‘Two-Tiered Caste System’: The World of White-Collar Contracting in Silicon Valley

  • 📰 NPR
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 74 sec. here
  • 3 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 33%
  • Publisher: 63%

United States Headlines News

United States Latest News,United States Headlines

'As a contractor, you’re treated like you’re less than everyone else.” In a constantly-changing environment, Silicon Valley benefits from the contractor model. What does that mean for the workers who want (or need) more? (via KQED)

In response to a letter demanding equal treatment for contractors signed by Google employees, the company said it will require staffing firms to provide health insurance, 12 hours of paid parental leave and at least $15 an hour. Staffing agencies must comply by 2022. Pictured: Google headquarters on Jan. 30, 2014, in Mountain View.

The total number of contract workers in Silicon Valley is unknown. But experts, academics and labor advocates interviewed for this story estimated more than 100,000 white- and blue-collar contractors are working in tech, doing jobs ranging from janitorial work to programming.Since the late 1980s, companies nationwide have been switching their labor force over from employees to contractors.

And, this model saves tech firms money in benefits, too, since it would cost a lot to give contractors the same generous packages used to attract high-skilled programmers and software developers, said Chauhan, who worked in staffing at Microsoft in the 1990s. In the early 1990s, Microsoft had hired lots of contractors to do everything from IT work to software development. Some of these workers got stuck in contracting roles for years and ended up filing a class-action lawsuit against Microsoft for how it was “permatemping” its workers. After almost a decade of battling the lawsuit,“After Microsoft lost,” Chauhan said, “every contingent staffing department at every large company started setting up rules over how to best utilize contractors.

This worker grew up in the Bay Area and recently became a contract worker in tech. He is hoping to jump to full-time employment and build a career in the industry. But in his first months on the job, he is concerned he is not doing enough work in his contract role to move to full time and that he may be let go.

 

Thank you for your comment. Your comment will be published after being reviewed.
Please try again later.

KQED

KQED Why won’t NPR let you know this? This is huge..

KQED They are under contract by the “Temp/Workforce Agency”. You often haven to work in the SAME environment/position 6 months before you are even allowed to apply for the vacancy. My advice would be to show up, excel at request job and make a damn good impression on hiring manager

KQED This true everywhere. I was a government contractor and was treated below less than full time people.

KQED Union

KQED They are screwed. They can take what they can get or go somewhere else

We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

 /  🏆 96. in US

United States Latest News, United States Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

From Singapore to Silicon Valley, how startups are bridging ties between the two citiesFor decades, California’s Silicon Valley has been the epicentre of the global st...
Source: Reuters - 🏆 2. / 97 Read more »

Once upon a time in Silicon Valley: How Facebook's open-data nirvana fell apartAnalysis: A lack of rules built upon optimism about the internet and amplified by a growth-at-all costs strategy has given way to scrutiny and skepticism. Hey, he's SUPER RICH! He doesn't give a damn! Permanently deleted my account today. 😒 Lock him up!
Source: NBCNews - 🏆 10. / 86 Read more »

Silicon Valley Housing Crisis Ensnares StanfordStanford University is locked in a dispute with regional officials over whether it is providing enough affordable housing as part of a planned expansion, drawing one of America’s most prestigious colleges into Silicon Valley’s housing crisis. A $26.5 billion endowment only affords you so much flexibility these days It’s great being liberal as long as no one tells you what to do with your money. Need lots of houses for illegal aliens.
Source: WSJ - 🏆 98. / 63 Read more »

Google staffer in Silicon Valley campus diagnosed with measles, company cautions employees: Report“A Googler who was in Charleston 1295 [a Google office] on Thursday, April 4, has been diagnosed with measles,” Google in-house doctor David Kaye said, noting that this “is just a precaution.” Now my phone will get measles 😱 Just kidding, measles is no laughing matter. Get the vaccine. Save lives. I wonder what would happen if we brought in hundreds of thousands of people from Central America that have never had any vaccinations?
Source: Newsweek - 🏆 468. / 52 Read more »

Measles case linked to Google’s Silicon Valley campus is confirmedSanta Clara County public health officials said an adult who contracted measles spent time at Google’s Mountain View campus last week. minyoungleeis now it effect google some real action will happen
Source: latimes - 🏆 11. / 82 Read more »

Is Silicon Valley Coming For Rosé?Famed venture capital firm Founders Fund just made its first-ever alcohol investment. Meet the 28-year-old entrepreneur behind the $7 million deal.
Source: Forbes - 🏆 394. / 53 Read more »

Silicon Valley has a millennials problemThe high cost of living, homelessness, and climate change are prompting young adults to consider leaving the Bay Area, recent surveys show. Such intractable issues aren’t new. But they’re now threatening the region’s ability to attract and keep talent. That’ll hit its economy. Reuters GinaChon One of MANY & Growing......Gogtrump ReutersBiz GinaChon Well when rent is insane, even for those making six figures and they’re living out of their car.... Reuters GinaChon This country has a millennial problem...
Source: Breakingviews - 🏆 470. / 51 Read more »

A Google employee in Silicon Valley has been diagnosed with measles according to a reportYouTube, where much of the anti-vax content resides, said it considers the videos 'dangerous or harmful,' but still allows them on its site. It’s about time google got a virus. Haha :)
Source: BusinessInsider - 🏆 729. / 51 Read more »

Measles reported at Google’s Silicon Valley headquartersThere have already been more U.S.-wide measles cases reported in 2019 than all of last year.
Source: MarketWatch - 🏆 3. / 97 Read more »

A person with measles visited Google headquarters, health officials sayA person with measles visited Google headquarters in Silicon Valley, health officials say Well there's something Google couldn't see coming, though I'm sure someone's already on it. Does that make it a computer virus? good ,
Source: cnnbrk - 🏆 393. / 55 Read more »