Just re-posting this as I think it should be broadcast everywhere until people understand that this is truly an abusive practice...
I had been a casualty of the whole dot-com bust back in 2000, but I figured that hey, it was a risk I was well aware of taking at the time by working at a start-up. At least then I qualified for unemployment when my co-workers and I were laid off en masse.
I can truly say now that those were the good ole days. It has now been 5 months since I was laid off from Apple and did not even get to leave as an employee. They called me on a SUNDAY to dispose of me and sent my desk equipment, most of which I had to purchase, by FedEx and all broken. I had put in almost 3 years of hard work there and never received benefits. I worked full time, on site and was bossed around by some sissy boy who didn't have half the experience I have, and on top of that was considerably younger. I had asked this passive aggressive jerk wad several times if I would ever be hired by Crapple, but no luck! There were plenty of false promises though, believe me. A promise of getting hired was usually quickly followed by 'when we have head count.' What the HELL does that mean? Pardon my French! I worked alongside the Apple brats doing the same thing, but getting considerably less pay. And I had to suffer the indignity of watching them get rewarded with expensive freebies - yes, even iPhones were given away. But alas, my badge displayed the 'gray' apple of disgrace, not the colored version of those walking around the cutesy campus with stock options and paid vacations. So yes, what I am describing is indeed a caste system, and I will never know if Steve Jobs created this creepy little scenario for his own amusement, or the savings he's skimmed off the Permalancers, or both.
In case anyone thinks this is a sad little tale from someone with some sort of victim complex/mentality, I have to inform you, you are sadly mistaken. It may be hard to believe, but I am writing this for YOU! I don't want any more workers being misclassified in this fashion. And yes, the term is indeed 'misclassification.' It means that any company using Permatemps who are actually employees by law, is doing so to protect its stock value first and foremost, and also to avoid paying social security and medicare taxes.
Unless you actually enjoy getting completely screwed over in such a fashion, please heed my warning! Take a job with an agency if you must, but make sure they comply with the 'hired within 3 months' rule. I know what I'm talking about. We all have to protect each other from corporate corruption and start listening to the so-called 'little' people. Look, I know that doing so may feel less glamorous and slick than corporate worship, but in the long run it will be our salvation.
Anyone who needs more information on this relatively new abuse (well it's been 10 years since the Microsoft Permatemp lawsuit) can just contact me or learn about tech workers' unions, the likes of Washtech. Again, a reminder: if you have not been 'officially' hired by a company, but you work on site, full time for more than 3 months or God forbid, a year, and are managed and told what hours to come in, you are a Permatemp, and this is called misclassification, which is a real and severe violation of labor law. Also, if they assess your work regularly, rather than just asking that you complete a project, that is also an indication you are closer to employee than contractor status. In addition, a big red flag should go up if they supply the equipment you work on. Apple gave me a full workstation on site. In fact, I was given one of the fastest computers in the department. If my job was so trivial as they implied, why would they do that? I hinted that I bought some equipment earlier on. That was purely ergonomic stuff, but still expensive, which I did indeed resent. Employees had all kinds of custom ergo adjustments made to suit them. I hope this information helps you in determining what your status at work is.
In the meantime, I am at least back in my beloved city of San Francisco, and no longer have to commute with a bunch of clueless kids to Cuperstupid. Because Apple had me misclassified as self employed, I did not qualify for unemployment benefits, as you might have figured out by this point. I don't have much money to eat, but am eating doughnuts with a vengeance. Steve Jobs is afraid of them, by the way. For now my only power is my word, and you'd better believe that everything in this post is true. Really, Apple should think twice before laying off someone who is not only crazy enough to survive anything, but who knows how to get her work published all across the interwebs and in just about any printed publication. Hey Steve, just for your information, I've been published in Rolling Stone and The San Francisco Examiner and... shall I go on? Power to the people!
