It's Time To Regulate or Ban Temporary Staffing Agencies



I would have never come to this conclusion before I moved to Texas but now I am certain that Temporary Staffing Agencies should either be heavily regulated or banned all together. There is just too much abuse. I don't come to this decision lightly. I have come to this decision after years of experience with staffing agencies and after years of hearing the horror stories of many others, either indirectly from news reports or from first hand recounts. 

What is a temporary staffing agency? A temporary staffing agency is an 'indirect' employer who finds 'employees' to cover either long term or short term work assignments at a corporation. Why do they SUCK? They suck because they provide an Employer an easy convenient way to get around providing benefits to employees and they open the door to all sorts of labor law violations. This is why many major corporations love hiring them. They do the permanent staffing now for most major corporations. 



Employees of Temporary Staffing Agencies have far less job security than actual employees. They often are vulnerable to all sorts of abuse and exploitation. Very often their wages get stolen. Since corporations are so good at pitting temporary staffing agencies against one another to extract the lowest costs for finding workers, the agencies are moved to find inventive and creative ways to skim extra money off the top of the already rock bottom low pay their workers earn. Some temporary staffing agencies I have seen charge upwards of $150.00 to run background checks and drug screens. These agencies charge these high amounts not just to recoup the costs they pay (which they often charge off on their end of year tax forms) they also look to make a PROFIT. A profit from workers already being paid at or a little above minimum wage. To me this is obscene. It may not be illegal but it really should shock the conscious of the American Public. That's IF the American public actually "Had" a Conscious, at least here in Texas.

Many Temporary staffing agencies have side agreements with the corporations to keep workers in the positions for YEARS. There is a widely held belief that after you work 90 days  they have to bring you on permanent. That's a complete bullshit lie. I have known many people who have remained in temporary staffing positions for 10 to 15 years during my life who have NEVER been offered a permanent position. EVER. 

The Temporary staffing agency workers often do not get Sick time, vacation time, personal leave, or Holiday pay. The vast majority don't. I would say probably around 98% of temporary employees in Texas do not get this kind of pay.

Many Temporary Staffing workers have to fight to get paid at all. Many times the checks from the actual corporation to the agency are slow coming and workers are usually paid out of 'reserve' agency accounts. Many agencies have very few reserve funds set aside and when the check from the corporation is slow coming the workers do not get paid.. AT ALL. There are multiple problems with the checks they are told. Their hours are significantly shorted. They are lied to repeatedly, etc. etc.

This is a completely unregulated industry that really exploits the shit out of the worker. 

Another thing that is find very distasteful is that Temporary Staffing agencies ALLOW for racial discrimination. I have a friend that works at one here in Texas who recently confided to me that Employers, well, HR Clerks and Directors and Company Recruiters, often request workers  BY RACE. Yes. This is BLATANTLY ILLEGAL but they are allowed to do it. The agency knows its illegal but they also know the contract can easily go to another agency so they say NOTHING. 

This adversely affects BLACK AMERICANS because as my friend confided in me the corporations never request black workers. Only white or Hispanic workers. 

Many major U.S. Corporations have permanently outsourced the hiring of their employees to Temporary staffing agencies. Its not unusual to find large operations where all of the managers and executives are "permanent employees" and they have thousands of lower level employees they supervisors who are ALL CONTRACT OR TEMP WORKERS.

Having to work for Temporary Staffing Agencies also place the employees personal information, such as their social security numbers and birth dates, everything needed to steal someone's identity, in jeopardy. Why? Temporary Staffing Agencies are looser with this information. Many lack the necessary protocols to even keep this information safe. I have been 'IN" Temporary Staffing Agencies where the recruiters and employees yelled out entire social security numbers. To a room full of people. 

America is turning into a Temp Nation. This is NOT GOOD. The American Dream is fading away quickly for so many people. How are Americans expected to buy all of these high priced products with bottom basement pay? 

By taking on more and more DEBT. That's how.

It's all about the guy at the top making a windfall. Everyone else be damned. That is the mindset of the modern day corporation. 

It's no longer "We rise or fall together". It's "Everyone will get tossed to save my (CEO) a$$". 

America is starting to truly suck. For the Middle Class and Poor. 


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