Tennessee law no longer allows for subminimum wage for disabled workers - WTVC
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — A new Tennessee law will ban employers from paying employees with disabilities less than the minimum wage.
The bill, which was signed into law by Tennessee Governor Bill Lee on April 14, removes a previous law which allowed for a subminimum wage exception.
Now, the law states "An employer shall pay an employee who is impaired by age, physical or mental deficiency, or injury, no less than the federal minimum wage."
One of the bill's sponsors, Senator Jeff Yarbro (D-Nashville-D21), spoke with affiliate WTVC before the bill's passage, saying "people have to have a shot."
In an interview with the station, Yarbro added "People who have disabilities are meaningful participants in every workforce in the country, and really the value that they bring, this is just an outdated program and outdated law. And Tennessee needs to stop allowing any businesses to use it."
The law goes into effect on July 1, 2022.
Pastors with the Southern Christian Coalition celebrated the bill's passing. Read their statements below.
“No matter where we come from or what we look like, we all deserve respect and dignity at our places of employment,” said Rev Matt Steinhauer, Retired Pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America denomination. “And it’s past time that our laws reflect the fact that people with disabilities receive equal dignity, honor, and pay for their work. In Tennessee until last week it was included in Tennessee law that people with disabilities receive less than the federal minimum wage for their work, which is not only unjust, but also unethical. So, today I celebrate that this bill was signed into law and I am grateful for the hard work of Senator Jeff Yarbro in the Senate to ensure it got the votes it needed to make it to the Governor’s desk. Micah 6:8 calls us to ‘do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God’ and today I am grateful that we are one step closer to justice for Tennesseans with disabilities. This bill is personal to me. Human beings like my son, Matt, who was born with Down syndrome, are created in God’s image and bring their own special gifts to the workplace. I am grateful their paychecks will now reflect that truth.”
“Today I rejoice that Tennessee has finally banned subminimum wages for working people with disabilities,” said Anna Caudill, Disability Rights Advocate who has spent decades navigating the system as both a mother and self-advocate. “For disabled Tennesseans this ends an economic injustice that has been the law of the land for more than 80 years, during which employers were allowed to pay disabled workers as little as $2.15/hr. Rev Howard Thurman said ‘even a person convinced of their infinite worth as a child of God can be shut out of opportunities for self-realization and fulfillment. The fact remains that for him doors often are closed. There are vocational opportunities that are denied him.’
“I am grateful we are moving toward a more inclusive system that will open the doors previously closed to one out of every eight Tennesseans. People with disabilities share in the community of the disinherited in that they must reckon with systemic factors constricting their freedom. Subminimum wages have withheld economic security from disabled workers, denying them the opportunity to realize their full potential. In workplace wages, as in education, healthcare and marriage, separate is never equal, and this law is now a step in the right direction.”
source: https://newschannel9.com/news/local/tennessee-law-no-longer-allows-for-subminimum-wage-for-disabled-workers
Your content is great. However, if any of the content contained herein violates any rights of yours, including those of copyright, please contact us immediately by e-mail at media[@]kissrpr.com.