their disabilities.”

The total number of employed individuals with working-age disabilities has increased 1.52 million since the pandemic, up from 4.7 million in the first quarter of 2020 to 6.22 million in the first quarter of 2024. According to To DOL.

Still, many Democrats have continued to seek the elimination of subminim wage employment in the United States in recent years, including Democrat Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who wrote in December 2024. post In X, that minimum wage was “unfair” and “inhuman.”

Similarly, Democratic Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth criticized recent wages in January 2021. post X states that they are “outdated” and “exploitative.” Meanwhile, Democrat Washington Sen. Patty Murray claimed on social media. post The same month when employers who pay workers’ wages are “discriminatory” and “merciless.”

Despite recent ongoing attempts to abolish Democrats’ wages, some Republicans claim they are in favor of the 14(c) program, including Republican Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, who wrote Wednesday. post In X, abolishing the minimum wage for workers would hurt people with disabilities.

“Workshops and similar organizations such as Marva in Russellville are a real blessing for client workers, their families, clients and all Arkansan,” Cotton wrote in a Social Media Post. “Removing the 14C rule would seriously harm these hardworking individuals and their families.”

Shortly after DOL was introduced in December 2024, rules were proposed to phase out the 14(c) program, Republican North Carolina Rep. Virginia FOXX. statement The proposal would be “misplaced and irresponsible” and would ultimately hurt disabled workers.

“This is misguided and irresponsible,” Foxx wrote in a statement. “We have a lot of evidence that 14(c) does not destroy opportunities for people with disabilities, and that protects them. In states that have excluded or moved from the 14(c) program, those who were part of them are often unemployed and isolated. The Biden-Harris administration should immediately withdraw this proposed rule, as all Americans deserve to find dignity in their work.”

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