Inmates at B.C. prison aim to create union to address their rights as workers

[OnlinePoker]

Source: Yahoo

Inmates at a B.C. prison are in the final stages of applying to create a labour union, saying the historic event would be a first in Canada.

Their lawyer Natalie Dunbar says organizers at Mountain Institution in Agassiz are trying to sign up members for ConFederation, Canadian Prisoners' Labour Union, Local 001.

SNIP

Read more: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/inmates-b-c-prison-aim-create-union-address-20110304-112432-964.html

---

I have a hard time with this. These guys are in prison and are concerned about their rights, but what about the rights of those they've victimized? The last line of the article says similar efforts were done in the U.S. and U.K. Were they successful?

[provis99]

1. If they're workers, they deserve a union.

that's the bottom line. Frankly, maybe it will keep these rotten corporations from exploiting prison labor the way they do in China.

[SkyDaddy7]

7. Whatever...That is going too far...They are prisoners!

They should be treated humanely but they DO NOT DESERVE the right to Unionize! LOL! That is absurd!

Actually that is the kind of absurdity that gives the Right Wing ammo to makes us on the Left look unhinged!

[bemildred]

2. If they work, they deserve a union.

If you want them to pay good restitution, they have to make good money.

[Xithras]

4. Prison unions aren't usually about wages.

Prison wages are usually fixed and can't be negotiated up. And it's not like they can strike.

Prison unions are usually more concerned with workplace safety issues and work hours. Many prisons have facilities with outdated equipment and lack even the most rudimentary safety features. I was told once, for example, that the workers making license plates at Folsom prison weren't even allowed to wear safety goggles for the longest time.

[bemildred]

5. That can be changed too. nt

[bergie321]

3. So they don't deserve a safe work place?

What about victimless criminals?
Wouldn't better wages = more restitution?

[Kingofalldems]

6. K and R all Pro Union threads

[ttwiddler]

8. Absurd

The two parties, the administration and the prisoners, could never bargain with any semblance of equality because the prisoners are not the equals of the administration. They are their charges. This is not a situation of a bunch of people combining together to match the bargaining power of the company, this is a case of a bunch of people who lost their bargaining power due to criminal convictions.

There is a real concern about the work conditions in prisons. Organizing is not the solution to that concern. It would make the entire process a joke because, even if someone bothered to try to do it, a prison union would be toothless. Prisoners are not free. In order to make a prison union function even semi-effectively, one would have to break down the control measures inherent to a prison. That is just ridiculous.

[fittosurvive]

9. Why not let them join a real union?

Inmates who have exhibited the desire and motivation to turn their lives around should be afforded the opportunity to become apprentices, journeymen, etc. and develop their skills in work release programs for the duration of their internment. Accordingly, a fair portion of their wages should be set aside so that when they are released, they will have a realistic opportunity at a second chance.

Don't misunderstand--murderers, rapists, and others who commit acts that completely annihilate the lives of others, must have their pieces removed from the board of life forever.