A4 The Flint Journal Thursday, April 22, 1999 NATION

Expansion of prison jobs fought

By Mike Magner
JOURNAL NEWS SERVICE

WASHINGTON - Fearing it will take more jobs from law-abiding citizens, a Michigan congressman is fighting a proposed expansion of a work program for federal prisoners.

Federal Prison Industries already is si - phoning millions of dollars worth of Government contracts from West Michigan's furniture and other U.S. manufacturers, said U.S. Rep. Peter Hoekstra, R-Holland. Now, it wants to expand into commercial services such as data entry and mandate that all federal contractors - not just government agencies buy products made by inmates, Hoekstra said Wednesday at a House hearing.

To put it bluntly, if these proposals go through, more American workers may lose their jobs to felons," said Hoekstra, chairman of the House Education and Workforce oversight subcommittee.

The proposals are awaiting approval by the Clinton administration.

Federal prison administrators insisted in a telephone interview that the plan would have little impact on private businesses. Hoekstra did not invite them to testify, but said they would appear at a future hearing.

"We're talking about 75 inmates essentially doing data entry," said Federal Prison Industries spokesman Todd Craig. "This would, be data entry of used car information for insurance adjusters."

Many U.S. companies have data entry performed overseas because they can't find Americans to do the work, he said.

Currently about 18,000 of the 125,000 federal inmates make more than 150 different products in prison plant jobs that are cherished despite wages of between 19 cents and $1.15 an hour, Craig said.

The jobs are "a strong motivator of positive inmate conduct," he said. "They're not stabbing one another, they're not, stabbing staff."

Under a 1934 law, government agencies must include some prison goods in their annual purchases, but Craig said products are diversified to minimize the impacts, on any one industry.

Nevertheless, Michigan furniture companies have said the prisons sell more than $300 million in office furniture to the government each year, and that each $10 million in lost

sales jeopardizes the jobs of 63 private workers.

Hoekstra said he plans to reintroduce legislation soon that would eliminate the federal mandate to buy prison goods.

"We're getting broader support because we're getting more and more constituents telling us they 're losing jobs with no ability to compete," he said.

Also testifying Wednesday was the owner of a Pontiac auto supply business who fears losing work rebuilding electrical engine parts for the government. Thomas Tyson said that while prison officials claim the impact on his company would be minimal, all 16 of his employees would be out of work.

The owner of an Alabama textile company that makes uniforms for the military has already closed one plant with 400 workers and is considering closing another.

"I am not here to seek dissolution of the FPI - (Federal Prison Industries " said Rick Cippele, president of American Apparel Inc. in Selma, Ala. "I'm living with the FPI. They're in my house. They're standing there with the door of the refrigerator open, looking to see what else looks good."

But Cippele said Congress - not the - prison system - should, set, and enforce stricter limits' on the amount. of products federal agencies can buy from. the prisons.