PRISON INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX PETITIONS
Art by Puppy Teeth
Abolish Prison Labor in the USA
Prison labour is a form of modern American slavery used by multiple large corporations across the world. Under the 13th amendment to the United States Constitution, slavery was merely reformed rather than abolished.
An example of one of the most extreme cases of prison labour happens in Texas and Florida, where prisoners are forced to work in fields without any pay. Companies like McDonald's, Wal-mart and many more use slave labour to cut down on production costs despite being more than able to use other ways. Racial justice in the USA cannot be achieved until prison labour is abolished completely.
Direct link to companies to avoid suggested by creator of petition:
Allow California's Prisoner Firefighters to Work Professionally After Release
Stop the use of prison labor at the University of Maryland.
Maryland Correctional Enterprises (MCE) contracts Maryland prisoners to manufacture goods without fair compensation. The average prisoner makes $0.20 an hour—well below Maryland’s minimum wage of $11 an hour—with up to 80% of these wages being withheld to fund “room and board” costs. MCE’s incarcerated employees earn at most between $150 and $200 a month.
But while these men and women may work alongside professional firefighters now, once they get out of prison, their criminal record will make it virtually impossible for them to get hired as city or county firefighters.