PERRY WORKSHOP IS ON THE RIGHT TRACK

What a difference a year has made at the Perry County Sheltered Workshop in Perryville, Mo.

The mood at the workshop contrasts sharply to the mood of a year ago when its manager and three supervisors quit in protest of what they called sweatshop conditions for the disabled people who work there.

The protest by the four against VIP Industries of Cape Girardeau set up a series of events that divided the community but has the workshop back on track. It led to the appointment of an almost completely new Senate Bill 40 Board. That board ended VIP's 24-year contract to operate the workshop, and the action has significantly improved working conditions, morale and the workshop's financial condition.

The old SB40 board, which appropriates $190,000 in tax money annually to organizations that serve the handicapped, had been unduly influenced by VIP Industries, said board member Patrick Naeger, who also is a state representative and was instrumental in leading the workshop's transition.

A lawsuit brought by a former SB40 Board member led to five former board members being put back on the board. Over the past two months all but one of the five have resigned. Naeger suggested that some who resigned were uncomfortable with the new openness of board meetings, which more people now attend.

Prior to last fall, all of the SB40 money had gone exclusively to the workshop. But now, because of a more efficient operation, board money is available to other organizations that provide services to the disabled.

Daily attendance by handicapped workers has risen from 48 last year to about 60. Instead of a manager and three supervisors, the workshop now has eight full-time supervisors plus four part-timers and two secretaries. As a result, all of the disabled workers get more attention, and they aren't pushed as hard to perform work.

The workshop's average wage is $2.95 an hour, about $1 more than a year ago. The average for Missouri's 91 sheltered workshops is $1.90 an hour.

Work contracts have increased beyond the workshop's capacity. It has had to turn down a bid for work because of a lack of space, but plans for expansion of the workshop are in the works. Over the past eight months, the workshop has seen a net income of $50,567.

All of this has come about as a result of the protest by four supervisors who saw problems and set out to do something about it the only way they knew how. For that, the people of Perry County can be thankful.