Push for fair pay may hurt Scottsdale program for people with disabilities
SCOTTSDALE, AZ (AZFamily) — The façade of the Scottsdale Training And Rehab Services (STARS) center may be unassuming and even the work that’s being done inside, refurbishing people’s old remotes may not be riveting, but it’s the people behind the work that’s doing more than bringing new life to old remotes.
It’s giving people like Jacob Teeters a purpose.
“Jacob doesn’t read. Jacob doesn’t write,” Victor Teeters, Jacob’s father said.
Victor Teeters uprooted his family in Ohio and specifically moved to Phoenix because the state was still offering a certificate known as a 14c.
“We made a conscious decision to find a program for Jacob, something that not only gave him a little bit of money which is great. The money is great but more importantly is training him to be a good coworker,” Victor Teeters said. “We had several county officials ask us not to come to their state because it was so difficult and there were so few programs it would just be one more person in the state that was on a waiting list.”
In 1938, 14c certificates were created through the Department of Labor under President Franklin Roosevelt.
It allows companies to pay people with disabilities subminimum wage, which means a company can pay someone anywhere from a few dollars an hour to more than minimum wage.
The intent was to encourage employers to hire people with disabilities.
In December 2024, under then-President Joe Biden’s administration, the Labor Department pushed to end it.
J.J. Rico, CEO of Disability Rights Arizona, aligns with that measure.
“People with disabilities are clearly in the community and they are clearly employable,” Rico said.
Rico is also the father to a son with disabilities.
He feels people with limitations, despite their setbacks, deserve at least minimum wage.
“I think that we have to educate these employers that the person with disabilities is employable first. You have to educate the employer that a person with a disability actually has a higher retention rate, that there’s value to hiring someone with a disability,” Rico said.
Claudia Chavez doesn’t negate that. As the executive director of STARS for the past 13 years, she has seen the benefits of the program and the importance of giving people with disabilities a paycheck and purpose.
She agreed with Rico and said despite disabilities people with limitations do deserve a fair wage, but it’s not so cut and dry.
“I think part of the problem is the term subminimum. It’s not subminimum. It’s an adjusted wage. What we’re doing is we’re paying based on the ability at the time and as our individuals get better they progress above the minimum wage,” Chavez said.
Chavez has seen progression within the program and people move onto jobs outside of STARS and she applauds that, but said it’s not the path for everyone.
“We have seen several individuals where they will have an opportunity and unfortunately, they are not able to succeed,” Chavez said.
Christopher Forrest fell into that.
He’s been with STARS for more than 20 years. His mother, Sam, said the proposal of higher pay doesn’t outweigh the experience he receives through programs that operate under a 14c.
“Christopher has a two-hour-a-week job in the community, and he cherishes that, but it will never grow to more than two hours,” Sam said.
If the Department of Labor gets its way and ends 14c across the country, Chavez said STARS will lose $1.5 million in funding and would have to let go of nearly 40 participants.
Christopher and Jacob could be part of that loss. It’s one their parents say is far more detrimental than losing a paycheck.
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