Man who hired over 1000 people with disabilities backs the Opportunity Act
OTTAWA, ON – Today Carleton Member of Parliament Pierre Poilievre announced that Randy Lewis, a former Senior Vice President of Walgreens who employed over 1000 workers with disabilities, endorses the Opportunity for Workers with Disabilities Act:
"I am pleased to announce today that Randy Lewis has endorsed the Opportunity for Workers with Disabilities Act, which will allow workers with disabilities to earn more in wages than they lose in clawbacks and taxes.
"Randy's autistic son taught him the amazing and under-utilized potential of workers with disabilities. His job as Walgreens' Senior Vice President gave him a chance to do something about it. He hired over 1000 workers with disabilities at Walgreens' mercilessly competitive distribution centres, where they earned the same wages and performed the same work as everyone else.
"His book, No Greatness Without Goodness, recounts the touching story of a mother breaking into tears when her adult disabled son came home with his first pay cheque, which was bigger than either of his parents had ever earned. Passing the Opportunity Act will give thousands of people the pride and independence of a job, and what Martin Luther King called 'the dignity of labour.'"
Mr. Lewis' endorsement reads:
"I am the father of an adult child with autism who works full-time. I am also the former Senior Vice President of Walgreens who hired over a thousand people with disabilities in its distribution centers. Eliminating disincentives through the Opportunity Act is a good first step toward increasing one's desire to participate in the workforce. However, if we are to substantially increase the desire to work, we also need to eliminate the fear of not being able to restore benefits quickly should employment not be successful and also ensure that the financial benefits of working exceed the financial benefits of not working."
Randy Lewis
Former Senior Vice President, Walgreens
The Opportunity Act
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