Advocate for better jobs and fair pay for disabled workers

Disabled people have the right to work in the same places and for the same pay as non-disabled people. This is nothing new – but in 2024 Some of us still earn less than minimum wage in segregated workplaces. This is called subminimum wage and is most common in sheltered workshops. It is discrimination and unacceptable. That’s why we are pushing for Congress to include the Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act (TCIEA) in the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee’s wage increase package.

The Law on transformation into a competitive integrated employment law (S.533) is a bill that would create competitive, integrated employment opportunities for people with disabilities. package is when related bills are grouped together. In this case, the HELP Committee’s markup package contains many labor-related bills. We want TCIEA to be one of them! It’s more likely to pass as part of a package than on its own. We also want more Senators to cosponsor the bill. (Cosponsor means that a Senator supports a bill. Bills with more cosponsors are considered more popular.) Here’s how you can take action:

First, see who your senators by entering your state here.

Then, Check if your senators are on the HELP committee. Check here if you are on the member list.

If one of your Senators is on the HELP Committee, Call the Congressional Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to be connected to your Senator’s office. You may say, “Please connect me to the office of Senator (first and last name).”

Once you are connected to your Senator’s office, you can use our script:

My name is (your full name) and I am from (your city). I am a constituent of Senator (name). I am calling to ask Senator (name) to add the Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act (TCIEA) to the Senate HELP Committee’s workforce markup package.

TCIEA would help states and businesses provide good jobs for people with disabilities so we can be professionally active and more financially independent. New Hampshire, Maryland, Vermont, Arkansas and Oregon All show an increase in employment rates for people with disabilities since they moved from a wage below the minimum wage to fairly paid employment in the community.

People with disabilities want to work and TCIEA would help us achieve that goal. I would like to ask the Senator to include TCIEA in the HELP Committee’s workforce surcharge package, ensure its passage this session of Congress, and co-sponsor TCIEA if he has not already done so.

If one of your senators not There are other steps you can take in the HELP Committee. You can call the leaders of the HELP Committee, Chairman Sanders and Ranking Member Cassidy. Their contact information is:

Chairman, Senator Bernie Sanders (202) 224-5141 and
Ranking Member, Senator Bill Cassidy (202) 224-5824.

You can use this script to plan what you will say:

My name is (your full name) and I am from (your city). I am a constituent of Senator (name). I am calling to ask Senator (name) to add the Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act (TCIEA) to the Senate HELP Committee’s workforce markup package.

TCIEA would help states and businesses provide good jobs for people with disabilities so we can be professionally active and more financially independent. New Hampshire, Maryland, Vermont, Arkansas and Oregon All show an increase in employment rates for people with disabilities since they moved from a wage below the minimum wage to fairly paid employment in the community.

People with disabilities want to work and TCIEA would help us achieve that goal. I would like to ask the Senator to include TCIEA in the HELP Committee’s workforce surcharge package, ensure its passage this session of Congress, and co-sponsor TCIEA if he has not already done so.

Wondering what to expect from calling your elected officials? Check out this guide to calling your members of Congress. If you can’t make a phone call, no problem—an email works too! You can find your senators’ contact information on their websites.

Please call us or send us an email as soon as possible! Together we can create more good jobs for people with disabilities and abolish the minimum wage. It is high time to offer disabled workers integrated and equal jobs.