Goodwill pulls paychecks from disabled workers

[tenderfoot]

https://w3.cdn.anvato.net/player/prod/v3/anvload.html

The President and CEO at Goodwill defended her decision to pull paychecks from disabled workers:

"It really was not a job," she said. "We gave them through grace out of our budget to pay them so they had a paycheck to go home with."

CEO blames state’s minimum wage increase

An iconic nonprofit thrift store is crying poor in the face of looming payroll increases, and it is announcing plans to layoff disabled employees in order to take on the extra cost.

However, the 501(c)(3) organization pays no taxes, collects state funding, was awarded state contracts, and has special permission from the federal government to pay disabled workers well below the minimum wage floor.

Sharon Durbin, President and Chief Executive Officer at Land of Lincoln Goodwill, told dozens of disabled thrift store workers they would no longer receive a paycheck as a result of the state’s new minimum wage increase, and she warns future job cuts could still be coming to the last 11 remaining disabled employees still on the payroll.

Durbin runs the Central Illinois nonprofit branch that oversees 15 retail locations and more than 450 total employees. She wrote about “upcoming changes to the Vocational Rehabilitation Program” in a letter dated June 14th. Her letter said the program “is funded through the Illinois Department of Human Services,” but the funding “does not cover all of the significant costs of the program.”

<snip>

She explained that disabled workers are not always as efficient or as productive as a traditional employee, and the extra time and labor it takes to train and correct the mistakes of the disabled workers costs more money.

“It really was not a job,” she said. “It was a work component and through it we gave them through grace out of our budget to pay them so they had a paycheck to go home with.”

Braun, who describes his experience at Goodwill as his dream job, disputed Durbin’s characterization of his abilities. He says his managers told him he was “very high functioning” and “said they wished they had ten more of me.”

“I am very proud of my work,” he said. “I would help when I was on the sales floor. I would help customers find what they were looking for. I would help them find where the active wear was, and this and that.”

<snip>

The organization’s 990 tax documents from 2018 reveal Durbin takes home an annual salary of $164,849 plus another $6,145 in benefits.

She warned the higher wage floor would set off a “domino effect” of jobless claims around the state.”

“It is going to impact us all,” she said. “Gas prices are going to rise, grocery prices are going to rise. Jobs are going to be lost. Look at your Wal-Mart, your Meijers, your Schnucks. They are doing away with real people checking you out and they are doing more to go in the line of automation. Why is that? Because they don’t want — or can’t afford in their business model — to start paying everyone who walks in the door $15 an hour. They can’t. So what are they going to do? They start eliminating jobs, because that is the first line of defense.”

Durbin called on Pritzker to use his executive authority to halt the roll out of the minimum wage floor.

https://www.wcia.com/news/local-news/goodwill-pulls-paychecks-from-disabled-workers/

[BigmanPigman]

1. If this becomes the official Goodwill policy

I will have to add a clause in my trust/will and not allow any of my stuff to be donated to them. There are plenty of other organizations that could use donations. I will also boycott their thrift stores.

[csziggy]

5. My sister, who is a thirft store devotee, will not shop at or donate to any Goodwill

She's been clearing our mother's house and most of the items have gone to organizations Mom was involved with or to locally operated thrift stores. Not one thing has gone to Goodwill.

She has shopped at thrift stores since her college days and now it is sort of an addiction since she does not need more stuff and could afford to buy new everything. But she never liked the Goodwill stores and went to many other ones in her area.

[kimbutgar]

20. My late Mother loved going to the goodwill and as I am cleaning out her house I pledged

Not to donate anything to goodwill.

[whistler162]

41. My mom doesn't shop there and

she is also a thrift store junkie. Says nothing goes to charity.

[csziggy]

42. Originally the idea was that Goodwill trained people so they could get jobs elsewhere

I shopped at the local Goodwill when I was in college. In this town the only other thrift shops were run by churches and I ran the risk of being preached at while shopping. The Goodwill here used to train their workers to do upholstery - using donated furniture and donated cloth. The work was generally excellent, but often the patterns or colors were horrible.

But that was decades ago. Since then, I have read that Goodwill never paid the standard minimum wage - they considered their workers "trainees" and charged back the training against what they earned.

Does Goodwill Industries Exploit Disabled Workers?
Jul 30, 2013, 07:23pm
Susan Adams
Forbes Staff

For Sheila Leigland, a blind Goodwill employee in Great Falls, Montana, earning $3.99 an hour was already tough. But when the Rockville, Md.-based nonprofit wanted to cut her salary to $2.75, she decided it was time to quit. “I want to be paid a living wage for meaningful work,” she says. Blind since birth, Leigland, 58, survives on disability payments. “It’s not just me—all Goodwill employees deserve the same. They call themselves leaders in providing opportunity for the disabled, but since when did opportunity look like a quarter an hour?”

