Premium Essay

Minimum Wage Dispute

In: Business and Management

Submitted By tbird09
Words 387
Pages 2
Tavares-Clearly define the issue.
The ethical issue Team D researched was that, is it right for employers to pay disabled employees below minimum wage and that it should be a minimum rate according to the price of living for the area in which they reside and or work. Recent reports have shown that disabled veterans and younger adults are working below minimum wage in government non-profit businesses. Some of them are even working for less than a dollar per hour. Goodwill, Sertoma Centre and sheltered workshops just to name a few. These businesses are regulated by the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, a law originally intended to encourage the hiring of veterans with disabilities. It allows companies — including some federal contractors — to pay, based on how productive a person with disabilities is compared to a nondisabled worker doing the same task (2014 NPR…). We as a team believe that this situation is unethical towards the disabled employees. They should be able to make just as much as a nondisabled employee and grow within the company in regards to their performance and physicality.
Tavares-What seems to be the basis of the issue?
The basis of the issue is that companies are taking advantage of disabled workers being that their veterans or just regular civilians trying to make an extra income to survive. We feel as though new laws need to be put in place to compensate the disabled workers from working for pennies on the dollar. These workers are being exploited via the federal law called the Special Wage Certificate Program, which permits nonprofits and companies to obtain a certificate that allows them to hire disabled workers “based on their abilities” at whatever wage they find appropriate, with no minimum (By Kirsten Gibson, Guest Contributor for Think Progress June 24, 2013…). Families argue that the little government assistance they do receive every

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Employee Engagement

...factors. E.g… wage settlements. Labour market situation. Company’s nature and size. etc. Pay structure consists of certain grades. Scale and range of pay in each scale. Each scale has aminimun and a maximum limit. Jobs places within a particular grade carry the same value though the actual pay in a grade depends upon length of service and or performance of the employee. Pay structure in India generally consists of the following components. 1- Basic wage/salary 2-Dearness allowance (D.A.) and other allowances. 3- Bonus and other incentives. 4- fringe benefits or perquisites. Hard variables • Salary • Augmented pay- overtime, extra pay, one time stuff • Indirect pay –things needed for work, uniform allowance, etc. • Parks pay – discount on company’s products, etc. Soft variables • Opportunity for advancement • Opportunity for growth • Psychic income – doing personally meaningful work • Quality of life – workplace flexibility, work-life balance • The X-factor- special individual variables like bringing a dog to work. 1. Basic Wage The basic wage provides the foundation of pay pocket. It is a price for services renderd. It varies according to mental and physical requirements of the job as measured through job evaluation. In India, basic wage has been influences by statutory minimum wage, wage settlements, and awards of wage boards tribunals pay commissions, etc. (a) Minimum wage- Minimum wage is that wage which is sufficient...

Words: 1336 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Case Study

...cultural, and ethical challenges that confront Nike’s global business are child labor laws, wages, and outsourcings of manufacturing. Nike sweatshop labor case like those described in “Nike: The Sweatshop Debate” has agitated a large sum of controversy over business ethics. The first case illustrates how Nike has inadvertly managed to oversee that those companies they subcontract do not follow international labor laws, including those pertinent to the country the employees are working from. An example is the employee Lap, interviewed in the article. The employee is exploited, “Her basic wage, even as sewing team leader, still doesn’t amount to the minimum wage . . . . She’s down to 85 pounds. Like most of the young women who make shoes, she has little choice but to accept the low wages and long hours. Nike says that it requires all subcontractors to obey local laws; but Lap has already put in much more overtime than the annual legal limit: 200 hours.” Another evident situation that challenges business ethics is the cultural depreciation in the countries where Nike contracts with manufacturer subcontractors. Countries like China and Indonesia close to non-existent labor laws, “The majority of Nike shoes are made in Indonesia and China, countries with governments that prohibit independent unions and set the minimum wage at rock bottom. The Indonesian government admits that the minimum wage there does not provide enough to supply the basic needs of one person, let alone a family...

Words: 853 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Industrial Violence in India

...The incident is the worst-ever for Suzuki since the company began operations in India in 1983. Since April 2012, the Manesar union had demanded a five-fold increase in basic salary, a monthly conveyance allowance of  10,000, a laundry allowance of  3,000, a gift with every new car launch, and a house for every worker who wants one or cheaper home loans for those who want to build their own houses. In addition to this compensation and normal weekend/holidays, the union demanded the current 4 paid weeks of vacation be increased to 7 weeks, plus each worker have 40 days allowance of sick and casual leave - for a total of 75 days. Initial reports claimed wage dispute and a union spokesman alleged the incident may be caste-related. These claims were however denied by the company and the police. Maruti said the unrest began, not over wage discussions, but after the workers' union demanded the reinstatement of a worker who had been suspended for beating a...

