NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ–City-based non-profit New Labor continues organizing to improve the conditions of New Brunswick workers, with an educational event aimed at warehouse and temporary workers.

The organization invites anyone to the free Occupational Health and Safety training event, scheduled for Sunday, September 27, from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm, at the Anshe Emeth Memorial Temple at 222 Livingston Avenue.

The training will be provided by officials of the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), emphasizing responsibility and education and focusing on issues related to the recognition, avoidance, and prevention of safety and health hazards in the workplace.

Other topics to be addressed in the event include:

  • occupational health and safety rights
  • how to document and improve working conditions
  • updates and actions taken on local agencies and the new report on gender discrimination
  • information relative to the practices recommended by OSHA about agency and its clients

“More and more, major corporations are separating themselves from the workers who make their products and supply their shelves by inserting labor intermediaries who are nominally the “employers” of these workers,” explains Temped Out, a report from the National Employment Law Project (NELP).

This restructure in how business organize –franchising, outsourcing and using staffing agencies to take over core operations- is often a strategy to evade labor laws and worker benefits. It carries with it serious consequences for vulnerable workers, according to some findings of the report.

The report also shows that in northern and central New Jersey, there is a high concentration of staffing agencies, which have set up operations in majority Latino communities like New Brunswick, Elizabeth and Union City.

The most common abuses reported by advocates at New Labor include, “unsafe working conditions, finger pointing when there are accidents, too many people in van transportation, unpaid hours or days, sex discrimination and more.”

“Training is good, but is not enough. We need to look for different forms of organizing to change the conditions of a cheating system, where multinational corporations will contract out third party logistic intermediaries, which ultimately hire workers, leaving little at the bottom for them,” said Lou Kimmel the Director.

Refreshments will be served at the event. To reserve a spot and confirm your attendance call at 732-246-2900.