Biden team aims to end 90-year-old disabled workers pay program
Labor Department plans to stop companies from paying disabled workers below minimum wage. The change affects a program from Great Depression times and gives businesses 3 years to adjust pay rates
Joe Bidenʼs administration started big changes to an old-time work program. The Depression-era system (that lets employers pay disabled people less than minimum wage) will soon be gone
The Labor Department finished its year-long check-up of this pay system; now theyre ready to make changes. Starting this winter employers cant get new permits to pay lower wages‚ and those who already have them get three years to fix their pay rates
The program has two sides: some say its not fair to disabled workers while others think its good for job chances. Here are the main points about this change:
- Current permit holders must switch to regular minimum wage by late-2027
- No new special wage permits will be given out
- Companies need to change their pay systems
This change is part of Bidens old campaign promise – making work fair for everyone. The government knows this might cause some push-back from business owners; they expect both legal fights and political debates to pop up soon
