Would I be considered a scab if I went to work for a temp agency?

[Revanchist]

I'm changing careers after leaving the military and am going into healthcare administration. I've completed my bachelors and am working on my master's and am considering applying to a few temp agencies to get some office experience and current work experience (didn't work during school and lived of retirement and GI bill).

I've seen a few posts calling temp workers scabs, but since I'm in a right to work state anyway I really don't think I'll be infringing on any union workers, but I wanted to get some feedback anyway.

Thanks in advance for replies.

[badtoworse]

1. I think you need to do what's best for yourself and your family.

That is your primary responsibility.

[darkangel218]

2. Would it make any difference to you if someone on here said that about temp workers?

I mean seriously.
What are you going to do, not get a job?

Nvermind, "I see what you did here"

[Arkansas Granny]

3. I could be wrong, and it wouldn't be the first time, but I've only heard the term scab

applied to those who crossed picket lines to work at a job where workers were on strike. In that case, it wouldn't matter if you were working for a temp agency or not.

Where I live, the temp agencies are used almost like a hiring agency. There are very few jobs listed in the paper by a private employers. Most go through the temp agencies for new hires.

[Go Vols]

4. no

not unless you are crossing a picket line.

[cloudbase]

5. No.

You'll only be a scab if you take a striking union worker's job.

Best of luck to you.

[Violet_Crumble]

6. Yr only a scab if you cross a picket line...

I don't know if the situation with temps are the same in the US as here, but far from being scabs they're more likely to be employed short term by employers who don't have to give them the same conditions and benefits as they have to give to permanent employees.

There's nothing wrong with temping. I did it for twelve months after I took a redundancy package and wasn't allowed to rejoin the public service for a year.

[Revanchist]

7. Reply to all who have posted so far

Thanks for the replies, with the line of work I'm going into, I don't think I'll have to worry about being in a union-busting position. Even though I'm from a heavily Democratic area (Rhode Island), I really never had much interaction with unions and due to the majority of my work history being the military, I've never had the opportunity to join one. The whole concept of unions if sort of foreign to me due to this non-interaction. Although, if I do succeed in my field, I'll have to work with them, particularly nurses.

[Violet_Crumble]

10. I've been a union member since the first day I started work...

They're pretty good. They looked out for me when some shit went down at an old job years ago, and they work hard to get us better pay and conditions. I reckon you'd like being in a union

[Revanchist]

11. Unfortunately with the field I've decided to enter

will make me the a**hole in management that the union workers will gripe about due to company policy.

I'm going to have to try my best to respect the workers.

[gollygee]

8. The only way I could see what you're saying

is if a union were on strike and they hired temp workers to take the place of the union workers and you took the job and crossed the picket line.

Otherwise, no.

[Myrina]

9. Unfortunately, pretty much the only way to get hired on as an FTE anymore is to temp ...

.... so many places have basically outsourced their HR to contracting/recruitng/temp companies.
It actually is a pretty decent way to go about it if you can stand the insecurity because it allows you to 'live' in the job & company for awhile before really committing to joining it long term. If it's not "you", work to the end of the contract, thank them and ask for the next assignment.

Many of these agencies also offer insurance, 401k etc although not as attractive/affordable as a larger company's would be. Having a major case of committment-phobia myself after being jerked around for 12 years, I am enjoying contracting because I don't feel like anyone "owns" me/my time.

Good luck finding what works best for you!!

[woo me with science]

12. I have been told that

it's getting harder and harder to move from temp to full time work. Don't most contracts prevent temp workers from moving to full-time in the same company now?

When I first heard this, I was outraged, because I always considered temp work a good stepping stone and way to "try out" a company.

I was told that's almost impossible these days.

[Lugnut]

17. I think it depends on the temp agency contract.

Some assignments are temp to hire and some are strictly temp. Most of the time around here you never get moved to anything permanent. There are a lot of people who've been a temp for years with no benefits, raises or paid time off. It's become quite the racket for the agency and employer and a dead end for the employee.

[Myrina]

18. Agree - it depends on the arrangement between the agency & the company ...

... alot of times companies can hire you after x weeks of temping but the temp agency won't tell you that because they're making a hefty profit off your labor. If you make, say $20/hr - the temp agency is likely billing the company $40/hr. So basically they're your pimp & skimming off the top. If you let the company know you're interested in them as an FTE and you're doing a great job, they may move to hire you because it may ultimately save them money - all depends on their business model. In some cases, the work truly is only temporary.

[pipoman]

13. yes

[warrprayer]

14. not unless

you are crossing a picket line at a place that is on strike.

[Revanchist]

15. Just looked up the union percentage in Virginia in general

It's four times below the national average. Got to love these right to work states. Wouldn't be much better if we move closer to my wife's parents, Missouri, and I'm worried about the direction of the state that is our second choice, Wisconsin.

[Brickbat]

16. I worked in a temp agency in college before I knew better and was used as a scab.

I worked at several plants that were unionized and that used me as cheap labor during times of high production, or to cover during vacations. I was working for less than the people on the line with me. I'm lucky I wasn't beat up in the parking lot at the end of my 12-hour shift. I'm embarrassed to admit it, and I plead ignorance, but there's really no excuse.

[Mariana]

20. Why do you assume the union members

wanted to hurt you? Did they threaten you?

[Brickbat]

21. They made their displeasure known.

I was speaking somewhat hyperbolically. It was more common in the old days, of course.

[lynne]

19. You see a picket line? Is there a strike in progress?

If not, then you're not a scab. You say you're in a right-to-work state so I'm thinking a strike or picket line probably isn't involved.

Would someone considering you a scab really be a deterrent to work if you needed the job to feed your family?