Posted on 05/17/2016 8:17:47 PM PDT by Theoria
A few years back, the heavy-equipment manufacturer JCB held a job fair in the glass foyer of its sprawling headquarters near here, but when a throng of prospective employees learned the next step would be drug testing, an alarming thing happened: About half of them left.
That story still circulates within the business community of this historic port city. But the problem has gotten worse.
All over the country, employers say they see a disturbing downside of tighter labor markets as they try to rebuild from the worst recession since the Depression: They are struggling to find workers who can pass a pre-employment drug test.
That hurdle partly stems from the growing ubiquity of drug testing, at corporations with big human resources departments, in industries like trucking where testing is mandated by federal law for safety reasons, and increasingly at smaller companies.
But data suggest employers’ difficulties also reflect an increase in the use of drugs, especially marijuana — employers’ main gripe — and also heroin and other opioid drugs much in the news.
Ray Gaster, the owner of lumberyards on both sides of the Georgia-South Carolina border, recently joined friends at a retreat in Alabama to swap business talk. The big topic? Drug tests.
“They were complaining about trying to find drivers, or finding people, who are drug-free and can do some of the jobs that they have,” Mr. Gaster said. He shared their concern.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Obviously, we need more Muslims to do the jobs drug addled Americans won’t do.
I think they are making things up. All they have to do, in their employment ads, is state that prospective employees will be tested for drug use.
I tend to think, as common as drugs might be, that there are good people in America who don’t do drugs and want to work.
There are things that are legal that can create false positives, especially if the testing place uses cheap tests or,outdated,ones.
Poppy seed bagels for one. Some supplements and herbs may cause false positives even though they are not illegal drugs, people may not be aware they do.
These tests are good for catching drug users, bad for false positives when they happen.
Just a touch of irony that this is in the New York Times.
The New York Times editorial judgement is that we should legalize recreational use of marijuana. But the New York Times drugs tests prospective employees.
Drunk Mexicans get a pass?
What a bundle of contradictions the USA is. We have a war on drugs, but drugs are more prevalent than ever. Society has become exponentially more permissive about drugs, but Government regulations on drug use and testing have become exponentially more common. We legalize pot, but criminalize vaping.
And to what you mention, we could add the conflicting federal and state laws on the subject of these drugs.
We could add that legal marijuana businesses in states where it is legal have a very hard time getting banking services, due to federal regulations on handling money from “illegal” activities, which are illegal under federal law.
Hasn’t Obutthole declared that sort of test illegal and racccissst yet???
Wrong answer hockypuck. I was in the military and had a senior non-commissioned officer come up positive for opiates. I had a list of things that would come up positive and we found the answer. Saved his career.
If today’s employees have the will to overcome the desire to do more than make themselves “happy” they can get a well-paying job.
To assure they're on drugs ?
Well see you guys knew. These drug testing companies dont care about who is being tested or their results. The companies testing potential hires dont care about the people either because they are not employees. You cared about saving a guy that was working for you already and that the army invested time and money in already.
Im not saying the tests arent useful finding drug users, I am saying not all testing companies are equal, or use the same methods, and certainly they do not care about anyone they are testing. Neither do the employers hiring the testing companies. They would not do what you did, a candidate wo knew it was a false positive would have to try to beg to take another and find out what caused the false positive.
Why don’t they release the % of potential employees that try and fail? I don’t get what anyone has to lose by taking it. Maybe they beat the test.
Freegards
“Nonetheless, in its most recent report, Quest Diagnostics, which has compiled employer-testing data since 1988, documented an increase for a second consecutive year in the percentage of American workers who tested positive for illicit drugs — to 4.7 percent in 2014 from 4.3 percent in 2013. And 2013 was the first year in a decade to show an increase.”
Is this telling us they are already working and tested positive or failed to be hired because of positive tests?
There are.
People are unbelievably srupid! And three government just makes it easier and easier for the idiots. Pathetic.
“To assure they’re on drugs ? “
That could be the basis for a good SNL skit.
“Your THC levels are too low! Take this and toke up!”
Make ‘em sit down, read and fill out a paper application form.
Ignorance is not a virtue, unless you are ignorant name barry soetarro barak huseim ashole lying coward sissy girl
One solution would be to hire the over 50+ yr. old person. But age discrimination is this country’s dark secret.
Three years ago I left my job as a distribution center manager. We required drug tests for every applicant and I asked them about specific drug use during each interview, letting them know they would be tested for alcohol, weed, meth, prescription drugs, etc.
Time after time (about 50%) I was told, “No problem, I don’t do drugs” and the tests would come back positive.
The funniest was a man in his late-20’s, who, when confronted about his failed drug test, admitted that his friend who provided the sample promised that the urine was clean! It was among the most drug-addled samples I had seen.
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