Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, July 5, 1990 TAG: 9007050095
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ELLIE SCHAFFZIN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
He remembers how he felt when he got his paycheck for the first two weeks.
"So-so. $12.14," he said.
Now Overstreet, 34, is able to make enough to contribute to his living expenses, a luxury few of his 145 co-workers can claim. Their low productivity rates and the workshop's narrow profit margin leave many of them holding consistently small paychecks.
Suffering from a deficit and claiming to be misunderstood by both its employees and the public, Tinker Mountain Industries faces troubled times ahead. Hopes for recovery, its officials say, lie with a recently approved merger with Goodwill Industries and with improved understanding and financial support from the public.
Workers at the non-profit Tinker Mountain are adults with mental, emotional and physical disabilities. Their pay rate is based on data from the U.S. Department of Labor. Tinker Mountain surveys the earnings of average workers in the area to determine a standard pay rate; workers are paid a percentage of this according to their productivity.
Tinker Mountain was criticized for its wage system when the U.S. Department of Labor filed suit against it in 1989. Saying Tinker Mountain was not paying its employees according to federal law, the department claimed workers were owed $140,000 in wages.
Tinker Mountain argued the department statutes were ambiguous. Although department sources say they do not agree the law was vague, the case was settled in March. Tinker Mountain was excused for the discrepancies in pay.
For Overstreet, whose productivity is well above average, the wage system works well. He said that at one time, he made twice the standard rate.
But Overstreet is not a typical Tinker Mountain worker. Some workers are able to make only 10 percent the current standard hourly rate, $4.17. A recent payroll listed hourly rates ranging from 45 cents to $3.95.
Recently, Tinker Mountain employees were told they would have to pay an additional $14 per month in transportation fees. Workers previously paid to be picked up at their homes and taken to work by school bus. To cut workshop costs, they must now travel to a common pick-up spot - Campbell Court in downtown Roanoke. They will continue to pay for the ride to Tinker Mountain in Troutville, but to get downtown, many will also need to pay $14 per month to ride Valley Metro.
Overstreet said he doesn't need to take the public bus to Campbell Court, but he thinks he knows how the others feel: "Mad. Angry. Irate."
At a recent evening gathering in the workshop cafeteria, about 50 workers and parents discussed the new system with Tinker Mountain officials.
Most parents and workers voiced concerns about the higher costs. Some said they would not make enough to cover those costs and would end up owing Tinker Mountain.
John Wade, Tinker Mountain's executive director, tried to explain the high cost of transportation and the low wages. "People who cannot work so fast can only earn so much," Wade said. "Yes, there's some hardship here, but it's a lot better than some of the alternatives."
Wade says much of the problem lies in perceptions of the workshop. He admits Tinker Mountain has not fully educated the public and parents about its purpose.
"They see us as an employer, when in fact, we are a service provider. We are not an income-generating company," he said.
The workshop's purpose, he explained, is to train employees to work in the community. It then places them in jobs where they can turn back to Tinker Mountain, if necessary, for support. Tinker Mountain placed 20 disabled workers in community jobs last year.
But most of the workers cannot produce at a level that would keep them in an outside job. They remain at the sheltered workshop where they cannot earn a living, but they can receive much needed help, Wade said.
"Everyone should have an opportunity for employment, to feel worthwhile, have some sense of fulfillment," he said.
He said Tinker Mountain gives this to its employees, along with medical assistance and guidance. The workshop is a place for the workers to keep busy and socialize, and counselors supervise the employees to detect crises at home.
According to Judy Patterson, director of work adjustment training, Tinker Mountain helps employees adjust to the work place and find where they work best. She said that although many workers often earn little, counselors make sure they work to their fullest potential.
Tinker Mountain employees are expected to live on supplementary income from Social Security or other sources. Still, some workers expect to make enough on the job to pay their bills. Wade says building the workers' confidence can often be misleading. It is difficult to tell them they cannot earn a living.
"That's the toughest part of the job. . . . It's tough to deal with the reality of the disability. You can say, `Look, this is what we have to offer. . . . In today's society, you can do this or go home and do nothing.' Of course, reality doesn't have any feelings," Wade said.
Wade made his way through the old schoolhouse where workers stuff crew kits with soap and towels for Norfolk Southern Corp. He pointed to a group of workers who were twisting ties around the kits.
"If we were to bid this job any higher, they would go to the machines to do the work," he said, refering of Tinker Mountain clients.
Some businesses send Tinker Mountain the overflow work they cannot handle. Others, such as ITT, supply the workshop with steady contracts. Tinker Mountain makes the cases for ITT's night-vision goggles.
"That's our most visible job," Wade said, failing to see the pun and continuing to speak passionately about Tinker Mountain's visibility. He said increased wages and expanded services have forced Tinker Mountain into a discouraging deficit.
"We have pretty much gone to all the places you're supposed to go to get money, and it's all drying up," he said.
Tinker Mountain depends on money from United Way and other organizations, including local and federal governments. They have seen minimal increases in state funding in the past and fear little or no increases in years to come.
This is why Wade is concerned with visibility.
"I think the community is the only one that can resolve these problems. . . . It's pretty much going to be up to the churches and the individuals to help us," he said.
Wade said Tinker Mountain hopes to initiate a fund-raising campaign in 1990. Wade is optimistic about a project already under way: the merger with Goodwill Industries, which employs disabled workers at several thrift stores.
Clinton Morse, Tinker Mountain's attorney and vice president, said Tinker Mountain will combine its management and rehabilitation skills with the improved cash flow from Goodwill's stores to greatly increase its services.
Although Goodwill itself is facing financial difficulties, Wade said the Tinker-Goodwill combination will bring about a turnaround for both organizations.
Morse calls the current transportation problem, Tinker Mountain's biggest financial burden, "a minor thing compared to what we're going to be able to do" after the merger.
Meanwhile, Wade said the increased transportation fee is necessary to keep Tinker Mountain in operation. "If we don't deal with this problem, we could have to close our doors," Wade said.
Wade admits the cut will take a toll on many paychecks.
"There could be some people . . . who could be breaking even," he said.
Donald Cox, 20, is one of these people. Cox suffered brain damage and physical impairment when he was hit by a car. Three months ago, when he was told to leave his mother and stepfather's home, he arrived at Judy Huffard's door.
Huffard, a hair stylist who had met Cox when he was a client, took him into her own home.
"What would you do? Shut the door and say, `Forget it, get out of here?' " she said.
Huffard has tried to find a place for Cox to work or learn for several weeks. His job at Tinker Mountain, she said, does not pay enough to get him through the month.
"He's not happy going out there . . . because he feels like it's hardly worth his while. He doesn't see any gain from it . . . but there's not anything that's any better," she said.
Wade, who must juggle the roles of service provider and of business manager, does not deny this frustration, agreeing that there are few alternatives.
"Every one of these people would be fired if they had a job out there," Wade says, motioning to the outside.
Wade wants to keep his employees inside, avoiding layoffs at all costs. Unfortunately, he says, those costs hit the employees hard.
"We are in this to be sensitive to the people, but the dollar is dictating our decision-making," Wade said.
Huffard has just begun to understand the difficulties a Tinker Mountain worker faces. She said that knowing the obstacles a disabled person encounters should give everyone something to fear.
"We all better hope that none of us who know what's going on become handicapped," she said. "We really know what we'd have to look forward to."
by CNB