[Portlandabc] research

[portlandabc at resist.ca]

Research regarding targeted demo
OREGON CORRECTIONS ENTERPRISES: http://oce.oregon.gov/ 13691 State Street
Salem, OR  97309
In 1994,Oregon voters passed the “Prison Reform and Inmate Work Act,” a
constitutional amendment commonly known as Measure 17 that requires all
inmates to work 40 hours per week. OCE has prisoners making Prison Blues
clothing and Wildwood Office Furniture. It operates by straddling that
vague line between the public and private sectors. OCE is a
semi-independent state agency charged with operating the Department of
Corrections industries programs and private partnerships with private
sector businesses to employ inmate labor and develop industries, both
inside and outside of prisons. See this article about how the director of
the state corrections used OCE to pad his son's pay and perks:
http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/04/oregon_corrections_executive_b.html

OCE employs 1,100 inmates in various factories, laundries and call
centers. PSU's Center for Public Services issued a report in Feb., 2013,
which found, "OCE’s long-term financial self-sufficiency is in jeopardy."
"OCE squandered opportunities and used ineffective practices that
seriously compromise OCE’s future.” (GOOD!!) The most glaring problem at
OCE is losses in its manufacturing operations. Factories that make items
such as furniture and road signs lost $9.9 million from 2007 to 2011.Last
year, OCE posted a profit of only $1.8 million from its laundry and call
centers. Colette Peters, who was appointed Corrections Department director
last year, isn’t quite ready to adopt the recommendations in the PSU
report. She said her agency is analyzing all prison operations, including
OCE, to consider reforms. She did say the PSU work would be added to the
review.
The unstated conclusion PSU's patently non-objective researchers seem to
be trying to make, is to provide justification for legislators (with a
probable stake in both the research and profits) to sponsor a measure on
behalf of OCE that would ensure it's future by shoveling taxpayer money
into it. You have to look clear down on page 41 to find this pearl: "OCE’s
governing
statutes would need significant revision. Legislation would certainly need
to be passed to establish such an independent board whose members would
either be statutorily designated (e.g., the Director of the DOC) or
appointed by the Governor and subject to Senate confirmation. The
Executive Director of any such entity should also be appointed by the
Governor, subject to review and input from the Board, to better ensure
clear lines of accountability."
In other words, they want to give it greater legitimacy in order to
establish permanent tax payer funding for it.
This is the PSU program that produced the report: http://www.pdx.edu/cps/
It wasn't easy to get this report - most the links to it don't work, but
here is the full report; phase 3, which contains the conclusion:
http://www.pdx.edu/cps/sites/www.pdx.edu.cps/files/OCE%20FINAL%20Phase%20III.pdf

Wall Street is heavily involved in exploiting prison labor. Companies
raking in on prison sweat: Most fuel producing companies, including:
Chevron, Shell, BP, AMACO, Arco, Exxon, Mobile, & Phillips Petroleum. Most
Banks & insurance Co.'s, including: Bank of America, American Express,
Allstate Insurance Company, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Corporation, GEICO,
Fireman's Fund Insurance Company, Hartford Financial,Kemper Insurance
Companies, State Farm, Liberty Mutual.
Most large producers of goods & services, including:  Amway, Mary Kay,
Sears, AT&T, Quaker Oats, Caterpillar, Coors, John Deere, Fruit of the
Loom,  International Paper, Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble, Sara Lee,
Starbucks, Walmart, Victoria's Secret.
Other major corporations profiting from the slave labor of prisoners
include Boeing, Motorola, Compaq, Honeywell, Microsoft. IBM, Texas
Instruments and Dell get circuit boards made by Texas prisoners.  Revlon,
TWA, United Airlines, Verizon, UPS, GTE, Eddie Bauer, J.C. Penney, Walmart
& Kmart. Tennessee inmates sew jeans for Kmart and JCPenney. Oregon
inmates produce 'Prison Blues.' McDonald’s uniforms are sewn by prison
workers.

The U.S. "defense" industry: Prisoners earning 23 cents an hour in U.S.
federal prisons are manufacturing high-tech electronic components for
Patriot Advanced Capability 3 missiles, launchers for TOW (Tube-launched,
Optically tracked, Wire-guided) anti-tank missiles, and other guided
missile systems.

Fidelity Investments (Fidelity)holds the pension funds and 401(k) accounts
of millions of Americans. Many of the largest companies in the nation
offer Fidelity Investments as the sole source of retirement investing for
their employees.
Suna