Supplier Series : KellyOCG - More Disability Discrimination and a Whole Lot More

Look, the evidence is already out there that Cummins has had it’s skirmishes with Disability Discrimination. No surprise to us, then, when a company in bed with Cummins is accused of the same. Birds of a feather, you might say. Enter KellyOCG. It’s where dreams go to die, and mourners end up with temp-jobs, where they’re shuffled like cards in a rigged deck, and companies like KellyOCG play the house. They’re the ones promising “honestly better workforce solutions,” but polish up the peephole and look through, and it’s a gritty mess of exploitation, lawsuits, and outright bollocks. And here’s the kicker: KellyOCG isn’t just any player; they’re embedded in the Cummins ecosystem, snagging that shiny 2023 Global Supplier of the Year Award from Cummins Inc. for providing workforce solutions. Yeah, they’re the trusted partner supplying talent to the engine giant, yet another outfit in Cummins’ orbit with some seriously alternative ideas on ethical behaviour. Cummins, the powerhouse preaching sustainability and integrity, cosies up to a firm that’s been knee-deep in scandals for years. It’s like inviting a fox to guard the henhouse, then acting shocked when feathers fly.

But enough foreplay. Let’s dive into the raw, unfiltered rot that’s been festering at KellyOCG – a division of Kelly Services, mind you, so the sins bleed together like cheap ink on a dodgy contract. This isn’t some sanitised corporate report; this is the gritty truth, pulled from court filings, employee rants, and the kind of settlements that scream “guilty as charged” even if they won’t admit it. Buckle up; it’s going to get sweary.

The Wage Theft Grind: Robbing Workers Blind

Picture this: you’re a recruiter at Kelly, grinding through endless calls, matching desperate souls to dead-end gigs, and what do you get? Bugger all in overtime, apparently. In 2024, Kelly Services coughed up over $3 million to settle a class-action lawsuit accusing them of misclassifying recruiters as exempt from overtime pay. That’s right – these bastards allegedly treated their own staff like salaried drones while pocketing the extra hours. It’s not a one-off; Violation Tracker logs multiple wage violations, including a whopping $11 million settlement back in 2009 for denying vacation pay to temps. And don’t get me started on the home-based customer care agents – folks logging in early to fix tech glitches, only to be stiffed on pay for that “off-the-clock” time. A 2016 lawsuit hammered this home, with claims under the Fair Labor Standards Act that Kelly was withholding overtime like it was their dirty little secret.

Fast forward to 2023, and you’ve got Yuri Fischer slapping Kelly Services Global with a PAGA-only lawsuit in California, alleging failures to provide meal breaks, rest periods, or compensation for missed ones. Labour Code violations galore – sections 201 through 2802, the works. It’s outrageous, isn’t it? These are the people sourcing your workforce, yet they can’t even treat their own right. Employees on Reddit spill the beans: delayed paychecks, timesheet fuck-ups requiring endless chases, and terminations when you push back. One poor sod had their first cheque bounced to a closed account and got the boot for threatening legal action. It’s a system designed to grind you down, make you question if fighting is worth the hassle. Bloody hell, it makes you wonder how many just walk away, pockets lighter, spirits crushed.

Discrimination Den: Where Equality Goes to Die

If wage theft is the bread and butter of Kelly’s scandals, discrimination is the poisoned jam. Take the ADA violations – Americans with Disabilities Act, for those not in the know. In 2017, Punt v. Kelly Services saw a temp worker sue for denial of accommodations and discriminatory firing under ADA and GINA. Then there’s the 2018 celiac disease case, where a federal appeals court ordered a retrial after Kelly allegedly failed to accommodate a worker’s condition, leading to termination. Employee complaints paint a picture of mockery: one with a speech impediment tied to mental disability got ridiculed on a recruiter call; another with chronic health issues needing to lie down was denied a laptop and sacked.

Age discrimination? Check. Mauzy v. Kelly Services in 1996 and Haas v. Kelly in 2005 both flagged age-based firings and retaliation. Racial and religious bias creeps in too, especially in global ops. A former employee in Malaysia accused the KellyOCG team of racism, denying prayer breaks (even with a Muslim HR manager), exploiting foreign students with illegal full-time hires, and salary stealing. “Immoral and racist,” they tagged it, calling out CEO Tammy Browning. It’s not just isolated gripes; Glassdoor reviews average a measly 3.5, riddled with tales of poor management and unethical practices.

And retaliation? