Unions, for instance, are in an unparalleled position to determine the facts about low road work. They are closer to workers than any other institutions and have members or former members throughout the workforce. One key issue that unions and community organizations are exploring around the country is the role of temporary agencies. Currently, a temporary agency, Manpower, Inc. is the nation's largest employer of record. Taken as a group, temporary agencies employ more people than many entire sectors.
Most temporary workers earn low pay, few, if any, benefits, and little opportunity for advancement.
But some partnerships are devising new approaches to the problem of temp workers, including establishing new forms of temporary employment agencies providing training and benefits, community standards for temporary agencies, a national code of conduct campaign and regional coalitions for training standards. Workers and their unions often don't realize the financial power they already have. For instance, workers invest hundreds of billions of dollars through their savings, pensions, and charitable contributions. In many cases, yes. In other cases, the fight is to gain allies and develop issue campaigns that resonate across the community.