CHICAGO, Ill. – Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is signing an executive order he says will pay workers with disabilities some of the same wages as the rest of us.
Pritzker is ordering state agencies to only negotiate contracts with vendors who pay workers with disabilities at least minimum wage. Up to now, the disabled could get paid what was referred to as a “sub-minimum wage.”
“With this change, every contract the State of Illinois enters, from now on, will ensure that people with disabilities receive a wage that affirms the value of their work,” said Pritzker.
Pritzker says he can’t require private companies who use vendors employing the disabled to pay a sub-minimum wage.
“They’re not breaking the law, which is one of the issues,” said Pritzker. “There needs to be a federal law or a state law that’s passed that will get rid of the sub-minimum wage for private organizations.”
Pritzker says that’s generally non-profit organizations that pay such a wage.
The executive order also requires state agencies to re-negotiate current contracts with vendors that pay their workers such a wage.