Words: 4411 - Pages: 18

Premium Essay

The Employment Standards Act

...standards for employment throughout our province, as well as allowing both employees and employers to be protected by these standards in the case of a dispute (bclaws.ca, 1980). The act includes regulations which outline employee’s rights with regards to such things as minimum wage; overtime and vacation pay. It is imperative for human resources professionals to understand this Act - as it not only protects organizations legally, but it helps to “attract, retain and engage diverse talent required to meet operational performance commitments…” (Dessler and Cole, 2, 2008). This act ensures employees are treated fairly and are offered opportunities to flourish in their place of work - the regulations on Vacation pay within the Act exist to promote an employee’s emotional health and happiness, as an example. Why are they needed? These regulations exist to ensure equality to all employees in our provinces and to protect against discrimination due to sex, sexual orientation, race, disability or religion. For example, every BC worker is entitled to receive $10.25 an hour (with the exception of liquor servers) under the minimum wage section of the act (labour.gov.bc.ca, 2012). This means that employees of British Columbia will receive this wage regardless of their sex, race, ethnic origin, etc. Furthermore, regulations such as minimum wage ensure that all BC residents can earn enough to maintain a healthy quality of life while inflation and economic shifts affect the cost of living in...

Words: 1041 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Expectations of Foreign Investors in Terms of Labor Laws

...Human Resource Management Project Report on Expectations of Foreign Investors in terms of Labor Laws India, like other countries worldwide, is experiencing the effects of globalization. In order to make conditions friendlier for investors, there is a need for adaptability. Labor legislation, such as the Indian Disputes Act and Contract Labor (Regulation and Abolition) Act, are now under debate, along with issues concerning special economic zones. Submitted by: Introduction There has been a steady expansion of foreign investment in recent decades. The upward trend is particularly strong for less developed countries, signifying the increased importance for these countries of FDI, as well as the increased presence of multinational firms. Alongside the expansion of FDI have risen concerns regarding competition between countries or regions to attract FDI. After adopting new economic policy by government of India in July 1991 many foreign investors came in the Indian economic scene because the government of India gave many incentives to the foreign investors. So it is clear that government opened the doors of Indian market to foreign investors. With more companies operating internationally, the impact on various business functions and labour laws in India is becoming more pronounced. Globalization...

Words: 4053 - Pages: 17

Free Essay

Industrial Disputes

...Industrial Disputes Industrial disputes are conflicts, disorder or unrest arising between workers and employers on any ground. Such disputes finally result in strikes, lockouts and mass refusal of employees to work in the organization until the dispute is resolved. So it can be concluded that Industrial Disputes harm both parties employees and employers and are always against the interest of both employees and the employers. An industrial dispute is simply a disagreement between employers and workers. Industrial disputes are manifested in strikes (withdrawal from work by a group of employees) and lockouts (refusal by an employer or group of employers to permit some or all of their employees to work). These disputes are mostly represented by trade unions. It is a disagreement between workers and management over pay, working conditions, hours of work, etc., especially one that includes strikes (workers refusing to work). 1 Causes of Industrial Disputes The causes of industrial disputes can be broadly classified into two categories: economic and non-economic causes. The economic causes will include issues relating to compensation like wages, bonus, allowances, and conditions for work, working hours, leave and holidays without pay, unjust layoffs and retrenchments. The non-economic factors will include victimization of workers, ill treatment by staff members, sympathetic strikes, political factors, indiscipline etc. Wages and Allowances Since the cost of living index is increasing...

Words: 6688 - Pages: 27

Premium Essay

Claim: Critical Analysis of Worker's Benefit of Protection by Milton Friedman's Free to Choose

... Claim: Critical Analysis of Worker’s Benefits and Protection as Presented in Milton Friedman’s Free to Choose. In Chapter eight of his popular Free to Choose, Milton Friedman takes on labor unions and government intervention in labor markets. He disputes the commonly held notion that labor unions and government spending are the cause of improvements in the living standards and wages of workers over the 19th and 20th centuries. He argues that because only “3 percent of workers” were members of unions as late as 1900, and because government regulation of the labor market was minimal prior to the New Deal, these two factors clearly had a limited role in the improvements in workers’ standard of living (228). Instead he points to the idea that when “no one”—or the invisible hand of the market—is instead responsible for protecting workers and improving their lives, workers see the most benefit. Friedman’s conclusion is that workers lot will improve most if the influence of union and government is reduced (247). Since 1980, when the book was published, there has been a steady decline in the percentage of workers who are members of labor unions, while the minimum wage has fallen behind inflation, effectively decreasing. Given that situation, it is possible to evaluate Friedman’s main prediction, as well as his component arguments in light of the new evidence. Friedman argues that the term “labor” is used to elide the fundamental conflicts...

