A report by the National Employment Law Project and Temp Worker Justice criticizes staffing practices of large tech firms, USA Today reported. It claims use of contingent workers creates a two-tier system that leaves contingents with fewer rights and less power. “This report is important because it sheds light on the actual employment situation for most technology workers, which is much worse than what most people, including reporters and policymakers, believe to be the case,” said Ron Hira, a research associate with the Economic Policy Institute in a comment on the report. “There’s a large gap between what people’s impression of the technology labor market versus its true state.”
The report itself calls for equal pay for equal work, joint employer liability, transparency about the terms and conditions of assignments, prohibition on employment terms that limit temp workers’ other job opportunities, and record-keeping requirements that could indicate discriminatory or abusive practices.