If you follow my website you know that I’m a huge supporter of non-profit organizations, consignment and thrift stores and even garage sales. I personally am a huge fan of our local Discover Goodwill stores and feature makeover contests every month with shopping trips to our local stores. I shop there for clothes, household goods, books, and toys. It’s with enthusiasm I tell people who compliment my outfits that “I got it at Goodwill for only $3!” But let me be clear, I do it because I believe in what they do, how they operate their business, and the many ways they help our community, not to mention the great prices! Not because they pay me or give me things for free.
Last year I got an occasional email or two sharing “stories” about how Goodwill exploits their disabled employees by paying them less than minimum wage and in some cases only pennies an hour, as low as 22 cents an hour, while Goodwill CEO’s were making half a million to a million dollars a year. I pretty much ignored the stories because I didn’t believe them and I knew that my donations and shopping helped my community, and to be quite honest, myself. I felt good about donating and good about saving money. I’ve said repeatedly, “it’s a win-win situation when I shop and donate at Goodwill.”
But over the past couple of weeks I’ve received about a dozen emails questioning my integrity in promoting a company that mistreats the disabled. These emails are a result of a NBC Rock Center with Brian Williams evening broadcast (that aired on June 21, 2013) that criticized Goodwill Industries International’s use of Special Minimum Wage Certificates as a means for training and securing employment for individuals with significant and multiple disabilities.
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
One of the primary contributors to this report was the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) who have expressed strong opposition to these certificates. So, because questions have been sent to me personally, I’m going to address some of the points the Rock Center feature made, some of the “facts” floating around on the internet and why I 100% support our Discover Goodwill stores.
A lot of what I’m writing will be my own personal opinions, along with factual information (that I’ll present in a hopefully non-boring way) from information I’ve researched. If I make any mistakes, it’s my fault and not based on anything Discover Goodwill put out there. I have tried to get as much information as possible, and have probably spent at least 20 hours on this.
** I began this article a couple of weeks ago and then put it on the back burner. I was wondering if this was even a timely piece anymore but just this past weekend I went to a party and I had someone ask me what I thought about Goodwill CEO’s making a lot of money and not paying their employees minimum wage. A timely coincidence that happened at this same party was someone walking over while we were discussing Goodwill who shared a personal story about her son’s experience working at Goodwill (which I’ll share later in the article.) And honest to God, the morning of the party we attended, I received an email from change.org, asking me to sign a petition against Goodwill because they mistreated their disabled employees in how they paid them. So I came home knowing this was still relevant and that there were still some who wondered why I was such a huge fan of Goodwill.
First of all, did you know that all Goodwill organizations are chartered members of Goodwill Industries International but each one operates independently, with its own CEO and Board of Directors? So for example, in our area, Discover Goodwill of Southern and Western Colorado is comprised of Canon City, Colorado Springs, Falcon, Fountain, Grand Junction, Monument, Pueblo, and Woodland Park. These locations operate differently than say Goodwill’s in Michigan or say Texas. Not all Goodwill’s are the same but the legal practices are.
As I began my research on how much money Goodwill pays their CEO’s and upper management, one of the first articles that popped up on my internet search and was shared on many sites was an article claiming Goodwill owner and CEO, Mark Curran, made 2.3 million dollars a year while he paid his employees pennies an hour. Wow!! Except for the fact that Mark Curran has never owned or even worked for Goodwill. Double wow!! The interesting thing about my search was that the first half a dozen articles I read, including articles from Huffington Post and Snopes actually stated this article about Mark Curran was totally false…but they copied the original story as their lead and you had to read the entire article before you found out he didn’t even exist. A lot of people will read the first couple of paragraphs without finishing a story so if you just read the beginning, you’ll think the story is true. So, in case you don’t finish this article, Goodwill is NOT a business that takes in donated items and resells them for a profit. It IS a not-for-profit organization that provides job training, employment placement services and other community-based programs for people who have disabilities, lack education or job experience or face employment challenges. Goodwill raises money for their programs through a chain of thrift stores which also operate as non-profits. And I do encourage you to finish this article.
