Reevaluating Union Policy toward White-Collar Home-Based Work
Author(s)
Christensen, Kathleen E.
Abstract
Industrial homework was originally concentrated in manufacturing industries. Because home-based work is difficult to monitor and regulate, homeworkers were often caught in exploitative situations. In the 1990s, homework presents a more complicated picture. In certain industries, garments and electronics for example, home-based manufacturing can still be found and may even be increasing. However, most homeworkers are now in service positions, often in white collar jobs ranging from “the high-priced telecommuter to the harassed and overworked data-entry pieceworker.” The majority of those who work exclusively in the home are women, either self-employed or working part time. The type of homework that offers the most scope for abuse is that in which the worker is labeled an independent contractor. This article gives an overview of the character of modern home-based employment, along with “a proposal for policy directions, not only in a sense of how unions can organize homeworkers but also how they can best represent their interests.”
