Sunday, May 19, 2013

UnEmployed and Temp Workers

There are so many people unemployed and then there are others working for temp agencies, I wonder, why couldn't both of these groups start their own business as temp employees. I mean, they do the work, they know the jobs so why should they, and not the Temp Agencies, profit from the hard work. A business license just isn't that much and these groups of people who have the same talents in their perspective lines of work could get together and form their own companies.  In other words they would be the owners of their own Temp Services and reap the profits themselves instead of working for lower wages while the Temp Agencies profit from their sweat.

More and more companies are taking advantage of employees. They have cut their work force in half and ramped up production on the remaining workers which means longer work days and weeks. They are using the old ways of forty and fifty years ago of threats of job loss because there is a large pool of unemployed workers waiting to take their places. They will replace these worn out, burned out workers with new ones who will be paid even less and work even longer hours. These longer hours and days lead to health problems as companies expect people to work as fast or faster than the equipment and machines they operate with no regard for the workers who keep them in business. Even machines overheat, break down, need a cooling off period and just plain wear out if run hard for hours on end and to expect human beings to toil like this is just asking for trouble down the line. Word gets around and OSHA doesn't help and they even call ahead to let companies know they are coming.
American workers work longer hours and more weeks than almost any other country in the world. Companies are paying less and less for more and more work. Companies need to look back to the past and Ford Motor Company when Henry Ford gave his workers all pay raises and reduced their hours which is how three shifts came about. The other big auto makers of the day scoffed at Mr. Ford until by years end they saw that Fords work force had less accidents, moral was way up, production was even higher and the profits were climbing higher and higher. That my friend is when other industries saw the light that taking care of employees came back to the companies bottom line. Happy rested employees made for success in business with better quality and workers and owners working towards the same goals. Mr. Ford knew that his employees could make or break his company and also that his own employees would also be owners of the same products they built on the assembly lines. It just stands to reason that employees treated like people and not throw away replace able discards makes for a growing productive work force.  

4 comments:

Trobairitz said...

It used to be an employer was happy to have the employee with skills working for him......somehow over the years the skilled worker is now supposed to be grateful for the scraps he's being given from the employer.

When did the tables turn?

I shudder at the jobs advertised for employees with bachelors degrees at a minimum but the job only pays $10-$11 an hour. Really - you want a degree, but you are only going to pay that wage and the prospective employee is supposed to be grateful?

WooleyBugger said...

Trobairitz,

I do know what you mean about workers expected to be grateful for those scraps. It's also shameful that degree jobs pay little more than a worker at the drive-in restaurants and these workers are expected to be able to live off these wages. it should be a crime what many, not all, but many companies are doing. I know of someone looking for a job and all places want the application on line and refuse the same application if the SS number is not on it. The SS number is illegal to ask for or demand prior to the offer of the actual job to the applicant. Besides, what ever happened to face to face interviews? You can't really find the right person for the job just by reading the application.
Hopefully soon workers will rise up and realize they have more power than they are lead to believe as has happened in the past.

Webster World said...

Ol' Henry did it right.

Billy Jones said...

It's called a co-op. Here's one that's trying to form in Greensboro. Workers and customers will own the business. That is, if the local elitist bastards don't manage to steal it from us.

Wish us luck, please.