Laying off reg workers, using prison labor instead means more unemployment.

[powderman]

American prison labor means longer unemployment lines  By Elizabeth Prann
Published September 16, 2012
FoxNews.com   

•    

  Two southeast companies that make U.S. military uniforms are shedding hundreds of jobs, as the government looks to federal inmates for the fatigues.
American Power Source makes military clothing in Fayette, Ala., but its government contract expires in October. Federal Prison Industries – which also operates under the name UNICOR will snag the work, and leave the task to inmates. FPI has the first right of refusal for U.S. Government contracts, under a 1930 federal law.
 
American Apparel, the Selma, Ala., based military clothing manufacturer closed one of its plants and continues to downsize others due to the loss of some of its contracts to FPI. According retired Air Force colonel and spokesman Kurt Wilson, the company laid off 255 employees and cut the hours of 190 employees this year alone. So private workers end up losing their jobs to prisoners.
 
"The way the law is – Federal Prison Industries gets first dibs and contracts up to a certain percentage before they have to compete against us," Wilson, the executive vice president of business development and government affairs, said. "The army combat uniform, for instance, is an item that they take off the top. As a result American tax payers pay more for it – but the bottom line is each soldier is paying more for their uniform."
American Apparel charges $29.44 per uniform, but the FPI uniform costs $34.18 – a 15 percent difference.
 
FPI has been around since the 1930s. It provides training, education and employment for inmates in federal custody. With more than 13,000 inmates, FPI operates in about 80 factories across the United States. The company is not allowed to sell its goods to the private sector -- and the law requires federal agencies to buy its products, even if they are not the cheapest.
 
"It has been going on for some time," Wilson said. "Unfortunately what comes to bear now is, as demand for uniforms begins to decrease, budgets decrease and the problem gets bigger for us. Therefore we have to lay people off."
 
FPI officials were unavailable for an interview, but the company does offer a number of statistics which dispute the criticism.
"It is important to note that FPI produces only 7 percent of the textile garments purchased by DLA.  The other 93 percent are produced by other entities,"  Julie Rozier, an FPI spokeswoman said in a statement to Fox News.
 
"FPI's percentage has remained fairly consistent over the past decade, with slight declines. FPI is a program that directly protects society by reducing crime and preparing inmates for successful release back into society to become law-abiding citizens; FPI does not receive a congressional appropriation for its operations," the statement said.
 
Inmates working for UNICOR or FPI are 24 percent less likely to reoffend and 14 percent more likely to be employed long-term upon release, according to the government company's website. More than 40 percent of Unicor's supplies were purchased from small businesses in 2011.
 
The battle between the two has caught the attention of lawmakers in Washington.
Representative Bill Huizenga, R-Mich., is sponsoring a bill which would reign in the ability to take work from private companies.
 
"We all have seen those terrible statistics, forty-plus months of 8.1 percent unemployment. We know the actions the government has taken it doesn't look like this is going to get better any time soon," Huizenga said. "Here we are having a prison population coming in and taking jobs away from the private sector - why in the world we think this is OK. I can guarantee you if this were a Chinese product with Chinese prisoners making that - we would be outraged.”
 
Huizenga went on to say the outrage amongst his constituents is palpable.
"It's just this outside entity called UNICOR or Federal Prison Industries coming in and saying sorry - that work is now ours. We are going to having prisoners doing this,” he said. “Of course they are outraged, of course they are frustrated. They are angry, they're hurt frankly that their own federal government would come in and do this to them at a time when their watching their friends and neighbors struggle with $4 gasoline and they're trying to keep their mortgage in check.”

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/09/16/american-prison-labor-means-longer-unemployment-lines/?test=latestnews#ixzz26fokvex6

[Swift One]

Prison labor is nothing new, Indiana has been doing it for years.  As with alot of states.  Inmates need and should be tasked with constructive tasks to move them through their day, other than sitting on a cell block with nothing to do. 

[powderman]

SWIFT ONE. We use them in our county too, picking up the garbage, cleaning the roads, cutting brush, etc, nothing wrong with that. It gives them cig money and helps the county. I would draw the line at using them in factories to replace law abiding workers though. Maybe I missed it but I don't reccolect what the inmates in the article are paid. Could that be the major factor?? POWDERMAN. 

[dukkillr]

Here they get something crazy, like 90 cents an hour or something.  I think some of that money is put into some kind of victim fund, although I'm not sure. 

[guzzijohn]

One needs to be careful though:


The 13th Amendment of the American Constitution in 1865 explicitly allows penal labour as it states that "neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for a crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." It is important to note that unconvicted detainees awaiting trial can't be forced to participate in forced rehabilitative labor programs in prison as it violates the Thirteenth Amendment. However the "convict lease" system became popular in the South in the late 19th century. Since the impoverished state governments could not afford penitentiaries, they leased out prisoners to work at private firms. According to Douglas A. Blackmon, it was Southern policy to intimidate blacks; tens of thousands of African Americans were arbitrarily arrested and leased to coal mines, lumber camps, brickyards, railroads, quarries and farm plantations.^[10] The state governments maximized profits by putting the responsibility on the lessee to provide food, clothing, shelter, and medical care for the prisoners, which resulted in extremely poor conditions, numerous deaths, and perhaps the most inhumane system of labour in the United States.^[11] Reformers abolished convict lease in the Progressive Era, stopping the system in Florida in 1919. The last state to abolish the practice was Alabama in 1927.
In 1934, however, federal prison officials concerned about growing unrest in prisons lobbied to create a work program. Companies got involved again in 1979, when Congress passed a law allowing them to hire prisoners in some circumstances.

[powderman]

DUK. The ones here are class D felons, they are pd very little and volunteer, not forced to work. Most look forward to getting outside and being able to interact with society. They are brought around to clear roads from storm damage, etc. It gives them a sense of accomplishment and possibly eases their mind about what they have done. I'm all for it. POWDERMAN. 

[Swift One]

Maybe I missed it but I don't reccolect what the inmates in the article are paid. Could that be the major factor??

I am sure it's far less than what a civilian worker would be paid.  Our idle offenders (ones that do nothing) make 65 cents a day.  The ones that work on out landscaping crews and in our trade shops make aorund 1.50 a day.  A job like the one in the topic would probably give them an hourly wage probably not to exceed more than a couple bucks an hour.
 
Yes, it does take jobs away from civilians.  I will absolutely agree with that.  But, it does save the company alot of money.  I look at it like a double edged sword.
 
I do believe that offenders need jobs, and the ones that really want to get out of the troubled life style they have lived, teaching them a trade has it's benefits.  I remember some time ago reading that it cost the state of Indiana about 19K a year to house one (ONE) offender. That is tax payer money.  My thought process is not about coddling a career criminal.  It's aimed towards those that still possibly have a future on their plate.  And the offenders that get jobs like these should be screened a such.

[guzzijohn]

Back in the 90s we had prisoners do a complete remodeling of part of a school. All but one prisoner was journeyman rated in their area of work. They did a fantastic job. The sad part was that almost all of them were in prison for simple possession of a drug. I thought what a waste. These guys could have been out working, paying taxes and supporting their families if the court system would have just required rehab/probation if they really had a drug problem to begin with instead of being jailed.
GuzziJohn

[Swift One]

We have offenders in our carpenter shop that can turn a 2x4 into a piece of art.  If they would just get their head's out of ther butts, alot of offenders could put their god given gifts to some quite productive work.