MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) – A joint resolution was filed last Tuesday in the South Carolina State House in hopes of ending the sub-minimum wage for disabled people in South Carolina.
Senator Katrina Shealy introduced the joint resolution to ban the use of Section 14 (c) of the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act. The certificate under the law allows employers to pay people with disabilities less than the $ 7 minimum wage, 25 per hour.
Sarah Nichols, director of public relations for ABLE South Carolina, said that if approved, a task force would come together to create a three-year transition plan to eliminate sub-minimum wages.
According to Nichols, this does not mean that someone will be fired, but it does mean that employers cannot hire anyone with a salary below the minimum.
“You probably know someone, if you’re not a person with a disability, and that person deserves to be paid at least the minimum wage like everyone else,” said Nichols. “It’s just equal pay for equal work, that’s what we’re asking for.”
Nichols now said that about 1,200 South Carolinians are paid below the minimum wage. The US Department of Labor tracks which companies are certified and how many people they employ.
It shows that nine South Carolina employers have a certificate and another 11 are pending.
The Georgetown County Disability and Disability Council has a pending renewal certificate. The executive director said they hesitantly signed up last year and didn’t use it.
However, the sister station of WMBF News in Charleston spoke to the Charleston County Disability Council, which uses its certification and employs 322 people. The council said the salary below the minimum is not bad, arguing that the project would have a negative impact on people with serious disabilities because they would not be able to find work without the programs they offer.
Nichols said they are asking senators to co-sponsor the bill and vote yes to end the federal act.
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