*In America, 80% of people with disabilities do not have jobs.
Now let me address the “facts” about how Goodwill takes advantage of their employees by paying them “pennies” an hour.
The special minimum wage certificate issued by the U.S. Department of Labor, is used by more than 3,400 employers nationwide to help individuals with significant and multiple disabilities to gain and maintain employment. This certificate is issued under Section 14 (c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), and allows employers to pay commensurate wages to employees whose disabilities significantly impair their productivity, which sometimes means they are paid less than minimum wage.
*Goodwill International employs 113,000 team members. Less than 10% of these employees fall in this category.
Activists say Goodwill exploits workers with these “penny wages”. What wasn’t reported in the Rock Center feature was that the employees who fall under the Special Training Wage Certificates category, who make less than minimum wage; receive a health and wellness benefit (which includes FREE comprehensive health and dental insurance, not only for the employee but for their entire family, with no co-payments or deductible,) a case manager who among other services can also help with medical conditions the employees have, and transportation to and from work.
*Our local Discover Goodwill employs over 1,050 individuals with approximately 305 of whom have some form of disability. Thirty-nine Discover Goodwill trainees utilize the Special Training Wage Certificates. When factoring in their combined wage and benefits packages, these 39 individuals receive compensation at or above minimum wage.
On a personal note, as someone who has a member of their family with a mental disability (who does not work at Goodwill,) a lot of times those who are mentally or physically challenged, end up staying home, with no social interaction. A lot of times these individuals live at home with caregivers who have to go to work, which means they are alone most of the day. Goodwill not only offers job training and employment but it offers support and a place to go. Self-confidence is built when new skills are learned. Friendships are developed, a sense of “worth” is attained, and caregivers can worry a little less because their family member is not only working, but being looked after too. And in case you didn’t know, when those with disabilities receive financial aid like Medicaid, housing, social security disability, food, etc., they are not allowed to make over a certain dollar amount or they will lose their financial assistance. (States vary on dollar amounts.)
As I researched this story I came across lots of cases where companies abused their disabled employees physically and mentally but I didn’t see these stories on the news. One recent example: A federal jury ruled in May 2013 that Henry’s Turkey Service of Goldwaithe, Texas must pay 32 mentally disabled workers $240 million for years of abuse and neglect. The now-shuttered company’s violations of the American Disabilities Act range from physically abusing the men to packing them in unsanitary bunkhouses at night. Over 40 years, hundreds of men were shipped from Texas to work in Henry’s Iowa plant for 41 cents an hour. They were housed in a century-old cockroach-infested school building with a broken boiler, denied access to disability services, and battered with constant physical and verbal abuse by their so-called caretakers. The complaint details how injuries and requests for medical aid were ignored, restroom breaks were prohibited, while caretakers mocked the men as “retarded” “dumbass” and “stupid.”
–The jury’s landmark award of $240 million was later slashed to $1.6 million, because damages can be capped under federal law based on the number of employees affected in the claim. Each worker can recover $50,000, plus interest, according to federal law, instead of $7.5 million. The workers can also receive back payments, which average $50,000, according to court documents.
The ACTUAL Goodwill CEO, Jim Gibbons… oh, and he’s also legally blind, too.
Why am I even mentioning the case against Henry’s Turkey Service? Because to me, that was a really appalling story, based on real abuse, but it didn’t get much publicity. And I ask myself, why is it Goodwill who is receiving all the “bad” publicity? Is it because the CEO’s do make large salaries than their employees? According to the AFL-CIO, Chief Executives at some of the largest companies earned an average of $12.9 million in total pay in 2012, 380 times more than a typical American worker. Goodwill International CEO, Jim Gibbons, made $729,000 in salary and deferred compensation. Ok, you can argue, so he made less than other CEO’s but he’s (Goodwill) still taking advantage of disabled employees.
