As L.A rages, didn’t realise how many inmates serve as firefighters. This 2018 article, with a former Clinton aide quote, is pretty shocking. The law in California has been changed to allow employment after release now but not sure how successful. https://reason.com/2019/06/13/union-battles-inmates-who-want-to-work-as-firefighters/
Just to point out, the…
Just to point out, the Reason Foundation is a right-wing "libertarian" organization, but it is indeed unfortunate how prison labor is currently being exploited to fight the LA wildfires.
On a similar note, it's also a bit concerning that there seems to be a fair number of people celebrating the fires on social media, which have also affected ordinary working-class people, as "retribution" (whether divine or otherwise) for the American support of Israel. Obviously they overlook the fact that many Californians/Americans in fact oppose the American facilitation of Israel's ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. I don't have any direct evidence, but I also wouldn't doubt it if Israel or individual Zionists are likely behind some of these social media posts in order to polarize people and make their atrocities more palatable for Western observers. (It's not evidence, but there are Israeli news organizations like ILTV that are currently reporting on such activities and clearly attempting to divide people for their own benefit.) They have engaged in similar manipulation techniques and propaganda campaigns in the past.
I searched high and low but…
I searched high and low but there are barely any sources on the union’s position. https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/california-news/some-former-inmate-firefighters-could-become-pros-under-new-law/2427219/ says they were opposed to the legislation change. I appreciate there’s scope for undercutting wages but I can see unions in general becoming more parochial as precarity goes rampant.
Agree on the second point but Palestine has opened so many fault lines that vindictiveness is inevitable at this point. I foresaw that when national liberation rather than internationalism + class was the popular lens to view the conflict through. I don’t think that will improve either.