upper waypoint

Temp agencies and the undocumented

Save ArticleSave Article
Failed to save article

Please try again

So Meg Whitman today said that she didn't blame Town & Country Resources, the Palo Alto temp agency that referred Nikki Diaz to her, for not catching her status as an undocumented worker, because Diaz had submitted the appropriate credentials.

We just received this email from someone who used to work at a San Francisco temp agency. The subject concerns the lack of thoroughness by referral agencies in checking contractors' immigration status when money's on the line. The email doesn't speak to the specifics of Whitman's Diaz hire or to any wrongdoing on Town & Country's part, just to the general attitude of the industry on this issue:

I took a day job (a few years ago) with a temp agency, first as a receptionist, then as the person to fill job orders and hire workers to fill those orders.

The basic operation was to take anybody who applied – have them fill out paper work, provide documentation, and put them into the system. If someone was suspect or didn’t speak English that well we only tapped them when absolutely necessary, in a time crunch. But that pressure to fill a position is very strong. Every order that comes into a temp agency represents a lot of cash—leaving one unfilled was a big no. In one instance we knowingly hired folks we knew were in the country on expired Visas.

Town and Country is def. considered on the upper-scale of agencies. They deal with domestic workers, and seek people who specialize in that and are willing to make long term commitments to a family. I doubt that they would take the Whitman’s order lightly. The order would have brought in a lot of money –usually 10-20 percent of the hire’s hourly pay and a few thousand dollars if the hire went permanent.

I think if anything this story reveals a need stronger for a look at the current system of verifying employment, the e-verify system, etc.

Sponsored

lower waypoint
next waypoint
Cecil Williams, Legendary Pastor of Glide Church, Dies at 94Allegations of Prosecutorial Bias Spark Review of Death Penalty Convictions in Alameda CountyWhy Renaming Oakland's Airport Is a Big DealNurses Warn Patient Safety at Risk as AI Use Spreads in Health CareState Prisons Offset New Inmate Wage Hikes by Cutting Hours for Some WorkersSF Democratic Party’s Support of Unlimited Housing Could Pressure Mayoral Candidates‘Sweeps Kill’: Bay Area Homeless Advocates Weigh in on Pivotal US Supreme Court CaseSupreme Court Hears Oral Arguments in Major Homelessness CaseBay Area Indians Brace for India’s Pivotal 2024 Election: Here’s What to KnowCalifornia’s Future Educators Divided on How to Teach Reading