Other examples abound. In Arizona, where a hog slaughtering plant closed down, putting United Food and Commercial workers out of work, prison industry looked suspiciously like a union-busting mechanism. In Aurora, Ill., in a minimum-security arrangement, inmates have replaced an entire third shift at the local Toys R Us, stocking shelves and sweeping up. But labor's concerns seem to be low on Gov. Thompson's agenda. Corrections officials are quick to cite a statewide labor shortage to justify deals such as the Jacobs bill.
Employers are having trouble finding people to work, they point out.
If they started repairing then it would be considered manufacturing, and then it would come under the federal law. But, the labor rep says, some basic math shows that the savings would be minimal, possibly nonexistent. George served on a prison industries advisory committee that discussed the governor's budget proposals. They have a number of advantages over private industry, and a lot of the individuals who run these prison industries have an empire-building attitude. First, they get to earn some money.