The Salvation Army faces three federal lawsuits accusing it of exploiting marginalized people under the guise of offering therapy by paying as little as $1 a week for full-time work.
The suits, filed this week in Georgia, Illinois, and New York, accuse the philanthropic organization of flouting U.S. wage laws in its Adult Rehabilitation Centers (ARC) by paying well under the $7.25 an hour federal minimum wage or overtime. The Illinois and New York complaints also allege Salvation Army violated state wage laws.
“Instead of getting support on the road to stability and recovery, participants are forced to do grueling manual labor, live in meager conditions, make pennies in wages and give up government assistance that could improve their self-sufficiency,” Michael Hancock, one of the plaintiffs’ attorneys, said in a statement.
A Salvation Army representative declined to respond to the allegations, saying in an emailed statement that it doesn’t comment on pending litigation.
In a separate, ongoing lawsuit relating to its recovery centers, the group has defended its approach, which it calls “work therapy,” as a way for people to learn vocational skills and “to help program beneficiaries become productive members of society.”
But according to the lawsuits filed on Wednesday, Salvation Army’s rehabilitation centers are little more than a low-paid labor pool used chiefly to prop up its operations.
The organization’s 120 centers see thousands of people each year, many of whom suffer from addiction or homelessness, or who have been ordered by a court to complete these programs as an alternative to imprisonment. Participants also have to relinquish any food-stamp benefits or other government aid to Salvation Army, the plaintiffs’ lawyers said.
Some of the employees at Salisbury’s SA thrift store have worked there for decades at minimum wage.
Eastern Shore SUCKS for Jobs !!! All employers here have taken Advantage of people here for
Many Years & still do !!!!
I remember working for $1.40 per hr in the early 70’s !!!! Try that sometime
I got a belly full of the salvation army when they showed their true colors about how they feel about White people last Christmas and I think their red kettles suffered because of it. They are not all they are cracked up to be.
Agreed, I used to drop a couple bucks in their buckets whenever I passed. Not anymore. There are far better options if you are looking to donate.
THEY showed they are WOKE !!!! So that Finished them with me !!!!!!
go woke go broke! shame was once a great organization. not anymore! chasing the almighty dollar like every other scum of the earth. cant serve two masters!
2:39 Now isn’t that just special? I worked for a lot less than that………………….but………so did everyone else,.
The local Salisbury Salvation Army needs to be investigated & Replace personnel. They had a meeting just after the new captains arrived and had a meeting with some of the members and advised them the seniors were: “Spoiled rotten rich seniors”. The have an employ that has quite an arrest record for assault and has served time. They fired a Director when they came to Salisbury who had been with the SA for over 18 years on trumped up charges which the parents agreed were not true. They then fired the maintenance man with no good reason other than he respected the previous Director. They called a meeting and sent calendars to all members prior to the meeting, when they arrived they were told to throw the calendars away. the female captain said the events and sharing info would be done after the luncheon. There was no meeting after the luncheon and all were dismissed. These are facts Salisbury and the Salvation Army should be investigating the Salisbury location and these current officers.