Myrie, Perry Introduce Bill to Raise Prison Minimum Wage
Originally published in
Kings County Politics
Freshman State Sen. Zellnor Myrie (D-(D-Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Gowanus, Park Slope, Prospect Heights, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, South Slope, Sunset Park) and veteran Assembly Member Nick Perry (D-East Flatbush) today announced plans to introduce legislation in both chambers of state government that would raise the prison minimum wage to $3 per hour.
Dubbed the “Prison Minimum Wage” act, (A1275/S3138), if enacted the bill would mark the first raise for incarcerated people since 1993. People who labor in New York prisons earn as little as $0.10 to $0.65 per hour, yet incarcerated people in state prisons have to pay for phone calls, stamps, and other necessities that are essential to maintaining a connection with their family and increasing their quality of life.
“Incarcerated people are human beings. They deserve to be treated with dignity and to share in the fruits of their labor. The fact that New York’s incarcerated people contribute tens of millions of dollars in revenue to the state and haven’t gotten a pay increase in more than a quarter century is unacceptable, and this legislation will change that. Justice for incarcerated people in New York is overdue,” said Myrie.
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