Wisconsin Prisoners to Replace Union Workers

Saturday, July 09, 2011

In Wisconsin, home of the much-maligned Republican effort to weaken the collective bargaining power of public employees, a local county is considering the use of prison inmates for community upkeep in place of union workers.

 
Racine County Jail prisoners have been limited until now to mowing the grass on highway medians, because unions stood in the way. But with the successful passage of Governor Scott Walker’s anti-union legislation, county leaders say inmates could also perform jobs like landscaping, painting and shoveling snow from sidewalks.
 
The change could be a “win-win,” says County Executive Jim Ladwig, because prisoners would enjoy “a sense of value they are helping the community,” while the government would save money since the inmates aren’t paid.
 
Those volunteering (no inmates could be required to do the work) would receive reduced sentences.
 
Earlier this year, unions in Wisconsin lost the ability to claim certain public jobs as “union-only” in addition to losing their right to negotiate how much of their paycheck goes to health care and retirement.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
 
Why Not Make the Prisoners Do It? (by James Causey, Journal Sentinel)

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