[ [link removed] ]Incarcerated firefighters deserve more. Will you sign the petition to
END exploitative prison labor for all?

Dear MoveOn member,

Wildfires have ravaged California—displacing families, destroying homes,
and claiming lives. Fighting the fires on the front lines are more than
1,000 incarcerated firefighters who are risking their lives for meager
wages and without the dignity, protections, or opportunities afforded to
non-incarcerated firefighters. And they are not alone. They are among the
more than 800,000 incarcerated people who are also workers—a hidden and
exploited labor force.^1

Incarcerated people are required to work in prisons or face punishment.
The exploitative nature of these programs, which often provide minimal
training, inadequate safety equipment, and little to no compensation for
dangerous work, needs to change NOW!

[ [link removed] ]Incarceration should not equate to coerced labor or a denial of basic
rights. We believe that all workers, regardless of their circumstances,
deserve fair treatment and just compensation. It's time to end the
exception of slavery and forced labor in ALL forms. Will you sign the
petition?

Roughly a third of Los Angeles's firefighters are incarcerated, and they
earn as little as $5.80 each day, with an absolute max of $26.90 after
bonuses for active emergencies.^2 While this wage is considered high
behind bars, it's still exploitative by all measures. On these wages,
incarcerated firefighters cannot support their families, pay court fees,
or prepare for life after release.

This labor system is built on the exception in the 13th Amendment that
still allows slavery as punishment for a crime. Last year, California had
the chance to amend its state constitution to end this exception, as other
states across the country have done, but the ballot measure failed with
just 47% of the vote—one that demands reckoning now as Californians
desperately rely on incarcerated firefighters for their livelihoods.^3

[ [link removed] ]Enough! Will you sign the petition to STOP the forced labor that
incarcerated people are subject to for little to no pay?

Add your name to demand Congress pass the Abolition Amendment and end
slavery in all forms NOW! 

[4]Sign the petition

Incarcerated workers are not just fighting fires and clearing debris after
natural disasters. They are manufacturing goods, harvesting crops, and
doing the day-to-day work that keeps our country functioning.^4 And they
are doing it all without the protections afforded to us as workers, such
as minimum wage laws and worker protections. In fact, a recent study found
that the majority of incarcerated workers—76% according to one
study—report being coerced, forced to either work or face punitive
ramifications.^5 Incarcerated people who refuse to work are often beaten,
denied visits and calls from loved ones, put in solitary confinement, and
even denied parole.

The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world. Due to
racism and discrimination in our criminal-legal system, forced prison
labor disproportionately affects marginalized people. Black people are
overpoliced, overincarcerated, and overrepresented in low-paid prison
jobs.^6 This is modern-day slavery—and we have to abolish it once and for
all.

[ [link removed] ]Slavery in any form should be illegal. It's time to end the exception.
Add your name to the petition to pass the Abolition Amendment NOW!

In addition to the U.S. Constitution, 16 state constitutions also
explicitly name the exception, allowing slavery and forced labor. But many
states are working to change that. Colorado amended its constitution to
abolish slavery under any conditions back in 2018.^7 Six other states have
since followed Colorado's lead and many others have introduced
legislation.^8 There's a growing movement fighting back against this
abhorrent violation of human rights, but John, we need you to
keep up the pressure.

Unfortunately, it'll be a few years before Californians will have the
opportunity to vote on the ballot measure again—and hopefully repay
incarcerated firefighters for their heroism with the basic human right to
be protected from slavery. But in the meantime, you can take a stand for
incarcerated firefighters, and all incarcerated workers. 

[ [link removed] ]Click here to sign the petition to end the exception, and then share
with three friends to help spread the word.

Thanks for all you do. 

–The Worth Rises Team

Sources:

1. "Captive Labor: Exploitation of Incarcerated Workers," ACLU, June 15,
2022
[link removed]

2. "Incarcerated firefighters are making as little as $27 a day to battle
L.A.'s fires," Fast Company, January 9, 2025
[ [link removed] ][link removed]

3. "California voters reject proposed ban on forced prison labor in any
form," Los Angeles Times, November 10, 2024
[ [link removed] ][link removed]

4. "Captive Labor: Exploitation of Incarcerated Workers," ACLU, June 15,
2022
[ [link removed] ][link removed]

5. Ibid.

6. "Black people are more likely to be incarcerated, especially in the
South, and are overrepresented in low-paid prison jobs," Economic Policy
Institute, January 16, 2025
[ [link removed] ][link removed]

7. "Colorado banned forced prison labor 5 years ago. Prisoners say it's
still happening,” NPR, November 13, 2023
[link removed]

8. Ibid.

You're receiving this petition because we thought it might interest you.
It was created on MoveOn.org, where anyone can start their own online
petitions. You can [ [link removed] ]start your own petition here.

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