SANTA ANA : Board to Raise Pay of Disabled Workers

Citing a moral obligation to treat all people equally, the Rancho Santiago Community College District board has decided to raise the pay of four disabled workers to minimum wage, despite a legal and commonly accepted practice of paying the disabled less for certain tasks.

After a lengthy debate, the board voted 4 to 3 to increase the workers’ hourly pay from $1.75 to $4.25, retroactive to last Aug. 1. Trustees Brian Conley, Pete Maddox, Mara Brandman and Mike Ortell supported the move, which will cost the district an additional $2,857, while trustees Carol Enos, John Raya and Shirley Ralston opposed it.

The board made its decision on Monday as part of its approval of a contract with the United Cerebral Palsy Assn. of Orange County, which employs the janitors at the district’s Centennial Education Center and provides jobs for the severely disabled countywide. Rancho Santiago provides funds to UCP, which in turn pays the employees.

A report to the board states that UCP is licensed by the state and federal government to pay disabled workers a varying percentage of the minimum wage based on their productivity. For example, a worker performing a job at 50% of the speed of an average worker can be paid half the minimum wage. Rancho Santiago’s wage increase will remain effective through the length of the contract, which expires May 31.

Although some immediately hailed the district’s decision to pay more, others said it could backfire and harm the people it is aimed at helping.

Maddox, who proposed the pay hike, said paying a sub-minimum wage to workers simply because they are disabled was unethical and immoral.

“These people are exactly that--people. Regardless of their ability, you can’t tell me that they want anything less than anyone else,” he said. “We as a society have to say at some point that enough is enough and put an end to this.”

Raya pointed to a UCP official’s concern that workers might lose their motivation to improve their work if they are stripped of the incentive of better pay. Also, if minimum wage becomes the standard pay for disabled workers, potential partners in the UCP program might be forced to hire fewer workers, leaving some disabled people with no employment, he said.

Raya also pointed out that the workers technically are employed by United Cerebral Palsy, not the district, and said that board members should trust the organization to do what’s best for its clients.

“If you are going to take a moral stand, you ought to look down the line a ways and make sure you’re not hurting their opportunities. I do not want to see this (UCP) program jeopardized.”

Charlotte Hester, UCP’s work activity program coordinator, said Tuesday that although full-time disabled workers could lose government benefits if they exceed certain income limits, she emphasized that the workers at Rancho Santiago are part-time employees and would probably not be harmed as a result of the higher wage.

“It’s nice to know that our clients will be making more money. I’m delighted. This is the first time this has ever happened,” she said.