In the Better Business Bureau’s 2011 review of Goodwill’s financial statements, showing their uses of funds:
- Program Expenses = $50,942,586
- Fund Raising Expenses = $479,458
- Administrative Expenses = $3,644,262
To me, it seems like they are giving back and helping their communities more than they are becoming rich off the backs of disabled employees.
The email I mentioned earlier that came from change.org contains a message from Sheila Leighland, who is the woman who was interviewed on Rock Center. Sheila and her husband are both blind with college degrees. They were employed at Goodwill, making $3.50 an hour, hanging clothes. She said that after knee surgery, she returned to work to find her wage had been lowered to $2.75 an hour. Part of her complaint is “Goodwill determines how much money they pay disabled workers using ‘time studies’ where an employee uses a stopwatch to time how long it takes to complete a certain task and compares it to a non-disabled worker”
Well, the fact is that it’s not just Goodwill that does time studies. Certificate holders ARE REQUIRED by law to determine the wages by a time study; otherwise they would fail to remain authorized certificate holders. Hourly wages for trainees are determined through periodic assessments using standards set by the Department of Labor. At our local Discover Goodwill, wage increases are given as the individuals grow in their job responsibilities and work performance.
I honestly don’t want to sound callous but here’s my personal thought on this…I think that those who are disabled want to feel like they aren’t discriminated against, which I totally agree with, and want to be treated like those who aren’t disabled. In most jobs with non-disabled employees, there are yearly (or more) reviews where the employee’s work is reviewed and pay is based on that (among other things of course.) If Goodwill is required by law to give these time studies, then they have to comply with the law. And, at least locally, those tests usually mean a raise for the employee, not a decrease in pay. It also helps them gauge how well they are training the employees and if they are in the right “position.”
Sheila also wrote, “My husband and I feel trapped by Goodwill. They know they can pay disabled workers like us less and less because we have fewer places to go. Goodwill recently came under scrutiny for this practice of paying disabled people pennies for their labor, and defended it. I know they are vulnerable right now and could be pressured to change this practice if enough people join me in speaking out.”
Ok, again, my personal thoughts…She stated they have fewer places to go for work, which is because a lot of businesses simply don’t hire disabled employees. Remember, the Special Wage Certificates are for those who are severely handicapped, and less than 10% of all Goodwill employees fall under this category. As an employer, would I pay two employees the same amount of money if one can, say, type 100 words a minute versus someone who can type 5 words a minute? As an employee, do you want someone who makes 10 sales calls a day versus your 100 calls to make the same amount as you do? Sheila also doesn’t mention in her letter if they received insurance and transportation opportunities. I know a lot of people who work 40 or more hours a week and still can’t afford insurance for themselves or their families. You do have to factor that in, I think.
When my husband and I were at the party, which I mentioned at the beginning, here’s what the person (that voluntarily offered her and her son’s experience with Goodwill) said…
“My son, now 23, participated in a post-high-school program for 18-21 year-olds from District 49 called Elevates. This program provided job training experiences and other life skills training for individuals with special needs. My son was in special education throughout his school years.
The Elevates program was dependent on community partnerships with organizations like Goodwill to succeed. Through the partnership he was able to apply for a paid work experience with Goodwill. Goodwill had an established contract with the Air Force Academy to provide custodial services. He also received health benefits as a part-time Goodwill employee. Additionally, Goodwill provided transportation for its workers.
However, it was much more than a job. Goodwill provided personal support for the employee, as well as the employer. If there were training or other work related issues like conflicts between co-workers, or with the employee’s work performance, Goodwill assisted the employee and employer to work through the issues. This was a huge benefit for my son because some of the conditions of his disability relate to difficulties with social interaction and communication skills. He received 30-day reviews and based on these reviews was eligible for wage adjustments. There were several opportunities for merit increases and continual feed-back on his work performance.
I was most impressed with Goodwill’s focus to treat my son with respect. He worked as a custodian for Goodwill for a little more than a year. He learned a lot about the employee-employer relationship during this time and gained knowledge from the support he received from Goodwill for conflict resolution in the workplace. The benefits of this opportunity has proven to be priceless. He has received several part-time jobs since working for Goodwill. He speaks often of his experience working for Goodwill and refers back to skills taught him during his employment.”
