Goodwill is known for being a reliable resale store with cheap prices and hidden finds. For years, Goodwill has prided itself for hiring people with disabilities who may struggle to find work anywhere else. Sadly, the only reason Goodwill hires people with physical and mental disabilities is to cover up their operation.

The current minimum wage in Texas is $7.25/hour but corporations are finding loopholes and abusing employees so they can pay below the hourly minimum. After being called out for not paying employees minimum wage, Goodwill shared about how they use the subminimum wage laws. According to the Employment of Workers with Disabilities Section14(c), companies who are certified certificate owners can pay employees with disabilities less than minimum wage. This law was made to encourage business owners to hire people with disabilities who needed jobs but instead it’s being abused. Some Goodwill workers aren’t entitled to full pay and are being cheated into working for 3/hour. 

Not only is Goodwill abusing disabled employees, but they’re also profiting off of these people. The last Goodwill I walked into, the walls displayed pictures of employees, many of which had noticeable disabilities such as down syndrome. The company wants customers to think that they are doing something good for the world. The chain is officially seen as a nonprofit organization despite the fact that the CEO makes about half a million dollars a year. 

Instead of supporting companies like Goodwill, try finding local shops to support. There are thrift shops and secondhand stores everywhere including some really great ones in Houston. The “Out of the Closet” thrift chain donates 96 cents of every dollar they make, Pavement upcycles a lot of their clothes, and many local shops are family owned.