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The plaintiffs shouldn't have settled, or at least not for so little. Microsoft agreed to settle for 97 million dollars, which sounds like a like of money, but when you consider it affected around 10,000 workers, that's only $8,700 each, assuming the lawyers down get a cut of the settlement, which I believe is highly unlikely. The workers involve probably only got $5,000 each for there efforts before taxes. When you consider the years of denied benefits, it's a joke amount of money.
Temping wouldn't be so bad if they were compensated with higher wages then regular employees, but the sad fact is most of these staffing agencies take the lion share of the contract rate. If the contract rate is $50 an hour, employees are lucky to get $15 an hour from the staffing agency.
That hasn't been my experience in IT contracting. I was always paid more than their regular employees. I know this because I have seen internal salary charts there, and knew I was making more than double what they were being paid. I also had benefits from the contract house too. It depends on the skill level and if that skill is in demand. People who are temping as clerks, can't expected to be paid very much.
Didn't occur to you my friend that that someone who is working a temp/contract job does so because he/she couldn't get a permanent job in the first place?
There are people who prefer contracting so they don't have to put up with company politics, and the silly annual salary review process they put employees through. As a contract you get time and a half for overtime, while the permanent employees are on salary and for work free past 40 hours a week, and then get tossed out the door when the company downsizes them.
When I worked in "blue collar" jobs, they usually only take temporary employees, but almost always they get hired permanent in less than 6 months if you're a good worker. Once I started working in IT and white collar jobs, it was a whole different story. I've expected it to be the same, but all it was basically using and abusing the employees no matter how hard they work.
It's just aggravating to know you're doing just as much work, if not more than permanent and you're getting half the pay without benefits. The only reason I choose to work for a temporary agency is to gain experience in the field. One thing for sure, once I have enough experience, I will get rid of my Monster.com profile and avoid sites like Indeed since all that seems to attract temporary agencies. I will start applying directly from the company site.
Sorry you have had a bad situation.
I've been working in IT for many years and have contracted. I never heard of someone contracting for half the pay of what the regular employees at the company get. If that is happening, then you need to look at your negotiation skills. When you get a phone call telling you the contract pays low, tell them you require a much higher rate and give them a number. I have easily been able to get them to offer double past their first number within a 5 minute phone call. Then they put you on hold, ask someone else, and come back and say they can do the higher rate or counter, but it has never been much off than what I asked for. At some client companies, they know what the rate the contracting is being paid on their W2, so the contract house isn't marking up a $20.00 an hour employee to $100.00. I worked on a contract, where the agreement with the client company was to have a specific dollar mark-up over what the contract was being paid on their W2.
The other question that comes to mind, were you really doing work at their level or were you assisting them? Someone who gets hired in software development to take care of the software libraries can't be expected to be paid as the same as the lead developer on the project, for example.
I've been working in IT for many years and have contracted. I never heard of someone contracting for half the pay of what the regular employees at the company get. If that is happening, then you need to look at your negotiation skills. When you get a phone call telling you the contract pays low, tell them you require a much higher rate and give them a number. I have easily been able to get them to offer double past their first number within a 5 minute phone call. Then they put you on hold, ask someone else, and come back and say they can do the higher rate or counter, but it has never been much off than what I asked for. At some client companies, they know what the rate the contracting is being paid on their W2, so the contract house isn't marking up a $20.00 an hour employee to $100.00. I worked on a contract, where the agreement with the client company was to have a specific dollar mark-up over what the contract was being paid on their W2.
The other question that comes to mind, were you really doing work at their level or were you assisting them? Someone who gets hired in software development to take care of the software libraries can't be expected to be paid as the same as the lead developer on the project, for example.
At the job I worked we did customer support. I was getting paid $11 an hour, some of the other temporary employees were making $12 or $10. Permanent employees were making $19+. We had two tiers one where everyone was temporary and tier 2 where it was half permanent and half temporary. They promise that they will hire tier 2 permanent but during almost the year I've been only one guy got hired. There were people who have been doing that job for 6+ months but are still temporary. I felt like I was in no position to negotiate much since my experience was limited. I am no longer with that job since they let me go with few other people after the busy holiday season ended. I am supposed to start a new job next week hopefully which is also temporary. The pay is a little better but not by much.
At the job I worked we did customer support. I was getting paid $11 an hour, some of the other temporary employees were making $12 or $10. Permanent employees were making $19+. We had two tiers one where everyone was temporary and tier 2 where it was half permanent and half temporary. They promise that they will hire tier 2 permanent but during almost the year I've been only one guy got hired. There were people who have been doing that job for 6+ months but are still temporary. I felt like I was in no position to negotiate much since my experience was limited. I am no longer with that job since they let me go with few other people after the busy holiday season ended. I am supposed to start a new job next week hopefully which is also temporary. The pay is a little better but not by much.
That was the same crap my old job use to pull. I was making $17 per hour as an associate chemist in a contractor to hire position. Full time Associates chemists at that company (Georgia-Pacific) were making $47,000 a year (about $23 per hour). They also had full benefits subsidized health/dental/vision coverage, 401k matching, free life insurance plan, 2 weeks vacation, unlimited sick days, and paid holidays.
The R&D manager said that the projects were about to get a patent and after 6 months it possible I can be brought on permanently. That was a bunch of BS. One contractor in my department was there for 18 months and he is still there as a temp with no raises and the projects that we were working on were still in preliminary stages. Since the projects weren't concrete they hire a couple temps that are working on a continent basis and if the project fails simply let the temps go.
After working there 9+ months I found a full time chemist position out of state paying $15k more per year and offers full benefits. Every time I see angel soft tissue and brawny paper towels I cringe as it brings back unpleasant memories at Georgia-Pacific. I refuse to buy their consumer goods.
The stupid recruiter sold that job like it was high responsibility but all it was was just basic blend preparations and thermosetting resins and it was nothing more than a dead end job. The owner of these staffing agencies must hire their recruiters from used car lots that use to sell lemon cars to people because they are defiantly selling crap jobs to desperate people.
We hire temp workers here. What usually plays out is that eventually they do get hired on as perm workers, or they find a perm job elsewhere and leave.
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