(Thanks so much for sharing your son’s experience!!)
I think, as in any workplace, you’ll have those who like where they are and what they do, and others who don’t.
In 2012, our Discover Goodwill:
- Served 50,761 individuals
- Assisted 20,158 individuals with career services
- Placed 5,796 people in jobs with community employers; their projected annual earnings are over $45 million
- Helped 309 people at home with daily living needs
- Supported 156 individuals with disabilities who worked 179,800 hours earning $1,891,000 through commercial and government contracts
- Welcomed 1,495 volunteers who gave 36,601 hours of their time
- Employed 1,055 people
- Served 38 counties in Colorado
AND…
Diverted 33,594,000 pounds of donations from landfills
- Recycled 533 tons of computers
- Provided $171,000 in emergency clothing vouchers to 10,959 individuals in need
And in Colorado Springs, we have the first and only of its kind, Possibilities, which I have personally toured and love…
I’m sorry that Sheila and her husband feel they have been taken advantage of by Goodwill. I’m sorry that we live in a world where there are millions of workers who don’t get paid what they deserve and have challenges taking care of themselves and their families. I’m sorry that there are so many injustices done to those who don’t deserve it.
But I’m not sorry I support Goodwill, nor am I sorry I shop there and donate to it. I believe this 111-year-old social enterprise that places someone in a good job every 33 seconds of every business day tries and does help those in need. Is it perfect? No. Is every business or even person perfect? Of course not. But I believe they are helping thousands of people who might otherwise not get help.
As I end my story, I want to add that it’s not only Goodwill I support. I have volunteered at The Salvation Army, donated to ARC, donated food to Care and Share, and given money to the Red Cross. I consider myself fortunate, having all my basic needs met and try to give back the best I can. I guess I started this story because one, my reputation was questioned and two, I felt Goodwill had been given some untrue and undeserved bad press.
Lastly, regardless of whether you agree or disagree with what I’ve written; regardless if you support Goodwill or not, there are a lot of people in need and lots of opportunities to help others. So whether it’s Goodwill, or any other non-profit group, please give where you can.
For more, detailed information…
http://www.goodwill.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Goodwill-14c-Fair-Wages-Position-Paper.pdf
PS…I’ll be starting a new back-to-school Discover Goodwill contest tomorrow!
I worked at Goodwill Easter Seals for seven years and my experience was one of mistreatment by store employees. The disabled workers were not eligible for bonus’ and raises like the regular employees but worked just as hard. I became very disillusioned by the company and it’s practices toward the disabled. They didn’t treat them very well in my opinion.
Kathy…I am sorry to hear of your experience there. I’m not familiar with where Goodwill Easter Seals is located. The only stores I have been to in the past 10 years are the ones located here in Colorado and the employees I talked to seemed to really enjoy the work and friendships they made. Thanks for your input!
Hello. I’m not writing to argue, but to possibly help you understand some of the help people of disabilities receive. I like yourself know quite a bit of what I’m going to share, but also some of it may not be 100% of the true numbers. DRS (Dept of Rehabilitation Services) they provide job training, job coaching, transportation to and from work, and various other services. If the person with disabilities receives Social Security benefits and or Medicaid, their insurance is already covered. You may say that the government doesn’t have to pick up the tab, but they’re already picking up Goodwill’s taxes and undoubtedly other non profit funding. Yes, I agree for some of the workers they enjoy the friendships and I’m sure some individual stores are very kind to their employees, unfortunately that’s not the case everywhere. I understand some of the people with SEVERE cognitive and physical disabilities are grateful for a company to hire them, but once again Goodwill is a NOT FOR PROFIT organization. Explain why a person whom is blind should be paid differently? I know blind lawyers, athletes, business owners, etc. Blind individuals are blind, they only need some accommodations put in place for safety reasons a system laid out and they can do 99% of anything that a sighted person is able to do, besides maybe drive their donation trucks:) Disabilities doesn’t equal not being able to perform the job, but Goodwill and many other organizations take advantage of the situation. By the way a Legally Blind CEO isn’t impressive, it just shows he’s able to make a substantial amount of money off people with disabilities. Legally Blind to sighted individuals may seem to be a great disability, it isn’t, it’s society that treats them this way. I say all of this because I am involved with many non profit organizations that employ persons with disabilities and my own child is DeafBlind, it will be a cold day in a certain place that my child will work for those wages. She is intelligent, social, kind, and can learn anything when presented in the correct manner. Dept. of Rehab is who provides these extra services, I won’t argue that Goodwill may offer these services for some employees, but I’m sure the federal government is picking up the tab as they do with every other organization. I don’t care who wants to support Goodwill, just as people support Walmart, I just choose not to help fund their mistreatment of their employees. I hope your giveaway goes well, but just make sure you take off your rose colored glasses while you give their merchandise out.