Words: 855 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Cipd

...face of any nation. Urban slums were suddenly over run with people willing to work, often found that the limited number of jobs available meant that the factory conditions worsened. Employers discovered that desperate people would be willing to work for very little in bad conditions. As the conditions became worse, the number of people willing to work increased. Governments were forced to take notice of the conditions that frequently resulted in death and dismemberment of employees.  When conditions of this nature exist, wages begin to go down. Required work hours go up, and some vulnerable members of the population are exploited. Historically, the first group to get exploited is women. Women worked twelve or more hours a day, for very little pay. Child labor was rampant. These conditions are still in place in some countries that do not have labor laws. The purpose of employment law was to correct these conditions. Early employment laws created fair wages and limited the number of hours that people worked in a week without being paid for overtime. Age limits were set to prevent child labor. As the value of labor...

Words: 555 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Hr Compliance

...WHITEPAPER ON GLOBAL WORKFORCE COMPLIANCE. -Under the guidance of Faculty -Dr.Prof.Savita G.R (Asst.Prof.HR -Prin Welingkar Institute Of Management and Research, Bangalore) By: Ankita Shrivastava Student Of E-business We School,bangalore WHITEPAPER ON GLOBAL WORKFORCE COMPLIANCE- EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Organizations are expanding at a great pace today. Mergers and Acquisitions have also increased many folds. With this there is the need for organizations to maintain a checklist of statutory, legal, business and domain specific compliances. Statutory compliances mainly includes compliance to minimum wages, ESI Act, PF Act, Apprentices Act, Contract labour Regulation and Abolition act, Industrial disputes Act, Payment of gratuity act, Equal Remuneration Act, Employee State remuneration act etc. At the organizational level, domain based compliances are also important. With organizations looking into more of mergers and acquisitions, the role of human resources is very vital to manage the cultural and language barriers. With this the objective of this paper is to throw light on various compliances to be ensured at the statutory level, role based and domain based level. OUTCOME: The outcome of this project is a recommended framework for Global HR Compliance with respect to legal, statutory regulations, employee leave management systems, role based compliance , organizational compliance and domain based compliances for any business during global expansions...

Words: 3507 - Pages: 15

Premium Essay

Ajxtynrtnxrnj

...this booklet:• Part One outlines the new grievance and disciplinary procedures, the new ACAS Code of Practice and changes to Employment Tribunal procedures• Part Two outlines the main changes made to the National Minimum Wage (compensation, enforcement and powers of investigation) as well as new regulations aimed at better enforcing the NMW in relation to agency workers• Part Three considers the strengths and weaknesses of the so called “ASLEF Amendment” introduced in response to a European Court of Human Rights ruling that unions should be free to determine their own rules. http://www.ier.org.uk/publications/employment-act-2008 | Summary of the Employment Act 2008The Bill contains proposals to reform existing law covering industrial relations and employment protection. Key areas * Repeals the Employment Act 2002 (Dispute Resolution) Regulations 2004 which were intended to reduce employment litigation, but had unintended consequences in practice * The statutory dispute resolution procedures will be replaced by a new non-regulatory system; a package of measures to encourage early/informal resolution of employment disputes possibly with increased support for the involvement of Acas * Clarifies and strengthens the enforcement framework for the National Minimum Wage * Clarifies and strengthens employment agency standards to address some of the concerns about vulnerable workers * Changes the relevant labour law to ensure compliance with the European Court of Human Rights...

Words: 288 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Minimum Wage Debate Report

...The government should increase the federal minimum wage because it will not affect the employment, it will to protect/ help the poor, and the rich have an advantage over the poor. On Forbes, Harvey said, “And there appears to be something of a consensus: changes in the minimum wage have little to no impact on employment (Harvey, 2).” Harvey means that if the minimum wage were to increase, or decrease, then that would have no effect on employment. Apparently, people agree to that because statistics shows it, so why is the government hesitating when there are no costs and that they can help benefit workers? John also wrote, “Rather, they are only suggesting that such a revision would allow the law to do what it was designed to do in the first...

