In a historic policy change, California is moving to pay incarcerated firefighters the federal minimum wage during active fires.
The wage increase, funded through the new state budget, follows years of advocacy to improve pay and working conditions for incarcerated labor. That effort took on a new urgency after hundreds of incarcerated firefighters were deployed to battle deadly wildfires that hit Los Angeles in January.
Incarcerated firefighters currently earn between $5.80 and $10.24 per day, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. During active emergencies, Cal Fire compensates them an additional $1 per hour…