Developing Worker Leaders among Warehouse Workers: Targeting hazards rooted in work organization for a contingent workforce

Over 200,000 warehouse workers, the majority of them immigrants, are employed through staffing agencies in the largest hub of goods movement in the nation, the Inland Empire of California. These workers typically receive no training and are pushed to work fast and hard with no chance for a permanent job that complies with basic labor or health and safety laws. Violations and injuries are commonly ignored by staffing agencies, which intimidate undocumented and desperate workers into not reporting problems. WWU, CLUE and UCLA-LOSH are collaborating to train a group of core leaders to conduct interviews with 100 warehouse workers, help develop curricula built on their findings, and subsequently train other workers. The training program is being gradually developed, combining existing curricula on health and safety and leadership development with new material relevant to the needs and characteristics of the group. In this process, we are redefining the scope of health and safety training to respond to the needs of a specific worker population and to newer forms of work organization. We are also identifying and documenting trials, errors and successes associated with efforts to educate and empower Latino immigrant workers with limited literacy and English-speaking skills. Based on results of workers' involvement in needs assessment, peer education and collective action, we will contribute to a conversation about working conditions in this industry and about effective models for the development and evaluation of programs meant to educate and empower low wage immigrant workers.