Letter to OHSU President Danny Jacobs

Tuesday, September 11th, 2018

Dear OHSU President Danny Jacobs,

We are a coalition of organizations and individuals concerned about OHSU's use of prison slavery to operate as a hospital and university.

We understand that OHSU holds one of the largest contracts with Oregon Corrections Enterprises (OCE) --the organization that contracts out prison labor to schools, hospitals, and other institutions around the state. OHSU relies on prison slavery to do the majority of its laundry --laundry that's often bio hazardous given the nature of the work taking place at a hospital. Reports from the inside tell us that these workers are entirely under-equipped for the biohazard situation their job places them in. They are offered only gloves and optional face masks, hardly an appropriate measure against spilled blood, caustic chemicals, and the occasional bits of human flesh and dismembered parts that are left in the laundry. These workers are paid only cents on the hour, while Danny Jacobs makes over a million every year. That said, we're calling on OHSU to end contracts with OCE until the demands set by incarcerated workers are met by OHSU and OCE. .

We define "prison slavery" as coerced labor done by incarcerated individuals for wages that are less than the state minimum wage. Incarcerated workers in Oregon make between $0.05-$0.47 per hour, that means $104 to $977.60 annually if the inmate is working 40 hours/week and 52 weeks/year. This is a slave wage. Considering the cost of other services in the prison, this wage is absolutely nothing for an incarcerated worker. For example, an inmate at Oregon State Penitentiary pays $5.00 for a 20 minute video call to a loved one; depending on their hourly pay of between $0.05 and $0.47, this 20 minute call could require between 10 and 100 hours of washing bloody sheets to pay for it.

It's also worth noting that under Oregon Measure 17, the Prison Reform and Inmate Work Act, incarcerated folks are forced to work per state law. It’s enslavement because it isn’t a choice. We're not saying that incarcerated folks shouldn't be able to work, they should, but they should not be forced into coercive, nominally paid, slave like conditions. No one deserves this.

The term "slavery" is used here because of an understanding that the prison system was born out of the 13th amendment's supposed end to slavery. We know that there are more Black folks incarcerated today than there were slaves on plantations. We know the rate of incarceration for Black folks in the US is five times more than white folks.

Black people are obviously not the only ones committing crimes, we all break the law at different times, but white collar crime, white neighborhoods, and other white spaces like music festivals and college campuses do not get policed nor ticketed or incarcerated at the rates of Black spaces and Black people do. The prison industrial complex is racist, it’s "the new jim crow", and it’s sustained by OHSU and others who utilize contracts with Oregon Corrections Enterprises for their profit.

This call follows the national prison strike that was kicked off by prisoners throughout the United States and Canada on August 21st. Actions took place in correctional facilities and immigration detention centers across 17 states. Those incarcerated are demanding:

- Immediate improvements to the conditions of prisons and prison policies that recognize the humanity of imprisoned men and women.
- An immediate end to prison slavery. All persons imprisoned in any place of detention under United States jurisdiction must be paid the prevailing wage in their state or territory for their labor.
- The Prison Litigation Reform Act must be rescinded, allowing imprisoned humans a proper channel to address grievances and violations of their rights.
- The Truth in Sentencing Act and the Sentencing Reform Act must be rescinded so that imprisoned humans have a possibility of rehabilitation and parole. No human shall be sentenced to Death by Incarceration or serve any sentence without the possibility of parole.
- An immediate end to the racial overcharging, over-sentencing, and parole denials of Black and brown humans. Black humans shall no longer be denied parole because the victim of the crime was white, which is a particular problem in southern states.
- An immediate end to racist gang enhancement laws targeting Black and brown humans.
- No imprisoned human shall be denied access to rehabilitation programs at their place of detention because of their label as a violent offender.
- State prisons must be funded specifically to offer more rehabilitation services.
- Pell grants must be reinstated in all US states and territories.
- The voting rights of all confined citizens serving prison sentences, pretrial detainees, and so-called “ex-felons” must be counted. Representation is demanded. All voices count.

We know it's expensive to pay someone to deal with your dirty laundry --especially if it's bio hazardous laundry and folks cleaning it need protective gear. We understand the temptation to let someone else who society has deemed worthless take care of that. Someone who you’ll never have to deal with, someone who you’ll happily let get sick from contaminated bed sheets, or someone who you’ll happily let handle the cancerous chemicals to wash your towels. The cost to ship your dirty laundry to OCE annually is most likely significantly less than your million dollar salary. We get it, slavery is great if you want to save a dime.

We're calling on OHSU to end its contracts with OEC until there's an end to prison slavery. We'd like a response by September 20th, and we'll go from there to determine how to best proceed with your dirty laundry.

Unfortunately Yours,