John,

Last week, the California State Senate agreed there is urgency to provide dignity to incarcerated workers by voting in favor of California Senate Resolution 69 (SCR69) with ZERO opposition. Thanks to the leadership of Senator Steven Bradford, the advocacy of people in our community, and the commitment of our coalition - incarcerated workers in California are a little closer to earning a dignified wage. Will you join us to celebrate this major victory?

Incarcerated workers inside of California State Prisons work as electricians, conservation camp crew members who help to fight fires, carpenters, cooks, and in many other skilled labor roles. In these jobs they earn sometimes less than $1 per day. It’s time we alleviate the financial burden this places on families and award them fair compensation. California SCR 69 addresses the urgency to transform the earning potential of incarcerated workers by raising the pay scale and providing adequate compensation for our brothers and sisters behind bars and their families. 

Approximately 42,000 incarcerated individuals in California state prisons work full-time and earn less than a dollar an hour. Nearly 65% of families become unable to pay for their basic needs when a member of their household goes to prison. And 70% of those families are raising children. The time is NOW for a transformation on rehabilitation and how we treat our brothers and sisters behind bars. 

“We hope this is the start to a comprehensive and humanizing change to California’s wage system for incarcerated workers. Incarceration does not justify inhumane compensation.” - Esteban Nuñez, #cut50 State Policy Director

As we head into the California State Assembly, we hope you will continue standing up for incarcerated workers. But today, join us in celebrating this big achievement.

In strength & solidarity,

The #cut50 team