An injustice that is close to home is every morning after a home game at Ohio Stadium, prisoners arrive to collect and sort waste to achieve zero waste. Following the cleanup of the stadium, bags of recycled materials are then shipped to other prisons throughout the state to be sorted. Stadium cleanup by incarcerated individuals is more recent, these individuals throughout Ohio have been sorting recycled materials that come directly from Ohio State campus since 2013. While on the outside this seems like a logistical idea to have incarcerated individuals of Ohio contribute to the community, they are not being properly compensated for their work. It is recorded that these individuals could be making less than a dollar per hour. More specifically, about 47 cents to $1.10 an hour, which is roughly 6% of the minimum wage in Ohio. This is uncalled for and is a version of modern-day slavery. This reminds me of one of the first pieces that we read this semester, Hegel. Specifically the master and slave dialect and position of power. Some incarcerated individuals desire to do better and have the want/need to perform and prove others once they are released. People have been able to find a gap in the 13th amendment of the abolishment of slavery, to use individuals, regardless of race, for labor as a way of punishment. However, it has been recorded that people of color that are from lower incomes are five times more likely than white people to be incarcerated. Even though the idea of being a waste-free stadium is great for the environment and sustainability for our planet, to what extent is this acceptable, if at all? Involuntary labor should not be put before human rights and dignity. If the university still wants this program to continue, they should increase the wages of these individuals to make it more just and equitable. Also, with the amount of revenue that is produced from football games, 55.6 million is produced from ticket sales alone, these incarcerated individuals who are working to better themselves should be paid more. Half of the employed incarcerated individuals make less than $10,090 a year. I am not saying that paying the workers more makes it better, but it would make it less of an injustice. Getting to participate in these jobs allows the incarcerated individuals to feel like they have a job, given the outcome/conditions it is unjust. These individuals are human beings, and they are working, therefore should be getting paid minimum wage regardless of if they are in prison or employees of the university. Through this program, the incarcerated individuals get to earn a forklift certification, a Composting Operators License, and learning interviewing skills. If they were invested in the future of the incarcerated individuals, they could have accounts set up for them, and following their work, the money gets deposited into that account in-which they have full access to following their release. They could have a restriction placed on how much they could access weekly to buy things or whatnot but using their labor in benefit to the university’s name is uncalled for.
Here is the petition that is available to sign to make your voice heard.
https://www.change.org/p/the-ohio-state-university-stop-the-use-of-prison-labor-at-ohio-stadium
https://www.thelantern.com/2020/07/the-cost-of-zero-waste-ohio-states-use-of-prison-labor-sparks-scrutiny/
Thank you for sharing your input on this Ohio State program as I had recently been talking to a friend of this, and we both agree with your input. I loved your analysis and thought it hit spot on when you said that “People have been able to find a gap in the 13th amendment of the abolishment of slavery, to use individuals, regardless of race, for labor as a way of punishment.” I think this is such a strong statement because essentially, the people that put this action into place are not looking at it from this perspective when they should be, or at least should consider increasing the wage the inmates are being paid. As the video states, these inmates are being reintegrated and feel like this is a real job, and if they continue working they should be given minimum wage, raises, and other benefits of real workers.
Again, thank you again for your input as more light should be shed on this problem and the systemic injustice of incarcerated people.