Under state deadline, SC employers phase out subminimum wage

[TexasTowelie]

COLUMBIA — Angela Greene spent 20 years making as little as pennies an hour for cleaning houses.

The Columbia resident worked for a so-called sheltered workshop, which are employers allowed to pay people with disabilities less than minimum wage under a federal waiver. Her biweekly paychecks ranged from 50 cents to $3.50, depending on how much work her boss said she did.

With less than a year to go until the Legislature-set deadline to phase out subminimum wages, some companies have already done so or have plans in the works. A task force of advocates is studying what needs to be done to meet the August deadline and will likely seek money from the state budget to help.

More than 1,000 people with disabilities work for less than minimum wage at 17 sheltered workshops in South Carolina. In some cases, they are paid pennies an hour for work that ranges from cleaning to manufacturing, such as applying labels to bottles or assembling mouse traps.

Read more: https://scdailygazette.com/2023/11/22/under-state-deadline-sc-companies-phase-out-subminimum-wage/

[underpants]

1. Good. Goodwill takes full advantage of this

I know in Virginia but probably elsewhere too. Colonial Williamsburg used to have an exception like this but I’m not sure it was tied to disabilities.

[jimfields33]

2. I just hope the program continues and

companies don’t stop hiring them. That’d be a shame. Yes it’s awful they took advantage but it did good in some areas that I hope continue.