To: All federal and state legislators in the United States
AMEND THE 13TH AMENDMENT
Dear Lawmakers,
We, the undersigned living and breathing persons, do hereby petition you to enact an amendment to the constitution of the United States, forever and completely banning from the United States, and any place subject to its jurisdiction, the existence of slavery and involuntary servitude in any form whatsoever.
We, the undersigned living and breathing persons, do hereby petition you to enact an amendment to the constitution of the United States, forever and completely banning from the United States, and any place subject to its jurisdiction, the existence of slavery and involuntary servitude in any form whatsoever.
Why is this important?
The full text of this petition is available in PDF pamphlet format:
11 X 17 Trifold:
8 page 8.5 X 11 with references and signature line page included
Here is a summary of why it is important.
The thirteenth amendment was ratified at the end of the Civil War in 1865 and is commonly thought of the amendment which enshrined the end of slavery in our constitution. But it didn’t! The thirteenth amendment states:
"Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.”
This language has made it legal to “employ” incarcerated people in prison labor. This is modern day slavery, and is currently completely legal.
We, as members of The Committee to Stop Police Terror and End Systemic Racism Seattle, propose to change the 13th Amendment to redact the sentence “except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted”. We call upon all workers and members of the labor movement to support this change.
HOW DOES THIS IMPACT ME?
Any division among the workers can help no one but the employer.
The 13th Amendment is the only US labor law that applies—even in paper legal theory—to every workplace and every toiler laboring within "the United States or any place subject to their jurisdiction", whether private or public sector, agriculture or city, domestic service or heavy industry, documented or undocumented, "employee" or "contractor", railroad or non-railroad.
It’s loophole of “except for punishment of a crime…” literally threatens ALL of us with involuntary servitude—if we do or say anything that makes our bosses mad enough to accuse us of a crime and call the cops on us.
The constant threat of being jailed and enslaved is like a silent thumb on the back of every toiler’s neck, reminding each of us to be afraid, keep our noses to the grindstone and not demand better wages, treatment or dignity.
Incarceration also disproportionately affects Black and Indigenous communities, who are incarcerated at much higher rates than white workers, reinforcing the economic disparities and racial division amongst us as workers. This division is then exploited when we attempt to come together and stand up for our rights. An example of this is that prison laborers are utilized as scabs when unionized workers are striking (as happened for the first six days of the 2020 New Orleans Garbage Hoppers Strike).
The labor movement has a long history of calling out the abuse of fellow workers who are not afforded the voice we have fought for. Examples of this include the organizing campaigns to end child labor and to close the gendered wage gap.
Besides standing up to the obvious inhumanity of the working conditions that prison labor allows, we must see that our struggle is inherently intertwined with prison laborers. To allow others to be exploited only gives the bosses somewhere to turn as an alternative when we stand up against them, and something to threaten us with as a potential punishment for standing up.
11 X 17 Trifold:
8 page 8.5 X 11 with references and signature line page included
Here is a summary of why it is important.
The thirteenth amendment was ratified at the end of the Civil War in 1865 and is commonly thought of the amendment which enshrined the end of slavery in our constitution. But it didn’t! The thirteenth amendment states:
"Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.”
This language has made it legal to “employ” incarcerated people in prison labor. This is modern day slavery, and is currently completely legal.
We, as members of The Committee to Stop Police Terror and End Systemic Racism Seattle, propose to change the 13th Amendment to redact the sentence “except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted”. We call upon all workers and members of the labor movement to support this change.
HOW DOES THIS IMPACT ME?
Any division among the workers can help no one but the employer.
The 13th Amendment is the only US labor law that applies—even in paper legal theory—to every workplace and every toiler laboring within "the United States or any place subject to their jurisdiction", whether private or public sector, agriculture or city, domestic service or heavy industry, documented or undocumented, "employee" or "contractor", railroad or non-railroad.
It’s loophole of “except for punishment of a crime…” literally threatens ALL of us with involuntary servitude—if we do or say anything that makes our bosses mad enough to accuse us of a crime and call the cops on us.
The constant threat of being jailed and enslaved is like a silent thumb on the back of every toiler’s neck, reminding each of us to be afraid, keep our noses to the grindstone and not demand better wages, treatment or dignity.
Incarceration also disproportionately affects Black and Indigenous communities, who are incarcerated at much higher rates than white workers, reinforcing the economic disparities and racial division amongst us as workers. This division is then exploited when we attempt to come together and stand up for our rights. An example of this is that prison laborers are utilized as scabs when unionized workers are striking (as happened for the first six days of the 2020 New Orleans Garbage Hoppers Strike).
The labor movement has a long history of calling out the abuse of fellow workers who are not afforded the voice we have fought for. Examples of this include the organizing campaigns to end child labor and to close the gendered wage gap.
Besides standing up to the obvious inhumanity of the working conditions that prison labor allows, we must see that our struggle is inherently intertwined with prison laborers. To allow others to be exploited only gives the bosses somewhere to turn as an alternative when we stand up against them, and something to threaten us with as a potential punishment for standing up.
How it will be delivered
We will stage press conferences.