Goodwill: the store that typically appeals to hipsters, people looking for sweet deals, and people who aren't the most financially well-off. After Macklemore's "Thrift Shop," thrift and consignment stores became cool again. After all, who doesn't love a good bargain? Goodwill is definitely a thrift store, and it's definitely one I avoid. The Goodwill in my hometown smells like a heavy cigarette smoker taking residence in a musty attic. That's not why I have boycotted Goodwill. I am not rich or spoiled. I love a good deal. I still brag about my senior prom dress costing fifty dollars. I have not boycotted Goodwill because I think I am above it. I have boycotted Goodwill because of the franchises's treatment of people we don't see.
Goodwill has awarded people with special needs the opportunity to work behind the scenes in sheltered workshops. In this day and age, we see people with special needs working in grocery stores, restaurants and recycling centers. Therefore, Goodwill is being gracious enough to open up another opportunity for these people, right? Not exactly. According to Section 14 C of the Fair Labor Standards Act, it is legal for "employers to obtain special minimum wage certificates from the Department of Labor." The employees' wages are determined by how fast an employee completes a task via a stopwatch. The time on the stopwatch is compared to "how long it takes a person without a disability to do the same task" (Schecter 2013). Goodwill has utilized the "Fair" Labor Standards Act to the best of its ability.They are paying a person with a disability twenty-two cents an hour,and it is completely legal. "As long as they're getting paid, right?" No.
What if this person being paid twenty-two cents an hour was your brother or sister? Son or daughter? What if it was you? How would you like to be short-changed every single day of your life because some six-seven figure earning CEO states that "the experience of work is important than the pay" (Schecter 2013). How would you liked to be evaluated by a stopwatch and have your pay be based on how fast you move? How would you like to be paid twenty-two cents an hour for anything? Saying that a population qualifies for sub-minimum wage is basically calling them subhuman. People with disabilities are people just like people without disabilities are people. Everyone in the workforce deserves at least minimum wage whether you work at the cashier at McDonald's or you work as a neurosurgeon. As an aspiring special education teacher, I cannot shop at a Goodwill in good conscience. Now that you know why, I hope you think about how the behind-the-scenes-labor is handled.
Sources
http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/3/27/go...
http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2013/07/30/...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/20/goodwill-...