Thanks for your input Eliza.
Just wanted to comment that here in Milwaukee I see Goodwill Industries building large, extravagant buildings on expensive real estate.
It seems to me that more of the money they make should go to worthwhile causes not these showy, high rent palaces.
Hey Todd…I’m not familiar with Milwaukee Goodwill operations but I did look up their financials and saw that they spent less than 8% on management and fundraising for 2013. I know that often land/buildings/building supplies are donated for new stores (I don’t know that for a fact with the stores you are referring to though.) Thanks for your comment Todd.
Thank you for your most informative article. I currently work for Goodwill Easter Seals at minimum wage. I work non-stop and hard for minimum wage. While I understand some people’s argument about underpaying those with disabilities, I have also lived the other side. There is no possible way that a severely disabled person could perform in a timely cost effective manner the tasks that most of the minimum wage employees do. I’m proud to work with those individuals with disabilities, but realistically, I think it’s important to help as many as we possibly can. You’re not going to find many employees who choose to have to work many times harder for minimum wage.
I worked there for three years and you are wrong. We recently lost a disabled employee due to murder /suicide who made $.40 an hour and they didn’t even reach out to the family. We throw hundreds of items in the dumpster if we don’t think they can sell. Worst company I have ever worked for.
Dee, I’m sorry to hear that. I don’t know where you live but I do believe the Goodwill stores in our area would react in a totally different way. And I’m not for sure why they would toss items. Our Goodwill stores send items that don’t sell to recyclers so nothing is wasted. I do believe, overall, they do care and make a great difference for many.
I worked at a company that shared a shopping center with our local Goodwill. Every day they set up outside the backdoor and sorted the donations from the day before. So much of the stuff was tossed in the dumpster. These were items that could have been given to the local crisis center or homeless shelter. They had big signs on the dumpster warning of prosecution for item removal. It appears that your organization is the exception and not the norm.
That’s really too bad Robin! I took a tour of one of the stores here and they actually work with companies that recycle, and then putting the money back into helping others in the community. If they get clothes or anything made of material, which are too ragged or have holes, instead of tossing (and they can’t sell) they recycle. They recycle almost everything they can’t sell, except for the old TV’s. I do wish all the stores throughout the country were as good as the ones here. Remind me where you’re located? Just curious…different areas have different CEO’s, presidents, etc. Karla Grazier is the president of the Discover Goodwill of Southern and Western Colorado and she does an amazing job. Thanks for your comments! (Hopefully more and more will recycle in the future if they don’t already.)
So in other words, “I like shopping at Goodwill, so here’s a bunch of arguments to justify it so I can sleep at night.”
True, paying employees CAN be metered based on their abilities. But it should be upward from a baseline of minimum wage. Cuz you know, minimum is SUPPOSED to be the word meaning “the least amount possible.” There’s a reason it exists, to keep this kind of thing from happening. Do you honestly think a disabled person can live on those $2/hour wages? Really? Where are your fancy calculations to share on that?
Read “The Grapes of Wrath” to see a family’s desperation at being paid so little they can’t afford housing or food, but being told they should be grateful for having a job at all.
