Economy
Texas Prison Inmates Strike for Unionization
Nationwide protests may follow in September.
Prisoners at seven different state prisons across Texas planned a work strike this week, in what may be the broadest prison action since the California state prison hunger strikes in 2013. The inmates reportedly refused to leave their cells, prompting seven prisons to put their facilities on lock down, according to the The Austin Chronicle.
(UPDATE 4/9: A public-information officer for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice confirmed that four units were placed on lockdown but said that the situation was unrelated to any work stoppage. Other units were placed on lockdown prior to April 4. The officer said that the department had not received reports of any offenders refusing to work.)