Shafeka Hashash
Washington, DC
National Federation of the Blind
This is posted quite late and for that I apologize. My problem isn’t writing, it is uploading to Word and then this blog.
May 1, 2013
As research winds down and my arrangements to attend the National Federation of the Blind’s annual convention to be held in Orlando Florida have been completed I am beginning to think of the positive and negative aspects of the endeavor ahead. In particular, the issue of intersectionality is what comes to mind. I have grown up with the NFB and with its philosophy. However, something I now see after taking classes and doing NYU activist work is the intersectionality NFB is missing. The key topic of this year’s national convention and the future for NFB is the sub minimum wage campaign.
Some background information:
According to a loophole in the fair labor and standards act, persons with disabilities are legally allowed to be paid below minimum wage in the United States. Exploiters of these practices include Wal-Mart, (which is not new to rights abuses) Target, and most notably by the NFB the well known charity Goodwill. Near ten percent of Goodwill employees are disabled and a majority of them are paid below the national minimum wage. Goodwill branches in California and Pennsylvania pay employees as little as 0.22, 0.64, 1.12, and about a dozen other wages under 2 dollars an hour, and then all the ones below minimum wage. Goodwill however is a 4 billion a year grossing company with 100 stores paying employees below minimum wage while paying over 53 million to forty top executives. I have never been more involved in any NFB issue as I am with the boycott Goodwill campaign. As a student activist participating in the Students for Justice in Palestine Boycott Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign, I am thrilled to see these tactics being implemented towards discriminatory policies.
What this did bring into light is NFB’s vital need, if it ever expects this campaign to be enormous, to absolutely require teaming up with other groups and supporting other activist work. NFB has begun working with several other disability groups, but I believe their fault is in making this solely a disability issue and not a labor issue.
Nationally and globally, wages paid for labor are unlivable low. Those who perpetuate these tactics operate on the old saying, “The only thing worse than being exploited, is not being exploited.” In doing this the poverty cycle remains steadfastly in place. On a side rant, I think these people are disgusting and will never fathom their ability to remain in this world with their “morals.” For people with disabilities loopholes such as that found in the fair labor and standards act keep the disabled community perpetually in poverty.
Things that irk me (aka the arguments that perpetuate this):
- This allows disabled persons to remain on SSI
SSI was created as a means of keeping people with disabilities out of the work force by allowing them to barely scrape by, but not offering any incentive to work in a society that did not find the desire nor need to accommodate them. Again, SSI also perpetuate poverty. Additionally, one can make minimum wage working forty hours a week and remain on SSI.
- It employs the unemployable
This perpetuates the misconception that full integration and accessibility can never be achieved, and continues the process of exploitation. People are not trained to maximize their true potential, but rather to stay in that pin hole Goodwill job and remain “More valued.”
- Taking the moral stance of the company benefits the people more so than the other way around
To this I say Ha. In a capitalistic world, this company is maximizing profit by minimizing wages. This is a disgusting lie of a defense at best. The only ones who believe paying one 2 dollars a day is acceptable are those who will absolutely never face that circumstance. Also, I believe the over 4 billion in profit does not hold with their claim that their employees aren’t necessary benefiting them.
The irony: Goodwill’s CEO, Jim Gibbins, is blind!
I believe NFB would do so well to create links with this issue with those of immigrant struggles, with those of minorities with terrible socioeconomic statuses, of those of international laborers exploited by big business. I believe that the common thought of not being overtly political stands in the way of doing this, and that is unfortunate. Who knows? maybe convention will surprise me? Officially two months to go.