Prisoners hired in oil relief efforts, trained for hazardous materials work

[highplainsdem]

Source: Mobile Press-Register

Breaking News
Prisoners hired in oil relief efforts, trained for hazardous materials work
By David Ferrara
May 29, 2010, 6:15AM

MOBILE, Ala. -- More than 200 prisoners are among the people hired for work related to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, according to the Alabama Department of Corrections.

All are working for SG & S Oil Recovery Product LLC, which is based in Baldwin County, according to Brian Corbett, a spokesman with the corrections department.

At least 75 of the inmates were trained in Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response, also known as HAZWOPER, on Dauphin Island between May 13 and 16, while another 73 are being trained this week, Corbett said. Another 59 inmates in Loxley are making boom, he said.

-snip-

Bayou La Batre Mayor Stan Wright was critical of a contractor that would hire inmates "when you have people who don't even have a traffic ticket on their record" looking for work.

-snip-

Read more: http://blog.al.com/live/2010/05/prisoners_hired_in_oil_relief.html

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Th SG & S owner said he'd advertised in this Mobile paper weeks ago for oil relief workers, and got no response. He's paying only $8-10 an hour for hazmat work.

[Arctic Dave]

1. 8-10 bucks an hour? Fuck these guys.

They most likely have a contract for labor that is 50.00 an hour per person.

[Dr.Phool]

5. Welcome to the south.

They (employers) think $10 an hour is big money down here.

They're probably paying the inmates less than $1 per hour.

[1monster]

2. I'm willing to bet that there are thousands of unemployed who would be willing to risk their lives

cleaning up BP's mess if it paid more than just enough to keep falling backwards in the "stayin' alive" game. Is BP at least paying for housing and food for any of the people they are offering $8-$10?

BP obviously sees the USA as a third world county to be exploited to ruin without consequences to them.

I say immediatly freeze all of BP's assets in this country and simultaneously nationalize any of their holdings in any US territory. Prior to announcing the freeze and take over, get all the oil rig and oil disaster experts in the world together and get a team together to stop the gusher and clean up BP's mess. Use BP's assets until they run out completely to finance the mission.

The Brits might protest at the take over of part of BP's business empire, but once the tar starts washing up on THEIR beaches---THE GULF STREAM FLOWS RIGHT TO GREAT BRITAIN,--- they may change their tune.

[Scuba]

3. Slave labor!!!

[pundaint]

4. How unamerican wil we allow large corporations to make us before we assert

ourselves and fire their toadies in congress?

[w4rma]

6. What greedy scumsucking creeps. (nt)

[suffragette]

7. This is appalling

I've been noticing a dreadful pattern in how clean-up crews are being hired at low wages, with scant training and no consideration to short and long-term health impact.
Compiled some of that in a post and included a link to your OP:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8444883


Truly awful.

[Raine]

8. "$8-10 an hour" ??? WTF I made that much

cleaning houses back in the 1990's and I didn't risk my life doing it.