This is kind of a mash-up post…I’ve got a short review to share, and then I’m also going to answer a reader question.
The Review
I recently received a one-pound bag of Flavor Of The Earth Ceylon Cinnamon 
to try out.
Although I didn’t realize this before, the cinnamon we buy here in America is made from the cassia tree, and that’s not exactly true cinnamon. In small amounts, the cassia cinnamon is safe to use, but some people use cinnamon in much larger quantities for its health benefits. If you’re among that crowd, ceylon cinnamon is a safer choice because cassia cinnamon contains far more coumarin than ceylon cinnamon.
I don’t consume copious amounts of cinnamon, so I was more interested in the taste of it than in the coumarin levels. So far I haven’t used it in baking, but I’ve stirred it into my chai and made cinnamon sugar with it (for sprinkling on hot cereal).
The ceylon cinnamon has a much lighter color and a more subtle flavor than cassia cinnamon. It’s tasty, but I don’t know that I think it’s better than the cinnamon I’m used to-it’s just different.
So, if you eat lots of cinnamon for its health benefits, I’d say the ceylon cinnamon is worth paying more for, and if you enjoy trying different spice flavors, you may enjoy branching out and trying a different cinnamon. But if you just use cinnamon here and there, the regular stuff (I particularly like the Saigon cinnamon they sell at Costco) should do just fine.
The Question
Kristen,
I’m an avid reader of your blog and also a frequent Goodwill shopper. This morning I came across this article in Milwaukee Magazine that I found rather unsettling.
I knew that Goodwill offered job training and hired disabled workers, but I was not aware that on average disabled workers are paid $4.30 per hour. Wondering if you already knew about this practice and what your thoughts are on this?
Thanks,
Katie
I hadn’t seen that particular article, but I’ve seen some similar ones here and there. To be honest, I’m not entirely sure what to think.
I mean, on the one hand, it IS really awesome that Goodwill provides employment to people who wouldn’t otherwise be able to be employed in the community, and also really great that they can get training and medical care.
So, I’d say that what Goodwill is providing is significantly better than nothing.
On the other hand, it does seem that the CEO and other high-level people in the Goodwill industry could spare a little of their pay to make things a bit more equitable for their employees.
Does this make want to stop shopping at Goodwill?
Not exactly. If I were to stop shopping at Goodwill, I’d have to stop shopping at a lot of other stores whose CEOs rake in the big bucks while their employees make very little. I’d also need to completely stop shopping at stores whose inventory is made by people who are paid low wages (a.k.a. most stores in America).
Should the disabled Goodwill employees be paid more? Probably. But it would hardly be more noble of me to shop at a store stocked with sweatshop-made clothing.
Which brings me to the other reason I’m not going to stop shopping at Goodwill: by stocking used goods, they’re offering us the opportunity to breathe new life into cast-offs and by buying used goods, we can obtain some of the things we need without depending on newly manufactured goods (which have a negative environmental impact and which are frequently produced by people who aren’t treated fairly).
So at least at this point, I feel like the good that Goodwill does outweighs the bad, and I think shopping there is, at minimum, as least as ethical as shopping at standard American retailers.
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I’m really curious to hear what you guys think about the Goodwill issue…please do share your thoughts in the comments!
Connie
Monday 17th of March 2014
As a parent with a disabled daughter I have to say that I am on the opposite side of the fence as Amanda. While. I too, would love for my daughter to be considered "equal" in all respects, when it comes to her abilities to perform in a workplace, sadly she is not. Hence she benefits from our equitable social system that provides an equitable income that she herself does not have the ability to earn. The funding for this income comes from the taxes paid by her co-workers and employer as well as the rest of the tax-paying work force in our country. To demand that these people should be required to pay her the same wage as her fully-functioning counterparts to me seems ludicrous and greedy.
Amanda
Saturday 15th of March 2014
For those who believe that having any job, even at below minimum wage, is ok because people with disability receive other benefits and they are happy just to have a job, I'd draw your attention to the article in today's New York Times detailing the disgraceful abuse of the supported wage system in Atalissa. I am by no means stating that Goodwill treats their staff with disability in this way: what I am saying is that this system is by it's very nature discriminatory at its heart, and making a case on the basis that people with disability would not be employed elsewhere, are happy to have a job, or receive other benefits is nonsensical. You cannot justify discrimination by arguing that someone would be discriminated against if that system was not in place. In the NYT article. The townspeople of Atalissa believed that the men with intellectual disability were genuinely happy in their employment - they only discovered many years later that they were suffering decades of financial and physical abuse.
This conversation has genuinely upset me, I have to say. As a parent of a young lady with disability it concerns me that well-meaning people would think that she should have fewer workplace rights than non-disabled people. I encourage you to consider your workplace behaviour. Are you 100% productive at all times? Do you waste time in the workplace chatting, checking Facebook or the internet or otherwise wasting your boss' time? No person is 100% productive. The premise of the system is flawed. I have worked with people with disability who are more productive than the so-called 'productive' workers and yet who are paid 20% less simply because the law allows it on the basis of their disability. I hope as more cases make their way to court, these laws will go the way of Jim Crow and others. And yes, I'm very disappointed in Goodwill.
robin
Thursday 27th of February 2014
I have a few friends who are mentally disabled (i.e. down syndrome) and I work teaching life skills (social skills, keeping track of money) to young mentally disabled adults, who are generally considered unemployable, but are employed at various jobs (not Goodwill) for about half of the minimum wage in our area. Quite often 2 disabled workers will share one job and the wages that go with that position, be it packing groceries at stores, working in the kitchen at restaurants, folding clothes and organizing at second hand stores. The pride of being employed and making money is invaluable to their sense of self-worth and happiness, plus they often enjoy sharing a job with a friend. I would fear that employers could not provide this employment opportunity to these individuals if they were forced to pay more.
Karen Catalano
Sunday 23rd of February 2014
Hello, I know this is in response to an older post, but I was cleaning out my email, found this and felt compelled to comment on the Goodwill workers' wages. I work for Sonoma County Office of Education in Northern California, in a program which trains students aged 18-22 y.olds in work-experience. Our students are paid a 'training' rate of pay, which is arrived at by comparing their work with that of non-disabled workers. Their pay starts at $4/hr and tops out at $8. I believe Goodwill Industries applies a similar formula in arriving at their wages for disabled employees. Also, bear in mind that folks with disabilities receive other sources of income assistance due to the nature of their disability. I hope this is of some help.
Kristine
Friday 14th of February 2014
Hi! I wanted to hopefully shed a little light on the goodwill issue. My brother worked for a long time in a sheltered workshop and it enabled him to move into part time employment in a regular workplace. These types of employment are so important, and not just for the job skills they provide. Individuals who work in a sheltered workshop, like goodwill, are also on federal disability and Medicaid. If they were to hold a full time job, or be paid minimum wage, they would lose all their benefits, which are essential for their living costs, and to keep many of them in the group homes they need! Also, what goodwill is offering isn't just money, but it is a sense of purpose and accomplishment. Please support organizations like goodwill, because these workshops are far and few between, and we could use more of them!