At least a third of those who fight California's dangerous wildfires are incarcerated people who are paid $2 per hour or less, and who have no hope of receiving a well paying job fighting fires upon release due to their convictions.

This is wrong - incarcerated people risking their lives for California citizens should be compensated properly for the skilled and hazardous work they perform.  The skills they build in their time incarcerated should also be transferable to work on the outside. 

It makes no sense to lose skilled firefighters from our workforce because they are no longer incarcerated.  

Nor does it make sense to incentivize our public officials to imprison people or keep them incarcerated longer than they should be because their firefighting labor is cheaper.

We want better for our incarcerated firefighters in the state of California - a raise to a minimum of $15 per hour and a ban on excluding skilled firefighters from employment due to previous convictions.

We ask that people sign and share to support fairness and fire safety in California.  

http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2015/08/40-percent-californias-fires-are-fought-prison-inmates/​

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/31/magazine/the-incarcerated-women-who-fight-californias-wildfires.html​

https://thinkprogress.org/california-tells-court-it-cant-release-inmates-early-because-it-would-lose-cheap-prison-labor-c3795403bae1/​

http://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Fewer-prison-inmates-signing-up-to-fight-12165598.php​

https://thinkprogress.org/california-may-change-rules-so-they-can-keep-fighting-fires-with-prison-labor-b007ad645f50/​

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/08/postcard-prisoner-firefighter-camp/​

https://www.themarshallproject.org/2015/08/19/prisoners-who-fight-wildfires-in-california-an-insider-s-look​

http://www.npr.org/2014/07/31/336309329/thousands-of-inmates-serve-time-fighting-the-wests-forest-fires​

https://www.thedailybeast.com/prisoners-conned-into-fighting-wildfires​

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2015/10/13/hot-debate-in-california-tinderbox-violent-criminals-may-join-inmate-firefighting-force/