16th January 2011, 07:33 PM
"The saddest thing I have heard in a long time is that in Virginia some companies are using temps and sending out one permitted archaeologists to supervise. Temps- as in temps from a temp agency, as in the people you usually get to cover the phones if someone is sick."
YUCK...goodness gracious me that is the worst thing I've heard in a while.
"At the end of the day exploitation of labour (under whatever guise you wish to place it under) is the unfortunate reality. By all means this doesn't mean we can't work towards and set up a fairer and more suitable best practise for field staff. The problem is getting "business" to develop a social conscience to accept it."
I think our only hope would involve legislation that inadvertently influences business practices in archaeology rather than directly. These would be labor laws that influences a variety of technical industries (esp. construction) where field workers could lobby make a case for protection under a broader law. Of course, these laws would be introduced at the state level rather than federal, which requires a lot of work in what laws are being debated in all 50 states. However, to me this seems more workable than trying to independently organize as it would require less people to get on board with big interests in the construction industry. Then again the construction industry is often at odds with our goals, since, as you say, we are only here because the law requires it - much to the protest of developers.
What about engaging with larger skilled workers unions like the AFL-CIO to see if anything could be worked out?
Writing out all these ideas makes me feel so idealistic and fanciful...its all seems so hopeless.
YUCK...goodness gracious me that is the worst thing I've heard in a while.
"At the end of the day exploitation of labour (under whatever guise you wish to place it under) is the unfortunate reality. By all means this doesn't mean we can't work towards and set up a fairer and more suitable best practise for field staff. The problem is getting "business" to develop a social conscience to accept it."
I think our only hope would involve legislation that inadvertently influences business practices in archaeology rather than directly. These would be labor laws that influences a variety of technical industries (esp. construction) where field workers could lobby make a case for protection under a broader law. Of course, these laws would be introduced at the state level rather than federal, which requires a lot of work in what laws are being debated in all 50 states. However, to me this seems more workable than trying to independently organize as it would require less people to get on board with big interests in the construction industry. Then again the construction industry is often at odds with our goals, since, as you say, we are only here because the law requires it - much to the protest of developers.
What about engaging with larger skilled workers unions like the AFL-CIO to see if anything could be worked out?
Writing out all these ideas makes me feel so idealistic and fanciful...its all seems so hopeless.