Leigland’s husband Harold, 66, a former massage therapist, also works at Goodwill, earning $5.40 an hour. No, that isn’t anywhere near the minimum wage.

The plight of the Leiglands and of other low-paid Goodwill workers has gotten some attention lately, which has resulted in a petition on Change.org that has pulled in 150,000 since late June. The petition calls on Goodwill to pay all its workers at least the minimum wage. “If you can afford multimillion dollar executive compensation packages,” says the petition, “You can afford to do right by your workers.”

On June 21, NBC News ran a television piece on “Rock Center with Brian Williams.” Salon and the Huffington Post also reported on the issue and several organizations including the National Federation of the Blind and a group called the Autistics Self Advocacy Network have called for changes at Goodwill. According to Labor Department documents dug up by NBC, Goodwill has paid workers in Pennsylvania as little as 22 cents, 38 cents and 41 cents an hour. (Goodwill says those ultra-low-wage figures are distorted because sometimes workers run into emotional or physical issues, don’t finish their shifts, and then wait for a parent or caregiver to arrive; in those cases Goodwill must still count the total amount of time the worker stays on the job, which translates to an abnormally low hourly wage.)
https://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2013/07/30/does-goodwill-industries-exploit-disabled-workers/#14d3f946a562

[Delphinus]

2. Wow!

This is not the right way.

[rampartc]

3. incredibly cruel

people donate to the good will in order to assist their disabled workers, not for this manager's inflated salary.

[dixiegrrrrl]

23. It's worse than you think...

Durbin’s son, Brian Durbin, makes an annual salary of $95,747 at the nonprofit"

CEO Sharon Durbin made $134,912 in 2014 and increased to $164,849 in 2017 (current 990).

CFO Ron Culves made $49,845 in 2014 and increased to $106,063 in 2017

Linklin sez....

I asked about that 30K increase when I tweeted her....
and her twitter page is full of Bible quotations..

https://twitter.com/DurbinSharon

[rampartc]

40. well, i'll move my donations to the salvation army

but I suppose their business models are close.

[in2herbs]

4. I will be clearing out my house in the near future and intended to donate my household

goods, etc. to Goodwill. Based on this story I'll find another outlet.

[Brother Buzz]

24. There some outstanding SPCA thrift stores around

I'm just saying.

[notdarkyet]

39. I go to the hospice store.

[Patterson]

6. The Salvation Army supposedly doesn't like LGBT people. Now what?

[SoCalNative]

9. I donate regualrly to Vietnam Veterans of America

not sure if they have pick-up or locations in your area

[Haggis for Breakfast]

28. They do, but not in all states.

Florida and California have pick-up. Washington does not. You'll need to check.

There's also PVA (Paralyzed Veterans of America), a sister-organization.

[Mariana]

16. Now what?

1. Find another organization that runs a thrift shop in your area. I donate stuff to three thrift shops/rummage sales. One supports an animal shelter, one is for a nearby church that preaches love and not hate, and the third is the Habitat for Humanity ReStore.

2. Sell the stuff yourself, and donate the proceeds to a charity of your choice, or keep it if you prefer.

3. Put it out on the curb with a FREE sign on it, and let whoever wants it have it.

There are more options, I just listed the first few that came to mind.

[bobbieinok]

25. Friend's church supports battered women's shelter, released refugees, etc

She said they can use clothing (esp women's), dishes, kitchen stuff, toys, bedding, towels.

There are probably similar churches in your area. Her church Is Congregational (now United Church o f Christ? A LGBTQ welcoming denomination). Family member attends a SoBaptist church with similar programs, but I refuse to support that denomination.

[MicaelS]

19. See if there is a Union Gospel Mission..

In your area and call and ask if they accept donations.

Many accept all types of donation including food. Some also have trucks to come to your house to pick up.

The give clothing to the homeless and other stuff to UGM residents trying to start over.

The one here in Ft Worth is one of the best in the country. Ft Worth has one of best homeless coalitions around.

[VarryOn]

7. Goodwill is no the only avenue in which to donate....

Notwitstanding their Christian roots, the Salvation Army is a fine organization that helps tons of the needy. Also, there are likely many other organization in each are that provide for the needy. I like most giving directly to a family I know has a need.That way, overhead doesnt clip their cut and everything goes to those who most need it.

