| By Big Radio News Staff |
A proposed Department of Labor rule could have a major impact on how a local nonprofit operates.
KANDU Industries Executive Director Kathy Hansen says the rule change would do away with the Section 14(c) certification that allows employers like KANDU to pay some workers with disabilities less than the federal minimum wage for the work they perform.
Hansen says the elimination of these certificates will force some people with disabilities to seek competitive employment.
The Department of Labor says employment opportunities for people with disabilities have vastly expanded in recent decades and that sub-minimum wages are no longer necessary to prevent the curtailment of employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
KANDU is asking people to submit comments opposing the new rule to the Department of Labor prior to the Jan. 17 deadline for public comment.