There are federal laws that have to be followed and Goodwill does do that. I have interviewed and spoken to many, many employees at Goodwill and as with any employer, there are those who enjoy their job and some who don’t. I don’t know what state you live in but I have spent the last 4 years working with Goodwill here in Colorado and have seen all the wonderful things they do for the community and those in need. The disabled you refer to in your comment, living on $2 an hour isn’t quite accurate as they receive money and help from different agencies and in fact, can’t make more than a certain amount or they won’t be eligible for other benefits. Thanks for your comment.
The entire point of the sector was to provide training to people who were disabled and to eventually come off of disability services, hence the altered wages. Not to allow employers an unlimited amount of time to pay one person a severely altered, temporary, and fluctuating wage-point as a employment.
Do you actually know the maximum of what someone should be making per hour while under disability services? Because it’s not supposed to be judged by the amount per hour, but by the hours worked within each state. Hourly wages are only able to be legally fluctuated within a 14 (c) certificate which is why people are offended by the concept that people with mental and physical disabilities deserve less under a sliding scale (which is completely unregulated and often not able to be substantially proven within their testing procedures).
If you’re going to continue to defend your argument, please actually be informed of what you’re spreading rather than making broad statements.
Hey Farah…thanks for your input. First of all, let me just say I have a lot of respect for the National Federation of the Blind and all they do for the blind community. I did go to the site you provided and they certainly help change lives.
I reached out to Discover Goodwill of Southern and Western Colorado regarding your comment. Bradd Hafer, Asst Dir, Marketing & Communications, told me “Our organization has fully divested of the 14(C) special wage certificates and now pays all of our workers – including contract employees – at least minimum wage.”
Once Bradd told me that, well, my respect for Discover Goodwill went up even more. I support other organizations like Habitat for Humanity, the Humane Society, the Salvation Army, etc., with donations and volunteering. I think it’s great that there are so many options where we can find ways to help those in our communities who might need a helping hand.
Again, thanks for your input and have a great day!
Tammy,
I do realize and understand your arguments, but you’re also ONLY speaking from one very biased and privileged side of it. I simply cannot fathom defending any argument by using a family member’s disability.
Please seek out and research everything before you decide to use so few brief opinions of that matter.
Realistically, you’re defending the 14 (c) sector based on what the ideals of it should have been, but many branches had already phased this out even BEFORE being outed (already a sign as to why this should probably not be supported). While you could defend that the Goodwill Industries were/are using this certificate under these ideals and hopefully not for the exploitation of the mentally or physically disabled, it’s much harder to say that this work is overall beneficial as a hobby.
The 14 (c) sector of the FLSA was created to be more of a training experience- not an employment status. The results of which were proven to be only FIVE PERCENT effective.
As of September 2015, this sector from 1938 has now officially been rejected and is currently in the process of being phased out nationally to the remaining states who were still allowing it to be permitted. The Goodwill locations that were previously permitted to use this certificate now have until 2018 to phase out this outdated program and a new act that was formed with your hopeful ideas of what the 14 (c) sector should have been are now replacing it in the future.
Try reading this site I’ll link below for more information before truly holding on to your support- your personal chain may not be within blame of this exploitative nature, but you are still supporting a national chain that is supporting something that is very hurtful to very many. Would it be such an inconvenience to support another national non-profit with better employment tendencies? There are so many others.
https://nfb.org/timefactsheet
gggoodwill industries is the worst place to work for 30 years ago i worked for goodwill industries of central north carolina for 34 days i didn’t have a intellectual or developmental disability vocational rehabilitation referred me to work for them my ex vocational rehabilitation counselor judy lockhart wanted me to work at industrial services of guilford another sheltered iworkshop i said no on the bulletin board at goodwill industries read industrial services sub contracts one time i had to assemble 500 spindle adapters in one hour they were paying 0.08 for each piece assembled piece rate tammy i don’t support goodwill industries by donating anything to them i even had to take clothes out of a trailer they were ruined mildew on them they wound up in the compactor going to the landfill the cheif excutive officers are cheap skate skin flint tight wads i made41.00/hour i was bored that’s why i quit working for them
Tim…Sorry that you experienced that while working for Goodwill 30 years ago. I know that things have changed for the better. Here in Southern/Western Colorado, Discover Goodwill now pays ALL their employees at least minimum wage and provides the training and resources some might need. Thanks for your input.