Dont overlook churches, synagouges, temples, and mosques. Most of them have outreach to the neediest by providing for physical needs.

[Haggis for Breakfast]

29. The Salvation Army is NOT gay-friendly.

They are a large umbrella organization in that they support multiple agencies, however, they do NOT support any group that is gay-friendly. When I found this to be true, I asked them why. The response was that the bible does not condone homosexuality. I haven't stepped foot in a SA store since and I walk past their holiday bell-ringers with the red kettle with my fingers in my ears.

[MineralMan]

8. This is a regional Goodwill organization in

Illinois, not the national organization. That person should be summarily terminated for not serving the goals of the organization.

[Mersky]

27. +1000

[marble falls]

10. Is this Dick Durbin's wife. How much over a $100K/year does this political ...

hire make?

[LAS14]

12. I think the OP should be edited to include infor from post #8. nt

[DURHAM D]

13. NO

[marble falls]

14. I just found out, not a wife, but I would still like to know if there is a connection.

[DURHAM D]

15. Also not his daughter.

Interesting the way you went there and assumed it was a Democratic political hire.

I hate Goodwill but can't believe what you did on a Democratic website. Says a lot.

[marble falls]

17. Speaking about assumption. I want to know if this was a political hire ...

regardless of the party. I have nothing to but good thoughts about Dick Durbin, he's been a Democratic giant in Illinois and I had the distinct pleasure of voting for him 1996 when I lived in Hinsdale.

[marble falls]

22. She actually has good background for the job, but some tone deafness ...

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharon-durbin-a520279/

[blm]

31. No - she's a right wing nut. Goodwill is NOT a great charity.

The money stays at the top.

[standingtall]

11. On the bright side those disabled employees of Goodwill

shouldn't have to worry about the Government kicking them off the disability rolls sense their working at Goodwill at least that excuse should be eliminated unless they get another job. Don't think for a second the Government wont go there especially with repukes running the government.

[kimbutgar]

18. I stopped donating to Goodwill when they paid the ceo 5 million dollars

[Frustratedlady]

26. I quit years ago when I heard they paid their "clients" $0.17/hour.

Surely, that isn't still true, but I remember how mad it made me at the time because the guy who started Good Will was a millionaire as a result. So, I thought I was doing a good turn by donating nice items and he was getting richer and richer while paying the people such a pittance.

I wonder what the truth really is.

[msongs]

21. in honolulu goodwills charge retail/new prices for donated using things they get FREE nt

[eShirl]

30. what the hell

what is even the point of Goodwill anymore?

[bedazzled]

38. Separate the rubes from their stuff

And pay yourself and your cronies well

[Shrike47]

32. St. Vincent DePaul in our area provides low income housing. They have thrift stores.

[Retrograde]

36. St. Vincent is my donation place of choice

for that reason. They also provide people looking for low-income housing with household goods. They are affiliated with the Catholic church, but their services are available to all. And the people who accept the donations are a lot friendlier than those at Goodwill.

[Demovictory9]

33. ugh

[KentuckyWoman]

34. I don't see Durbin as the villian.

I think her strategy is wrong, and her choice of words could have been better. The reality is there will be cuts. Cutting workers who qualify for assistance makes sense on paper but not in public opinion.

I understand the math that went into the decision. I also think this will bite Goodwill in the butt. They don't need MORE press making them look like profiteers.

[ananda]

35. Lay her off!

I will never give to Goodwill again.

[bedazzled]

37. If people knew what goodwill is like, they would never go there

I have the misfortune of working there. It is ghastly. All it does is siphon well intentioned donations to the pricks in the offices. I had to.laugh. They proudly play a commercial about how goodwill has been the only charity on the "the Forbes most admired companies" list. This bothered me somewhat as both the donors and the customers at our store seem to despise us. They are merely feeding their shopping addiction. It took me a while to reason it out. OF COURSE Forbes-type robber barons would admire goodwill. What's not to admire...poor schmucks donate thinking they are helping someone. Their donations are processed by unfortunate slave-drones in the stores, with the profits going into the paychecks of the ceo's. What's not to like?

[Hermit-The-Prog]

43. keep the workers; fire the OVERPAID, greedy CEO

I'd be willing to bet there are plenty of people qualified for Durbin's job who would do it for half as much.

[goodhell66]

44. hard place to work for

DA for just shy of 4 months, we DAs accept anything, deny nothing. Basically the best free Garbage/Dump in Arizona. Biggest Scam in retail. PS I touch Thousands of Donations a week, I must be immune to covid being I work for goodhell.