Every year, hundreds of incarcerated men and women in California prisons risk their lives, bodies and mental health to put out our state’s deadliest wildfires. For these sacrifices, they receive $5 to $10 per day, and their criminal record makes it difficult to gain the required certification as firefighters after their release.
A bill now in front of Gov. Gavin Newsom for his signature seeks to right that injustice: Assembly Bill 247 by Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, D-Ladera Heights, would establish a pay raise for incarcerated firefighters up to $7.25 per hour for those actively working on the fire line. He has until Sunday’s deadline for all bills to sign it.
Despite performing the same dangerous work as their CalFire counterparts on the dangerous front lines of wildfires and other state emergencies, incarcerated men and women have been denied basic protections, including fair pay and access to disability insurance when injured.
Read more from The Sacramento Bee here!
