With massive adjustments into consideration, federal officers need to hear from staff with disabilities about their experiences with a program that permits employers to pay them lower than minimal wage.

The U.S. Division of Labor is launching a “sequence of stakeholder engagement periods” because it embarks on a “complete evaluate” of what’s generally known as the Part 14(c) program.

This system, approved underneath a legislation that dates again to the Thirties, permits companies to obtain particular 14(c) certificates from the Labor Division allowing them to pay staff with disabilities lower than the federal minimal of $7.25 per hour.

Federal officers have been underneath strain in recent times to eliminate the subminimum wage employment mannequin, which might go away staff with disabilities incomes as little as pennies per hour.

Late final month, the company indicated that it will provoke a evaluate of this system, a transfer requested by incapacity advocates, the Authorities Accountability Workplace, the Nationwide Council on Incapacity, the U.S. Fee on Civil Rights and the Labor Division’s Advisory Committee on Rising Aggressive Built-in Employment, amongst others, in keeping with Taryn M. Williams, assistant secretary of labor for incapacity employment coverage.

The Labor Division has not detailed precisely what the evaluate will contain, how lengthy it should take or what the result could also be, however with the primary listening session scheduled this week, the company is signaling that work is underway.

“In the course of the session, we welcome your enter on vital areas of focus for reviewing the 14(c) program, experiences with choices for aggressive built-in employment (CIE), classes from states which have expanded CIE and/or prohibited subminimum wages, impacts of doubtless ceasing to subject 14(c) certificates sooner or later, and any associated points,” the Labor Division stated. “The division is enthusiastic about listening to the experiences of staff with disabilities, so we encourage employee advocates to incorporate these examples of their remarks or to ask staff with disabilities to come back share their tales instantly.”

The primary stakeholder engagement session will likely be held nearly this Thursday from 5:30 to 7 p.m. ET and is open to the general public, however registration is required no later than Wednesday.

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