Letter to Daniel Tangherlini, Administrator of the General Services Administration - Saving the Jobs of More Than 100 Blind or Visually-Impaired Utica-Area Residents

Letter

Dear GSA Administrator Tangherlini,

I write today to express my support for the AbilityOne Program and ask for the federal government's adherence to the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act in light of the General Services Administration's (GSA) decision to close the depot system for storing and distributing commonly used supply items.

The AbilityOne center located in Utica, NY--called the Central New York Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired--is of particular concern to me. AVBI is the largest single provider of employment for people who are blind, visually impaired, or have significant disabilities, such as blindness, and currently employ over 40,000 individuals at over 600 community-based non-profit agencies across the U.S. I am a proud supporter of the AbilityOne Program and the terrific work they do to provide employment and other services for persons who are blind and disabled. AbilityOne revenue is also a critical sustaining source of funds for the entire CABVI organization, which employs a total of 220 employees in the greater Utica and Central New York region.

In light of the GSA's decision to change the way in which it procures and distributes federal supplies, sales at Utica's CABVI's AbilityOne have dropped from $1.8 million to $1.1 million in the last year, putting the entire operation -- and the jobs -- at risk. At the CABVI facility in Utica, 20 of their blind or visually impaired manufacturing employees in the AbilityOne program make several different SkilCraft products, including file folders, rubber bands, flashlights and other office supplies. These 20 employees make these products, which are directly distributed under the GSA commercial distribution system. These 20 people are now at risk of losing their jobs immediately due to this privatization. In the long term, this privatization could also jeopardize all 100 jobs if the entire program is put in danger. A number of the non-profits in Upstate New York that are a part of the AbilityOne Program and produce SkilCraft office products have expressed concern to me and my staff that this privatization of supply distribution will result in less over-sight to ensure that agencies are complying with JWOD and will hurt their business.

While I understand the need for a smarter procurement system, the federal government cannot overlook requirements in the process. Losing these jobs would be a huge blow to the entire Utica community. CABVI pays its employees well above the minimum wage and provides comprehensive benefits. The American Foundation for the Blind estimates that 70 percent of people with sustained vision loss are not working and nearly 50 percent of this population lives in poverty. The AbilityOne Program provides participants with high quality job opportunities who would otherwise rely on public assistance allowing these people to be active members of their communities and productive members of society. What's more, many CABVI employees who start working at the facility in Utica learn skills and move on to advance in their career, either in different capacities at CABVI or in the private sector.

I urge you to work with stakeholders to develop additional tools and resources that federal agencies and government offices can use to ensure that they are correctly adhering to the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act which states that SkilCraft and AbilityOne products must be prioritized over and not substituted by commercial products in federal purchases. I acknowledge that the GSA is committed to supporting the AbilityOne program and urge you to recommit to the requirements set forth by the JWOD Act. The consequence will be hundreds of layoffs and furloughs for persons who are blind, visually impaired, or severely disabled but whom otherwise can and want to become wage earners and tax payers who have personal and economic independence.

Again, we implore GSA to work cooperatively with the AbilityOne Commission and National Industries for the Blind (NIB) to find ways to deliver real value for the federal customer through the availability and delivery of AbilityOne products and services and increase employment for persons who are blind and severely disabled.

Sincerely,

Charles E. Schumer Kirsten Gillibrand
United States Senator United States Senator

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