correction $1/hour that’s all i made
Your article is factual and I appreciate it. What I especially appreciate is that you have stated several times that individuals have had bad experiences as they do anywhere, but this does not discredit Goodwill as a whole. I appreciate you doing your homework, not googling and posting whatever you find on the internet.
Thank you so much Tami. I did do a lot of research and I appreciate your words.
The internet is a great tool for resource and google can assist you. You still can compare articles and figure out yourself which are true or not, it sounds like you are associated with Goodwill, I sense some bias here.
Vaas, I agree the internet is a great resource for checking out information, as long as you go to reliable sources. Snopes.com is a good site to check out information and whether it’s fact or fiction. You’re right, I am a bit bias when it comes to Goodwill. I believe in what they do, they have an excellent track record and I find great bargains at their retail stores. But I don’t get paid by them to write “nice” articles. I did a lot of research on this article and stand firmly behind it. Thanks for taking the time to give your input.
There is a Facebook group about non-consumerism (which I won’t name here) that pushes Goodwill constantly. I can only wonder if there is some kind of affiliation going on there? Does anyone know. Every other post is “you should donate your things to Goodwill!” and “you should shop at Goodwill!” and “you can get one of those at Goodwill”. is anyone aware of what’s going on here? I don’t donate to Goodwill or shop there, and believe that should be my choice. At any rate, when I did go in Goodwill stores a long time ago, I never saw any people with disabilities working there. Do they make them work in the back?
Discover Goodwill in our areas provide all types of jobs for those with disabilities, matching up positions and abilities. They also provide programs where they can receive training and work at other businesses that partner with Goodwill.
Thank you, Tammy, for at least attempting to set the record straight. So many have no idea how Goodwill works and what it’s mission is. I’ve worked for them for 17 years and I’m not making anywhere what I could be making working at a for profit company doing the exact same thing. But I believe in our mission and the good we do. So many who put Goodwill down seem to always want you to go to Salvation Army because they are religiously affiliated. Goodwill is not. To some people that is all that matters.
George, thank you for your comment and for your dedication to helping others and Goodwill’s mission. To be honest, it was really nice to have some positive input on this article! Thanks and happy holidays to you.
Tammy I have shared your analysis in response to a FB post that stated Goodwill is FOR Profit. I too donate to Goodwill, along with other well deserving orgs, although I do not shop there. Everyone should be knowledgeable about the charities they support to ensure they agree with their philosophies and know how much of the funds collected are required for admin overhead. I have no other affiliation with Goodwill than as an occasional donor.
I agree with you Patricia. I always check out public pages of any organization to see what part of donations go to pay admin overhead…a lot of people would be surprised! Thanks for your comment and for all your donations that do help others.
I wanted to add a few additional facts or at least point out more to this discussion. But I do want to say first thank you for trying to debunk who the CEO is. I get tired of people thinking Curran is the one in charge. In my division (to the best of my knowledge) our CEO makes about 250k and he started with the company in 1994 and worked his way up starting as a cashier. Assuming what i know is correct, he took a significant pay cut compared to the previous CEO when he stepped in (10+ years ago).
I am currently employed by goodwill and have been with the company since 2013. I was hired by normal job interview process so I don’t feel i can comment on the specialty training programs. As a regular employee I have the opportunity to take health insurance, dental, additional life insurance, and 401K. How’s my pay? It’s not great but it is not a job that required a degree or trade skills. So i would consider my pay above most fast food chains, grocery stores, mega marts and such.
