Wisconsin Autism Empowerment

Hello,

For those of you I haven’t met, my name is Jules Good (they/them) and I’m the Programs Coordinator at the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN).

A bit of background information: We’ve been working to end subminimum wage and improve conditions for disabled workers. Right now, there are two ways to do that: with regulations and with legislation.

Regulations are rules that government agencies make. Legislation is a bill that could become a law through Congress. There is a regulation (a proposed rule) and legislation (a bill) about disability employment that we want to see succeed, and we need YOUR help to make it happen! 

The Regulation:

The Department of Labor is thinking about passing a rule about Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act, which is a law about employment. Section 14(c) says that some employers can pay disabled workers less than minimum wage. We want the Department of Labor to get rid of 14(c). One way we can tell the Department of Labor to get rid of 14(c) is by setting up meetings with the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA). Learn all about 14(c) and OIRA meetings with our new YouTube video! If you have questions about the video, 14(c), or setting up an OIRA meeting, feel free to reply to this email and I’ll be happy to talk to you!

My coworker, Nina Stoller (they/them) is presenting a webinar about 14(c) on October 8th at 4pm EST/ 1pm PST / 2pm MST / 3pm CST. Register to attend if you want to learn more and have a great opportunity to connect with other advocates who care about this issue!

The Legislation:

The Senate is thinking about passing a bill called the Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act (TCIEA). TCIEA would give states money and training to help employers pay all disabled workers at least minimum wage and stop separating disabled workers from nondisabled workers. Learn all about TCIEA with this Plain Language Explainer.

We need more Senators to support TCIEA so it has the best possible chance of becoming a law. To talk to your Senator about supporting TCIEA, follow the steps in our Action Alert. You’ll notice that we’re targeting Senators in certain states. If you live in a state we are not targeting, please let us know if you know self-advocates in the target states who might be interested in contacting their Senator. If you or someone you know wants help setting up a meeting with your Senator, reply to this email and I’ll be happy to talk to you! 

Note: It’s important to remember that the legislation (TCIEA) and the possible regulation (a new rule about 14(c)) are different things, even though they are about the same issue. We want both things to pass to have the best chance of getting rid of subminimum wage and unfair conditions for disabled workers.

Please feel free to forward this email to anyone you know who might be interested in taking action or learning more about these issues. Thanks for reading!

Jules Good (they/them) Programs Coordinator (202) 722-2364  Autistic Self Advocacy Network Make a Donation | Become a Member