Warehouse workers shed light on injustices

JOLIET — For six years, Susan worked in area warehouses, an experience that has left her bitter.

“The warehouse industry is the new slavery of the millennium,” she said. “This is the slave trade all over again. They don’t want to pay you anything and they’re going to mistreat you no matter what.”

Another warehouse worker, Debbie, agrees. She’s a full-time employee for a warehouse, but seeing how the temp workers are mistreated brings her to tears.

The women told their stories to The Herald-News to shed light on working conditions in some of the warehouses that have risen from area cornfields in recent years.

Their complaints, and the concerns of other warehouse workers, brought the Chicago-based Warehouse Workers for Justice into Will County to fight for workers’ rights.

Walking on eggshells

Susan worked for several warehouses that hired mostly temporary employees to staff long-term jobs.
“As long as their bottom line is black, they don’t give a damn about you,” she said over coffee at a local shop.

Susan is not her real name. She did not want to be identified because she fears she will not be able to get a job if employers know she went public with her complaints.

Because many employees are hired as temps, they never know when the ax will come, she explained.

“They peel you back layer by layer. They want your self respect and dignity until you’re walking on egg shells. It’s like you sell your soul to the devil pretty much.”

Some warehouses have 90-day contracts for temps.

“Ninety-day temps are hired and then guess what, on your 89th day — you’re out of there.”

At one warehouse, Susan was supposed to do clerical work, but bosses would ask her to unload cargo containers on occasion.

“And if you didn’t do it, you don’t have a job,” she said.

Injured and laid off

At another warehouse, Susan was injured when a large box fell on her. After she returned from medical leave, she was laid off along with about other 200 workers.
“Basically, I’m unemployable,” she said. “You injured me, then you laid me off.”

The tenuous nature of many of the warehouse jobs is hurting Will County, Susan said.

“Will County has over 100 employment agencies, temp agencies. It’s time for that to stop.”

She blames the elected officials for approving tax breaks for the companies that build warehouses here without holding their feet to the fire on the types of jobs that will be created.

“The one thing politicians never stop to ask is, ‘Are you going to hire them or are you going to use a temp agency to staff it?’ The politicians never took the time to find out.”

Something has to change, she added.

“It’s time for the county board, the city councils, mayors and economic development officials in Will County to go back to the drawing board,” she said. “They didn’t get their people jobs. They’ve totally sold us out. … Our people need jobs, they don’t need a temporary fix. …

“I understand that temp agencies are businesses, but it’s no good for the working people. They need to pay a living wage and treat people like they need to be treated.”

When she was working for the warehouses, Susan said she earned only slightly more than minimum wage, even though the temp agencies that supplied workers was getting paid more per hour.

“Once I paid the mortgage, there was nothing left,” she said.

People who work in warehouses “can’t buy cars or homes or rent an apartment,” she added.

“These companies need to know somebody is watching them,” she said. “There need to be rules. … You want us to vote for you. You want us to trust you. But you guys messed up.”

Permanent temps

Debbie, not her real name, who works as a full-time employee at a Joliet warehouse, said it’s frustrating working with temporary employees. The temps are paid less and mistreated, but they don’t complain because many are illegal aliens, she said.
“There’s no reason to be a temp for three years and that’s what they’re doing,” said Debbie. “They (the temp agency) knows they’re illegal and they have no say and it’s cheap pay. But that hurts all of us because we never get pay raises.

One four-year employee who was an illegal alien was recently instructed to train her replacement. When the woman refused, she was escorted from the building, Debbie said.

“It’s just sad.”

Warehouse Workers for Justice has had numerous meetings in Will County in recent months to educate workers about their rights. At many of the meetings, employees have come forward to complain about working conditions at some warehouses.

In two cases, the complaints have led to action. WWJ have targeted two companies that staff the Walmart and Bissell warehouses in Elwood. They’ve also worked with local clergy on a boycott of Bissell products.

The companies involved deny workers are being mistreated. But WWJ isn’t going away anytime soon.

Comments are closed.