The main thing no one has commented on I wanted to point out is Goodwill will hire people with a criminal record. Not many places actively do that. Now yes you are limited in your job prospects within the company (generally if you have a felony I dont think you are allowed to handle a cash register) . But i literally have sat in my break room and had guys calling into their parole officer or doing some other kind of required check in or talking about the Half-way house they are in. So I do feel they deserve some recognition for constantly being willing to hire people who would otherwise be at a disadvantage is most other job interviews.
D…thanks so much for the additional information. Appreciate your comments and insight!
It sounds like you live in an area with a top notch Goodwill organization. However, I don’t think you can generalize your experience across the country.
As for the low wage issue, I don’t know of any organization anywhere that includes benefits to pump up pay, or as justification when sub-minimum wages are involved. Wages are wages and benefits are benefits. Benefits are not wages.
I realize that since this was originally written, the government is phasing out the special pay program. That’s a good thing.
Bill, I do live in an area where the Discover Goodwill organization is great and truly caring. I wish every city/state offered the same Goodwill experience and while I believe most do, there are people who have reached out and said it’s not always the same, depending on where they live, which happens in any business. Overall, I believe Goodwill is one of the best nonprofits around with a true purpose of helping. And you’re right about the special pay program. Thanks so much for your comments.
Let me speak from the view of a person with a disability.
I have a form of Autism. I grew up for most of my life in special ed (28 now). Everyday in school I was told how different I was as the people in special ed faced segregation from the mainstream students whether its taking the short bus to school or being in classes with no standards for education at all (IEP’s are a joke). The treatment we went through made it clear we were second class citizens. When other students went off to college I was sent to a Transition program along with the other students I graduated with that were in special ed with me.
When you grow up being told your different every day you start to believe this. I saw people that had nothing wrong in my eyes that I knew for years that could work a regular job that were sent to sheltered workshops and other programs/workplaces that had sub-minimum wage pay. One lady I knew worked 60 hours and only received a $15.00 check from her workplace. On the bus ride back home from the transition program (she was bused from the transition program in the morning to work and then back again where she rode the bus home from the school) she cried the entire ride home because of it. Imagine what its like to be her, feeling trapped by a system that constantly reinforces the idea that your not equal? Would you want that for your children?
You strive to be more and dream of a day when things will get better for you. You go to school, try to go to college, try to make a living. At the same time we are told that all men are created equal.
When you advocate for this what your doing is approving the fact that people with disabilities are valued less then people without disabilities. You agree with paying someone that has to struggle to get to work intensely; sometimes taking hours just to get to work, that they should make next to nothing. For people that work as greeters the work they do is humiliating and they are basically on display and made fun of every day. Add a .25 cent hourly wage to that and its them getting basically a slave wage to be a side show to customers of Walmart (people I knew were made fun of by customers all day. They heard condescending comments from people as they walked away and were treated as children by many.
If you want an equal society then these laws have to be abolished. If these programs really want to do charity to help people with disabilities then they should pay them a wage that isn’t disgusting and the same wage everybody else gets. These laws also guarantee the people that get this pay will never have a chance to support themselves by perpetuating a system of poverty and creating a hole that is impossible to get out of.
Lastly, people with disabilities want the same thing as everybody else. By making the wages equal for minimum wage for everybody then maybe we can start dreaming of the day when we are able to support ourselves, have a family, and not have to rely on others to help. To many, this is impossible. But to have the minimum wage equal for everybody you ensure that all are treated equal and sometimes just to have the ability to dream, that if you work hard enough your dreams might be realized. Sometimes that is all we need and you’d be surprised what the human spirit can do.
For me its simple, if you support people with disabilities then until Goodwill changes these laws then you should boycott the business as well. I understand your point with this article but as a person with a disability that knows people affected by this it hurts us very much as a people.
Chris…thank you for sharing your story. I personally have family with disabilities and have watched them grow up with others treating them differently based off what they see or how they are a bit different than others. I also have met tons of Discover Goodwill employees who have had their lives changed due to working at Goodwill. Goodwill has fully divested of the 14(C) special wage certificates and now pays all of their workers – including contract employees – at least minimum wage. Again, thanks for your input and I wish you all the best.