Talk about working for peanuts, try making license plates for as little as $0.10 per hour.
Freshman State Sen. Zellnor Myrie (D-(D-Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Gowanus, Park Slope, Prospect Heights, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, South Slope, Sunset Park) and veteran Assembly Member Nick Perry (D-East Flatbush) today announced plans to introduce legislation in both chambers of state government that would raise the prison minimum wage to $3 per hour.
Dubbed the “Prison Minimum Wage” act, (A1275/S3138), if enacted the bill would mark the first raise for incarcerated people since 1993. People who labor in New York prisons earn as little as $0.10 to $0.65 per hour, yet incarcerated people in state prisons have to pay for phone calls, stamps, and other necessities that are essential to maintaining a connection with their family and increasing their quality of life.
“Incarcerated people are human beings. They deserve to be treated with dignity and to share in the fruits of their labor. The fact that New York’s incarcerated people contribute tens of millions of dollars in revenue to the state and haven’t gotten a pay increase in more than a quarter century is unacceptable, and this legislation will change that. Justice for incarcerated people in New York is overdue,” said Myrie.
Currently the majority of people incarcerated in state prisons are required to work six hours per day, five days per week. At the same time incarcerated people do not have the right to form unions, or are not protected by federal or state minimum wage laws, and they are not eligible to receive workers compensation if they are injured on the job.
Besides the aforementioned making of every license plate in New York, workers in state prisons manufacture a wide range of goods that are provided to municipal and state agencies. This includes desks, trash cans, furniture, textiles, and more — all for “Corcraft,” which is the brand name for the state-run Division of Correctional Industries.
“New York must lock up and throw away the key on the exploitive practice of condoning prison slave labor and restore the human dignity of men and women serving time in our prison system,” said Perry. “Their labor powers an industry in our state which generates upwards of $50 million, but the indignity, and immorality of our continuous violation of the human rights of these persons in our prisons is debasing to us as a great state and nation that respects and values humanity.”
Joining Myrie and Perry to announce the legislation were co-sponsors Sen. Alessandra Biaggi (D-Bronx) and Sen. Jessica Ramos (D-Queens), along with advocacy groups and unions.
“The Prison Minimum Wage Act will allow incarcerated people to provide for themselves while they serve their time and help them succeed after they’ve served their time,” said Ramos.
“I am proud to stand with Senator Zellnor Myrie in doing the right thing and co-sponsoring this bill to raise the minimum wage for incarcerated people, and I will continue to work with Senator Myrie and my colleagues to improve living conditions for incarcerated people,” she added.
If passed and Gov. Cuomo signs the measure, raising the prison minimum wage to $3 per hour will keep it in line with four other states: Nevada, Alaska, Maine, and Kansas.
