Does Goodwill Industries truly support people with disabilities? If you watch the video in the middle of this post, Brian Williams and reporter, Harry Smith, reveal a very disturbing component of Goodwill: wages that fall below $1.00 per hour for some employees. But did Brian Williams and Harry Smith report the entire story?
My daughter was employed by Goodwill in the 90s when she was eighteen. Lindsey initially worked there through a work-study program in partnership with the special education program at Silverton High School. After graduation, Goodwill hired Lindsey to work twenty-six hours a week–the amount of hours my daughter could mentally and emotionally handle.
For two years, Lindsey worked on the sales floor, stocking shelves, re-hanging clothes, and helping customers find wanted items. Most days she wore a blue, Goodwill-logo-imprinted vest over her T-shirt. She was paid minimum wage. They celebrated her birthday with cake and song. They patted her shoulder and said, “Good job!” Goodwill gave Lindsey a sense of purpose.
“Mom, I feel impotent when I work there,” she said.
“Important,” I quickly corrected my daughter, smiling, thrilled she’d found a niche.
“Lindsey always comes to work neat and clean,” the store manager told me. “That doesn’t always happen with all our employees. We continually educate workers on the importance of bathing and appropriate attire.” The manager said Lindsey was helpful and followed directions, “Well, most of the time,” she clarified. I knew my daughter could become argumentative; she experienced periodic public meltdowns–especially if she disagreed with a statement/a request/a directive. I’ve watched her meltdowns firsthand, many times. I worried she’d spontaneously combust in a professional environment–a concern many parents face when raising children with special needs.
But even with these “special” issues, how would I have felt if Lindsey had not earned minimum wage? I really don’t know. But I do know that I wanted her to live her best life possible. I wanted her to secure employment. I wanted her to live independently, in an apartment. I wanted her to do as much as she could for herself. Without a daily work obligation, I worried Lindsey would sit in front of the television and eat mindlessly. Yet I also understood that she was not capable of doing the same work at the same speed as some of her typical co-workers. Would I have been willing to sacrifice minimum wage for my daughter to be employed? Probably. Would Lindsey? I’d say, yes. Mainly because, at that time, Lindsey would not have understood the concept of minimum wage. Back then, my greatest desire would have been for her to learn skill sets that would benefit her in future employment endeavors.
Watch the Brian Williams report:
During Harry Smith’s interview, he spoke to high-functioning disabled adults and made the story seem to be about them. We never learned whether the lowest wage earners were able to stay on task. We never learned whether she requires an assistant or a manager to stand by her side to make sure that the work is completed? Or whether he has meltdowns? Does she talk to her co-worker instead of performing her assigned tasks? Does he forget what he was doing? Does she try to wander away? Is it possible he performs the work s-l-o-w-l-y (Lindsey is not a fast worker. Methodical, yes. Fast, no.) And are some of the individuals hired at Goodwill really doing their jobs effectively? Even after a significant amount of training? Or are they taking up space to give that individual a sense of purpose?
Goodwill’s response to the Brian Williams’ story is:
The Special Minimum Wage Certificate allows employers to focus on what workers with the most significant and multiple disabilities can do rather than penalizing them for what they can’t do. It is a tool that some community-based Goodwill agencies use to provide a safe, nurturing environment where people with the most significant disabilities can advance to reach their full employment potential — whatever level that may be. As a leading advocate for people with disabilities, we at Goodwill are always happy for a chance to further the discussion about the best ways to help people with significant disabilities enter the workforce and live happier, more fulfilled lives.
I understand that all companies must make a profit to stay in business. Goodwill included. Goodwill is a non-profit organization, but in order to continue serving workers with special needs, they need to make money. I don’t fault them for that.
So what concerned me the most about this story? Well, since Brian Williams and Harry Smith didn’t actually locate and film individuals who were making less than a dollar an hour, (an amount that seems absolutely ludicrous to me) my biggest issue was the huge discrepancy between wages of upper management and the lowest wage earners. I presumed that all Goodwill employees were earning at least minimum wage (or close to it)–like Lindsey. I donate household goods and used clothing to Goodwill because they employ individuals with disabilities. Not to make some middle or upper managers wealthy.
For my daughter, Goodwill wages supplemented her Social Security Disability income and I assume most disabled employees also receive some sort of government subsidy. The more money Lindsey earned from Goodwill, the less she received from Social Security. I liked that. She had something to do in life that kept her busy. And she loved the work. It didn’t matter that she received a smaller benefit. In my mind, it was a win/win situation.
Offering a person the opportunity to work can provide increased self-confidence and self-worth. I don’t want Goodwill Industries to fail, but I cannot support middle and upper managers earning in excess of several hundred thousand dollars (some cases in excess of half a million or more) while certain employees make a few cents an hour. That is wrong. No matter these individuals abilities, if Goodwill elects to employ them, they deserve to earn more than a handful of dollars a day.
I’ve heard of organizations that make the following commitment to their employees: the highest paid employees will earn no more than a specific percentage of the lowest paid ones. Shouldn’t all non-profit organizations make a similar commitment using a reasonable percentage in the equation? Especially if their goal is to help individuals who may not have any skill sets that match the typical job sector?
So shame on you, Goodwill. You need to fix this disparity. And fix it now. Until then, I will donate to another charity that could benefit from our no-longer-needed household goods and used clothing.
My first book, Loving Lindsey: Raising a Daughter with Special Needs will be out September 26, 2017. If you would like to learn more, click here.
