The State of California boasts one of the highest minimum wages in the country at $16.50 an hour unless you’re a prisoner. The reality of pay beneath minimum wage is no different for the hundreds of incarcerated workers in California who have been pressed into service to combat the most destructive fires in Los Angeles County history. The fact that a measly $16.50 still manages to be one of the best minimum wages in the 50 states is a topic for another day.
Since a series of fires have rolled through northwestern Los Angeles, including the Palisades and Eaton fires, local and state authorities have struggled to contain the blaze as it advances towards the more densely populated city proper. In this desperation, the California Department of Corrections deployed over 900 incarcerated firefighters to the front line against the deadly wildfires.
These incarcerated workers make a minimum of $5.80 and a maximum of $10.24 a day. Needless to say, an incarcerated firefighter’s “day” is unlikely to be a standard eight-hour day. It is entirely common for firefighters to work 24-hour shifts.