TEMP LANDWorking in the New Economy

By Michael Grabell, ProPublica

‘Los Peluches’

‘Raiteros’

Select Staffing

More waiting

Ty Inc.

Check Cashing

Rosa Ramirez

Rosa’s Room

Rise of the Blue-Collar Temp

Temp Towns

County Concentration

Greenville County, S.C. 8.3%

Kane County, Ill. 7.4%

Kent County, Mich. 6.7%

Middlesex County, N.J. 6.4%

Shelby County, Tenn. 5.8%

Lake County, Ill. 5.4%

Passaic County, N.J. 5.2%

San Bernardino County, Calif. 4.8%

Fayette County, Ky. 4.6%

Burlington County, N.J. 4.4%

Fulton County, Ga. 4.2%

LOCATIONS OF TEMP WORKERSThese counties had high concentrations of temporary help service workers for counties with more than 100,000 workers in 2012. Source: ProPublica analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages data; Updated July 1, 2013

Occupations of Temp WorkersOccupation Concentration

Production helpers (entry-level jobs that require less skill) 29.2%

Laborers and freight, stock and material movers by hand 18.4%

Assemblers who work in a team 17.6%

Human resources specialists 16.2%

Packers and packagers by hand 16.2%

Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders 16.1%

Data entry keyers 15.1%

Demonstrators and product promoters 11.5%

Metal and plastic cutting, punching and press machine setters, operators and tenders

10.1%

Construction laborers 9.4%

OCCUPATIONS OF TEMP WORKERSThese occupations had high concentrations of their workers in the employment services industry in 2012.Source: ProPublica analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment Statistics data

Day Davis

Day Davis

Bacardi Videohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNcsTRQNZLE

Bacardi Findings• “The employer is production, product and profits oriented … They do not

want to slow down production and spend funds on temporary employees who may not be in their facility day-to-day. Not training these temporary employees saves the company valuable training time. This would equate to [Bacardi] showing ownership of the employee and establishing more risk for their company, which they are trying to limit.”

• “The company appears to have attempted to shift blame to its temporary agencies. They have taken the position that the employee does not belong to them; therefore they are not responsible for their safety.”

• “Lesley Toke made a comment. She stated we (Bacardi) had managed to stay out of the media for a long time until just now. But it was for only one day. Plain indifference. This is not the first comment of this type she has made concerning protecting product and [the] Bacardi name.”

Other Findings• “Landfill management felt they were not responsible to require or provide

Mr. Kidd with the same PPE [personal protective equipment] because they considered him a temporary employee and not their employee,” OSHA wrote in its report.

• “Approximately 45 minutes prior to passing out, Jefferson stated ‘I can’t take it anymore.’ Davis stated he called their headquarters and advised the dispatcher that Jefferson was complaining and Davis was told ‘Just finish the route.’ Davis and Jefferson then continued working until Jefferson passed out.”

• “We don’t train temps.”• “The Soex facility operated in a condition of “employer in absentia", which

accounts for the lack of responsibility for employee safety. Soex contracted with a SOl, a PEO,. The PEO's position is they are not responsible for the safety of these employees and have contracted to Soex.”

Temp Injury Data• In California and Florida, temps had about 50 percent greater risk of being

injured on the job than non-temps. That risk was 36 percent higher in Massachusetts, 66 percent in Oregon and 72 percent in Minnesota.

• In Florida, temps were about twice as likely as regular employees to suffer crushing injuries, dislocations, lacerations, fractures and punctures. They were about three times as likely to suffer an amputation on the job in the states for which such records are available.

• Nationwide, temps are far more likely to find jobs in dangerous occupations. In Florida, temps in blue-collar workplaces were about 6 times as likely to be injured than permanent employees doing similar jobs.

• “Caught in” and “struck by” injuries were significantly more common among temps.

• In California, temps were about twice as likely as regular workers to be stricken by heat exhaustion. In Minnesota, temps were at least 3 times as likely to be injured by chemicals as their regular counterparts.

Temp Regulations Around the World