Words: 253 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

The Burma Road Riot in Nassau

...a) Write a detailed account of the Burma Road Riot in Nassau, Bahamas. The Burma Road Riot started because a labor dispute in the Bahamas. It was an attempt to end economic, political and social injustices in The Bahamas. According to Source A, “the 1942 riot in Nassau or the Burma Road Riot in Nassau was a short-lived spontaneous outburst by a group of disgruntled labourers, and occurred against a background of narrow socio-economic and political policies.” This occurred at a time when local black workers demonstrated in a violent manner against discrimination of wages paid to them. They were paid less than that of the highly paid American workers who were all engaged in the construction of huge airfields for the U.S. Army, at Oakes Field and Winsor Field, simply known as “The Project.” During this time, there was a lot of Political unrest in the colonial Bahamas related to political rights, labor rights, and race relations. This all started during World War II (1939 – 1945), when Americans began to set up military bases in Nassau, which was advantageous because of the clear skies for training of airmen and the clear water for training in under water skills. Permission was sought from the British Government for military bases to be built in several Caribbean countries. In the Bahamas, with lend-lease arrangements, permission was given for the U.S firm, Pleasantville Incorporated, under supervision of the U.S Army Engineering Department, to construct two bases at New...

Words: 2697 - Pages: 11

Premium Essay

Marketing Plan

...Level 41 Suite A Menara Maxis KLCC, 50088 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Tel: 603.2055.1888 fax: 603.2161.2919 MEMORANDUM MINIMUM WAGES AND FOREIGN WORKERS IN MALAYSIA Introduction The Malaysian economy provides employment to a significant number of foreign workers from neighboring countries including those from Indonesia, Bangladesh, Philippines and Myanmar. In recent times, there have been calls from certain quarters for the increase of wages of foreign workers such that they are on par with wages offered to local workers. It is said that in the long term, this will help to ensure that the wages of foreign workers do not result in lower wages for local workers. While most sectors of the economy, including the manufacturing industry, readily acknowledge the contribution of foreign workers to the Malaysian economy and wealth creation, there have been some concerns about the effects of the proposed wage increase. The fundamental obligation of an employer is to pay the agreed wages in return for work performed. This obligation is dependent upon the employee being ready, willing and able to perform the work at hand. Generally, the quantum of wages are agreed between employers and the individual employees. An appropriate wage is intended to attract qualified employees to perform the work required, to motivate employees to perform at a consistently high level, to encourage them to improve their skills, abilities and knowledge in order to improve job performance and for the long term...

Words: 1639 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

Exploiting Human Dignity

...social economic force. It shall protect the rights of the workers and promote their welfare” (Philippine Constitution Art. II, Sec. 18). Ideally, the law must side with the workers since they are practically powerless and voiceless in the face of capitalist industry. Labor exploitation is the inhumane cost of gaining national economic prosperity which is truly appalling and must be condemned as an ethical response to this unjust act. This paper aims to explain and provide an exposition of the exploitation of the labor sector and that these acts of exploitation must be greatly opposed. The concrete acts of labor exploitation that are opposed in this paper are contractualization, circumvention on provision of employment benefits, inhumane wages and other unfair labor practices. The Agony of the Labor Sector: Context and Issues at Hand Why and how does labor exploitation occur? The very injustice done to the labor sector begins with the problem of the materialistic conditions of society. There is a phenomenal misappropriation of capital, land and other material goods which in turn give rise to an imbalance distribution of power to the population. Due to the accumulation of power and wealth to only a small portion of the population, there is an imbalance in terms of power and the means of selfdevelopment. The...

Words: 2425 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Improving Transparency: H&M’s Code of Conduct in Bangladesh Factories

...IMPROVING TRANSPARENCY: H&M’S CODE OF CONDUCT IN BANGLADESH FACTORIES Prepared for Jennifer Ward, US Public Relations / Communications Director H&M Prepared by Public Relations Specialists H&M October 7, 2015 MEMORANDUM TO: Jennifer Ward, U.S. Public Relations/Communications Director FROM: Murphy Kane, Public Relations Specialist; Kathleen Ashcraft, Public Relations Specialist DATE: October 7, 2015 SUBJECT: H&M’s Code of Conduct in Bangladesh Factories We have prepared the report that you requested on H&M’s code of conduct used in our garment factories in Bangladesh. After some initial research, we have found that H&M has a well-established code of conduct that would meet the standards of the average U.S. consumer, which is the market into which H&M is looking to branch. The issue that H&M faces is the average consumer’s perception that every company outsourcing to Bangladesh has the same inferior standards as the Bangladesh government. The solution rests upon H&M’s ability to focus more clearly on brand management. Consumers need to be reassured that H&M’s standards for working conditions are not the same as those of the Bangladesh government. H&M’s public relations team in the U.S. should focus upcoming press releases and social media blasts on explanations of H&M’s code of conduct. Additionally, H&M’s new ad campaign...

Words: 4937 - Pages: 20