NCD statement on DOL proposed rule ending 14(c) subminimum wages

NCD statement on DOL proposed rule ending 14(c) subminimum wages

For Immediate Release

December 3, 2024

WASHINGTON - Today the National Council on Disability (NCD) issued the following statement in recognition of the U.S. Department of Labor's notice of proposed rulemaking:

NCD is heartened by the important step forward the U.S. Department of Labor took on the issuance of its proposed regulation to end the payment of subminimum wages to people with disabilities - a long standing recommendation initially proposed by NCD in its 2012 report, National Council on Disability Report on Subminimum Wage and Supported Employment, where NCD called upon policymakers to phase-out Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act, while implementing a conversion or transformation strategy that would expand opportunities to transition away from the segregated subminimum wage model perpetuated under 14(c).

NCD's follow-up investigation, published in our 2018 report, National Disability Employment Policy, From the New Deal to the Real Deal, found no improvement to the program and reiterated our previous recommendations again calling on policymakers to phase it out.

The Council continues to advise for a bipartisan approach to implement this systems change, modernizing business and program models away from the outdated subminimum wage model to one supporting opportunities for all to enter competitive integrated employment.