written for Reveal - November 2015 episode #111.

pieces to pick up

When temp agencies fill orders for a worker of a certain race or gender, that’s illegal. So some use code words like “vanilla cupcake,” “country boys” or “blue eyes” to hide the discrimination. (Hint: Those are all codes for white workers.)

This segment digs into one staffing agency with branches across the South, where former employees said some clients demanded white workers. Others wanted Latinos. 

Reveal’s Will Evans talked to dozens of former employees of Automation Personnel Services, who told him that this type of discrimination was common. Recruiters, office managers and sales reps from six states said Automation would often send out temp workers not based on their experience or skills – but because of their race, age or gender.

How Far One Temp Agency Went To Please Its Customers

1997 James Brown Birthday Celebration Radio Broadcast on KPFA

Reveal is a new investigative reporting program from The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX. Available on public radio and online, the show examines what governments, businesses and communities are doing behind the scenes, hidden from public view. It's for anyone who is interested in stories that change our understanding of how the world works. 



How Far One Temp Agency Went To Please Its Customers

Reveal

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