Bloomberg campaign vendor used prison labor to make calls for 2020 presidential bid

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg's campaign hired a contractor that used prison labor to make phone calls for the former New York mayor's White House bid.

The Intercept first reported that ProCom, a New Jersey-based company hired by the Bloomberg campaign through a third-party vendor, operates two call centers out of state prisons in Oklahoma. In at least one of those prisons — a minimum-security women's prison outside of Tulsa — inmates were contracted to make calls on behalf of the candidate, The Intercept reported.

Stu Loeser, a longtime spokesman for Bloomberg, confirmed that the prison labor had been used by, as he put it, "a vendor of a vendor of a vendor."

"We didn't know about it and we never would have allowed it. We don't believe in this practice and we immediately stopped working with ProCom and the people who hired them," Loeser said in a tweet.

Link to tweet

?s=20

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/elections-2020/bloomberg-campaign-vendor-used-prison-labor-to-make-calls-for-2020-presidential-bid/ar-BBYjyzU?li=BBnb7Kz

[marble falls]

1. Not that I am Bloonberg's biggest booster, but if the prisoners are making more ...

than the prison industry's "new plantation" wages, why shouldn't they be allowed to sell their labor for real wages and walk out of prison at some point with savings and work skills?

[Humanist_Activist]

6. 9 times out of 10, that isn't what happens, they get reamed on the markups for everything...

from commissary food to visits from family. Savings after they get released? Chances are they will be in debt to the prison(or third parties) after release.

[marble falls]

7. Most prisoners walk out with some portion of what they earned ...

inside, usually for less than $.50/hr.

But you do bring up some other points that are really indications of a plantation like conditions: expensive geedunk crap "company"stores, slave wages and unreasonable debts.

[Joe941]

2. I dont see any problem here. Prisoners do need to work, right?

[Rob WA]

3. He Responded Well

I read the article yesterday. The article headline concerned me. I think the campaign adequately explained the situation and responded satisfactorily.

It is encouraging to see Bloomberg pulling out all the stops to get the support of voters. Win or lose vetting and using these types of third-parties lets us test their effectiveness as we gear up to crush Trump and the sycophant Republicans.

[myohmy2]

4. shameful...

" The Intercept first reported that ProCom, a New Jersey-based company hired by the Bloomberg campaign through a third-party vendor, operates two call centers out of state prisons in Oklahoma. "

...don't we condemn China for using prison labor?

...billionaires...

[WhiskeyGrinder]

5. Prison labor is slave labor.