Unionizing Temporary workers?

[eyepaddle]

Back in the mid-'90s after I finished college, I spent several years working as a temp. A rather specialized temp who worked for an outfit called Envirostaff (we referred to it as "Enviroshaft") I could see that a lot of businesses do in fact have a need for "surge capacity" requiring numbers of workers much larger than they could ordinarily support.

This pattern seems even more dominant in the non-environmental (consulting and hazardouw waste disposal) sector. Offering flexibility to match capacity to demand is an EXTREMELY valuable service which today is almost totally unrewarded. Many companies hire temp workers who are anything but "temporary" and often work at the same job for years at lower wages and with non-existent benefits. (Technically the temp services do offer benefits like a health plan, and 401k--but NOBODY plans on working for a staffing agency long enough to make that worthwhile)

My proposed solution to the vagaries of 21st century business realities: Separate workers from places of employment, ie you are a light manufacturing worker--but not at any specific plant necessarily. Manufacturers (by way of example) would pool their resources and maintain a common pool of employees who go where they are needed when they are needed. In exchange for this flexibility the workers are given a substantial increase in compensation and related benefits. I haven't run the numbers, but probably somewhere in the neighborhood of $13 an hour or so.

As for health insurance, well the current private insurer system we have is fast approaching collapse, so that's really a separate issue--probably moving towards a universal single-payer system.

Obviously, this is not the total remedy, but I think it might play a role. A quid pro quo of the workers to the employers "we'll hang loose and be ready when you need us, but you better make it feasible to do this AND you'd better make it worth our while."

Any labor relations people care to comment on this?

[eyepaddle]

1. I'm gonna give this one kick before I Iet it sink to oblivion

:kick:

[Mr.Green93]

2. Good idea

We also need to get the so called 'illegals' into a union when the amnesty is passed. There are many new opportunities to organize workers.

[bryant69]

3. It kind of reminds me of the organizing the unskilled laborors movement

Back in the 30s and so on.

The problem is that the Temps are going to have neither the time nor the money to organize themselves (liked the unskilled workers). People already in the labor movement aren't going to feel that much sympathy, because the assumption is that Temps are temporary - they haven't earned the kinds of saleries and benefits that real workers have (this might not be fair, but it's the way of it).

So those are the obstacles - somebody can overcome them, maybe. It's happened before, but i'm not exactly sure how we do it.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[eyepaddle]

5. I've just been kicking it around for awhile

and thought I'd give it some daylight.

Perhaps it could be modeled on the migrant farm workers movement or some such.

(I'm gonna check your link now, thanks.)

[Cleita]

4. I always thought this would be a good method. Also, it

frees the business from worrying about payroll and filing taxes as the agency or union does that. All they have to do is pay an invoice for the workers.

[eyepaddle]

6. Excellent point,

So you know if the DU has a labor forum/group? And if not, do you think we should start one?

[Cleita]

7. Well, you could and I would support you.

Sounds like its time has come.