Ohio: Ire Over Inmate Labor Plan

[madmom]

Ohio wants to use prisoners to replace Statehouse janitors and groundskeepers who were laid off because of budget cuts, angering a labor union. The state board that operates the building says it will probably use two inmates to do grounds work and another five for night cleaning. The union, the Ohio Civil Service Employees Association, which represented the laid-off workers, filed a grievance on Wednesday. “These aren’t phantom jobs — these are real jobs, real people,” said Sally Meckling, a union spokeswoman. The union said it was wrong to substitute inmate labor for union workers.


http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/17/us/17brfs-IREOVERINMAT_BRF.html?_r=2&ref=us



this is the entire article

[Hello_Kitty]

1. Prisoners: The next frontier in cheap labor.

And just think, when they bring back debtor's prison, we'll all have jobs! :sarcasm:

[Hannah Bell]

2. So wrong. Indentured servitude, union-busting, low-wage competition.

I can't believe this is my country.

[Indy Lurker]

3. In Illinois

or at least local counties fines can be worked off as community service at $6 per hour. If you do a good job, you get "double hours" which equates to $12 per hour.