January 27, 2025
Community Link Responds to Passage of Dignity in Pay Act
Breese, IL- On January 21, Gov. JB Pritzker signed House Bill 793, also known as “The Dignity in Pay Act” which will end 14c in Illinois by December 31, 2029. 14c refers to Section 14c of the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act which allows employers to pay a subminimum wage to workers with disabilities if the employer receives a special certificate from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). Under federal law, employers with a 14c certificate can pay disabled employees at a “per piece rate” based on current prevailing wages when their disability impacts the productivity for the specific job they are doing.
Since its founding in 1972, Community Link has been issued a DOL 14c certificate to offer paid employment opportunities to many day program participants with developmental disabilities. Community Link has partnered with several private businesses over the years to offer paid employment, mostly through packing and assembling opportunities. Operating in a community where hard work brings a strong sense of pride to many, 14c employment has remained a very popular program with the participants, families, stakeholders and staff of Community Link.
Opponents of 14c increased their advocacy efforts over the last few years. Their main concerns include the possible exploitation of persons with disabilities, the inherent unfairness of inequity in pay, and the missed opportunities of persons with disabilities to attain community-based minimum wage employment. Opponents of 14c have argued that it is an outdated two-tier wage system that lets disabled workers earn less money for their hard work.
While Community Link has continually supported minimum wage for all, the organization also realizes offering paid employment opportunities at minimum wage for hundreds of people with developmental disabilities is not economically feasible. While opponents of 14c advocated for “Dignity in Pay,” Community Link advocated for “Dignity in Work” for program participants who cited employment in and of itself as the most important issue, not the amount of the pay they receive.
Although Community Link’s strong advocacy efforts didn’t prevent passage of the Dignity in Pay Act, those efforts did lead to some key changes that improved the final version of the bill. The changes include a longer phase-out timeline (originally June 30, 2027 and now December 31, 2029) as well as Community Link’s seat, along with a few other day programs also currently offering 14c employment, on the State’s Dignity in Pay Workgroup. Community Link also has a seat on the Systems Transformation Subgroup whose focus is the identification, tracking and recommending statewide system changes to guide the multi-year plan toward the elimination of Section 14c certificates in Illinois.
Community Link views the passage of the Dignity in Pay Act as an opportunity to change and improve current service delivery methods. While Community Link will be gradually decreasing usage of 14c over the next five years, the organization will simultaneously be increasing efforts in areas such as personal, job and social skill-building. The organization will also be developing a small-group community employment program to provide integrated paid work with staff support. Community Link also looks to enhance and grow its current day program offerings in the community-based areas of volunteerism, leisure and educational opportunities.
Community Link wants to thank all the participants, families, staff and community members that advocated for the participants who wanted to keep 14c. Special recognition is shared for the efforts of State Representatives Charlie Meier and Katie Stuart whose unwavering support led to significant positive changes to the final version of the bill. The organization will be collaborating with advocates of the Dignity in Pay Act to ensure promises will be kept to provide the technical, financial, logistical and legislative support needed to defend the dignity of work for all participants seeking employment opportunities in a post-14c world.
Community Link is dedicated to enhancing the lives of individuals with disabilities through a person-centered approach that promotes self-directed living choices and community integration opportunities. The mission of Community Link is to provide opportunities for choice, growth, and independence for adults with developmental disabilities. For more information visit commlink.org.