-=> CHARLES ANGELICH wrote to WAYNE CHIRNSIDE <=-


 CA> I wish nothing but health and happiness to all technicians. I
 CA> think working with your hands and using your imagination is
 CA> very creative. It's an "art form" IMO. Some have, others do
 CA> not. I love to watch people who work with their hands and are
 CA> good at what they do. It can be an amazing thing to witness.

I was incredible with my hands both working on my own motorcycles
and electronics. One temp job I had _was_ putting together 
minicomputers in a nice air conditioned building.
Supervisor came back in a bit and asked me why I'd not hooked up
more of the power supplies, my answer in two parts.
"How much do these units cost" ANS: something like 180,000
dollars. I replied I was tightening the screws once,
backing off than once again so they'd be extra secure
and double checking my work, this seemed to satisfy him and
he wandered off. Always liked working with my hands, 
if I couldn't find it or it was too expensive I'd build it.

 CA> Temp agencies are not founded on this philosophy. The people
 CA> who own them and work in them are sales oriented people. They
 CA> do not care what you can do they care about how they can sell
 CA> you. You are a commodity. That's why they wanted Roy to 'dress
 CA> up' for them. A prettier package. They are unable to sell
 CA> skill, they have no appreciation for skills.

Just so.

 CA> Many people have _lost_ opportunities for employment once
 CA> signing the temp contract you are barred from accepting
 CA> employment from any company they have contacted in your behalf
 CA> for at least six months. By that time the job is no longer
 CA> available.

 There's a buyout clause in the agency I worked for 
 and I was good enough they sprung for it, heck after
 they moved to Bartow in 87 and they fired all 
 their higher paid production people with locally available cheap
 labor they'd trained they approached me to come back to
 work as a printer at twice what I was making at the time
 but as they were assholes I declined.
 I believe I said something like as long as you f???'s
 were a ten minute walk from my door and you paid well
 it was fine but Bartow is known for 4 things, phosphate mines,
 radon gas in homes, migrant farm workers and a big Ford dealership,
 other than that it's a rural moonscape.

 CA> To keep you the company must 'buy out your contract' usually
 CA> this figure is in the thousands of dollars and reduces the
 CA> amount of pay the company can then offer to you to stay with
 CA> them.

They bought me out, and very soon were paying me rather well.
Every time they pissed me off I'd threaten to quit and bang I got a
raise.

 CA> In the long run temp agencies have had the effect of reducing
 CA> overall hourly wages of employees and even salaried employees.
 CA> The temp agencies often get a 'lock' on companies that once
 CA> accepted applications themselves which reduces the number of
 CA> companies you can apply to when out of work (making the temp
 CA> agencie _appear_ to be a saviour by saving you from the lousy
 CA> situation they created for you).

  For the most part true, Roy and myself seem to have been exceptions.
  Heck I used to get 5 minute catnaps while running 2,500
  foot rolls of light cardboard  stock through the printer!
  How I slept with all the people, punch presses ect
  I'll never know but I  would wake up when a run finished
 
 CA> Temp agencies are a cancer for technicians. Given enough time
 CA> they will reduce Americans to laborers with all skilled
 CA> employment going to immigrants recruited from countries where
 CA> they do not exist.

A good point I'd not previously considered.
 
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