[lbo-talk] AC on police conduct at U-Michigan

joanna 123hop at comcast.net
Wed Nov 28 21:25:03 PST 2007


Michael Smith wrote:


>On Wednesday 28 November 2007 20:20:18 joanna wrote:
>
>
>
>> Today's prison guards were yesterday's unionized
>>blue-collar workers.
>>
>>
>
>You think so? I wonder. I don't have any data on the subject,
>but isn't it more likely that they're the sons (and daughters,
>in this wonderful equal-opportunity world of ours) of
>"yesterday's unionized blue-collar workers"?
>
Either or. Today, I believe prison guards have one of the strongest unions around. When I taught at SUNY Plattsburgh, in the late 80's my students (all working class) often mentioned that their parents had moved from manufacturing to prison work.

I used to work as a security guard -- graveyard shift while in grad school. None of the people I ran into there struck me as wannabe cops. They were all students or single moms or retired and making some extra pay. It's easy work and it's relatively well paid, given that it's completely unskilled. At the time I was working it, it was about twice minimum wage and allowed me enough money for rent, food, and transportation. Even a little left over for a pinch of coke now and again.

Most of the wannabe cops I ran into was as a state park ranger. These were the guys who couldn't make the physical requirements for fire fighting or cop work. They were real creeps. Not many of them, just enough to spoil the broth.

Joanna



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