The Americans With Disabilities Making Under Minimum Wage - Big Take

[SouthBayDem]

Apr 25, 2025 The Big Take | Bloomberg Podcasts
For decades, workers, disability advocates and employers have debated a program called 14(c), a section of employment law that lets companies pay certain employees with disabilities less than the federal minimum wage. Proponents say the program provides opportunities for people who might not find them elsewhere. Critics say it’s exploitative and stigmatizing.

On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg senior reporter Josh Eidelson joins host Sarah Holder to dig into the debate over subminimum wage and the future of the program under President Trump.

This story has a related article: It’s Legal to Pay US Workers With Disabilities as Little as 25¢ an Hour.

[Attilatheblond]

1. Are there still programs where goverment pays or gives tax credits to companies

that hire people who are given 'disabled' labels? Two of the 3 grocery stores in my town have only people who are developmentally disabled as boxers, cleaners, and most of their stockers. Figure they don't hire them out of kindness.

Worked for a business in Tucson that got payroll subsidies for hiring convicted felon out on parole, despite a law that paroles could not associate with other parolees. Out of 14 employees of that company were 8 parolees, and they were running drugs out of the business.

[SouthBayDem]

2. According to the IRS:

Tax benefits for businesses who have employees with disabilities:

The Disabled Access Credit provides a non-refundable credit for small businesses that incur expenditures for the purpose of providing access to persons with disabilities. An eligible small business is one that earned $1 million or less or had no more than 30 full time employees in the previous year; they may take the credit each and every year they incur access expenditures.