Article 43
Sunday, March 20, 2005
Rising Of The Telecom Underclass Part 2
An AT&T manager told me the company calls laying off it’s highly skilled American technicians and technicianettes - then hiring them back as low paid temps via staffing agencies - an evolution to a FLEXIBLE WORKFORCE.
Staffing agencies - called headhunters or recruiters - match people with jobs - not a bad deal when they find, then place qualified candidates in positions, and if a candidate performs well during a contract, is eventually hired by the company permanently with a benefit package and opportunity for advancement. In this relationship everyone wins - the company gets a good worker, the worker gets a good job, and the staffing agency gets paid for bringing the two together.
The telecom staffing agencies’ business may be evolving - turning telecom job seekers into low paid permanent temps - revolving from one assignment to another - treated like slaves, and used as doormats - rather than placed in the traditional temp-to-perm positions. In this situation the worker doesn’t benefit.
I don’t see unions - at least the CWA - EFFECTIVELY ORGANIZING displaced telecom techies like myself. What’s more alarming is their friends at TUCKER TECHNOLOGIES offered me a (maybe long-term) temporary position doing one of my former jobs at AT&T for HALF the pay with no benefits.
Partnering of telecom companies, staffing agencies, and unions - may result in widespread exploitation of telecom workers - ESPECIALLY if unions are evolving into EXPRESSIONS of corporations - approving their flexible workforce policies, and allowing inadequate compensation for their members. This jeopardizes the spirit of organized labor movements everywhere - while highly skilled telecom workers evolve into disposable day laborers - earning low wages, devoid of benefits, opportunity, career growth, job security, profit sharing, and a decent standard of living.
Rising of the Telecom Underclass
PART 1 · PART 2 · PART 3 · PART 4 · PART 5 · PART 6
Section Telecom Underclass •
View (0) comment(s) or add a new one •
Printable view • Link to this article •
Home •
