So, how did employers fill the gaps so quickly? Lots of them relied on staffing firms<\/a> or temp agencies, which, across the country, have reported a meaningful bump<\/a> as a result of the summer festivities. And while those companies fill a meaningful gap for employers, they can also, sometimes, create unsafe and exploitative conditions for workers.<\/p>\n In fact, despite the rapid growth of the temp workers \u2014 numbering some 2.5 million people in the U.S., compared to 1 million in 1990 \u2014 only four states have adopted robust protections for them, a group that does not currently include Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the wild, wild west for temp agencies right now,\u201d says Brittany Alston, executive director of the Philly Black Workers Project,<\/a> which recently launched the All Due Respect Campaign<\/a> as a means of spurring change. \u201cYou have fly-by-night shops that exploit workers, then change their name, and keep doing it. We also know that some of the top employers in the city use temporary workers.\u201d<\/p>\n The exploitation of temp workers goes far beyond unequal pay. By and large, temps are not entitled to health insurance, paid sick leave, or overtime, no matter the length of their contract or how many times they\u2019ve renewed it.<\/p>\n But the deeper issues arise from the \u201ctriangular employment\u201d at the center of the temp-staffing industry. While workers are employed and paid by one firm (a temp agency) they perform day-to-day duties under the supervision of a separate host employer. Frequently, this triangular relationship results in a blurring of lines regarding labor practices and workplace protections. When ProPublica investigated<\/a> California\u2019s temp agencies in 2013, they found workers employed by those firms were 50 percent more likely to be hurt on the job. Worse yet, they were rarely awarded workers\u2019 compensation.<\/p>\n \u201cThere has to be some kind of intervention,\u201d says Alston, who notes a disturbing trend in the world of temporary employment: Bad actors tend to hire marginalized workers who face barriers to traditional jobs, including Black and Latino Americans. These firms often receive tax breaks, too. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot of immigrants and folks who are coming home from jail,\u201d she says. \u201cThey\u2019re being funneled into low-wage jobs with less security, such as janitorial work, food service, and manufacturing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt is my dream for people to have jobs that allow them to live the best versions of their lives and to feel like the best versions of themselves.\u201d \u2014 Brittany Alston<\/p>\n The All Due Respect Campaign seeks to establish more transparency, accountability, and equal pay for temp workers at a local level. Among other objectives, the campaign calls for improved health and safety standards, pathways to permanent employment, and a public database of bad actors in the space. Backed by Councilmembers Nic O\u2019Rourke and Kendra Brooks, members of the progressive Working Families Party, the campaign is expected to pick up in the fall during the next legislative session.<\/p>\n The Citizen spoke to Alston regarding the issues and solutions of temp work in the run-up to the World Cup matches in South Philly, where she performed on-site observations of stadium workers to gauge their labor conditions. This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.<\/p>\n Malcolm Burnley: What are you trying to accomplish with the All Due Respect Campaign?<\/p>\n Brittany Alston: One, we want to build a base of organized Black workers who are otherwise invisible in these jobs and conversations around labor. We want to build a base of Black folks who feel powerful enough to change the conditions in their workplaces. We definitely see a route [to change] through some of the legislative work to really regulate the industry, but there is also power that comes from the workers themselves.<\/p>\n This is a conversation about people\u2019s bodies being sold, and so we need to be having real conversations that might be hard for some folks, some employers, and it might cost them money, right? But if it costs them money to keep workers safe, and to prevent them from being exploited, we think that\u2019s important.<\/p>\n What\u2019s the landscape of accountability right now for the temp industry?<\/p>\n There\u2019s just no regulation. In fact, right now, there is no registry for staffing agencies, which means that if they do violate someone\u2019s rights, then they can just change their name. In some instances, workers go from Temp Agency One, who stole their money, then go apply to Temp Agency B, and be working for the same employer.<\/p>\n There\u2019s also this unique intersection of exploitation. They hire a lot of folks who are coming home from jail and who can\u2019t find jobs in more traditional employment. They\u2019re being funneled into what we call the prison-to-temp pipeline, which actually has a robust infrastructure because of something called Worker Opportunity Tax Credits that <\/a>allow staffing agencies to receive money for hiring folks who are formerly incarcerated. So, they\u2019re looking for very particular groups of workers who are highly exploited and highly vulnerable.<\/p>\n How might employers that currently rely on staffing agencies be affected by reforms?<\/p>\n Huge employers, huge corporations are able to take advantage of this very particular workforce. Comcast, Jefferson, Temple, even the City of Philadelphia \u2014 they all use temp workers. If folks are not violating workers\u2019 rights, then I don\u2019t think this has to be a huge issue, right? I think that if people are interested in being good employers, they will be supportive. This is one of the only industries that actually makes money off people\u2019s labor. That absolutely makes no sense, right? This is a conversation about people\u2019s bodies being sold.<\/p>\n The employer ultimately has the power, right? The employer has to hire the staffing agency, so they should also be interested in a model that enforces rights and adheres to the law. Especially these larger employers that are hiring temp agencies at a high rate, they can have strategic enforcement or dedicated staff that make sure the staffing agencies are in good standing with labor. I hope that all employers don\u2019t believe that profit is more important than people. If you\u2019re opposed to change, you are deeply invested in the temp industry because you\u2019re trying to save money on people\u2019s labor, labor, trying to line your own pockets.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cIf people are interested in being good employers, they will be supportive.\u201d \u2014 Brittany Alston<\/p>\n What sorts of solutions are you hoping City Council or Harrisburg will take up?<\/p>\n We would like to see a bad actor\u2019s database at some point, but all of that requires understanding about who\u2019s in the landscape. Who are the staffing agencies? Where are they located? We don\u2019t have that information right now. I also think that there\u2019s a lot of work to do around building bridges between worker centers, like ours, and employers. There is interest from employers, some of whom don\u2019t know the laws. We\u2019d like to offer trainings that might support them in being better stewards of workers\u2019 rights, as well.<\/p>\n Are there examples of places that have successfully implemented reforms?<\/p>\n