Work Experience Program, a
New York City welfare program that assigns
menial
jobs to welfare recipients. This
workfare program was
created by Mayor
Rudolph Giuliani in
1995 under the auspices of the
Welfare
Reform Act. In order to receive welfare benefits,
even for a short period of time between jobs, benificiaries must "
work off their
welfare": work for the city at
minimum wage until their weekly check has been worked
off.
Typical jobs include sweeping the streets, answering phones, and cleaning bathrooms.
In many cases, WEP workers displace unionized city employees. However, since WEP workers
are not legally considered workers, they do not receive Social Security, earned income tax credit, or
sick leave. The city splits the welfare payment with the federal government, so overall,
NYC pays about $1.80 per hour of work.
Consider the following:
-
WEP workers get no choice of hours or place of employment, and they often work in dangerous
conditions. At least two WEP workers have been killed on the job or returning from assignments
such as cleaning Central Park at 3 a.m..
-
Although people who are unable to work may receive welfare without working, a disability is not
enough. The welfare beneficiary must be so disabled that he or she cannot work at any WEP assignment that a caseworker comes up with, so being deaf and missing an arm may not be enough.
-
School and job training do not qualify for WEP. Work-study may qualify as WEP hours,
but only if the benficiary supports children. In general, WEP is not an opportunity
for the worker to build new skills.
There are many theories of how
welfare can be improved.
Indentured servitude does not seem to be the right direction.
Like
prison labor, it is a
disingenuous,
cynical attempt to force
underprivileged people
to work at below-minimum
conditions and
compensation.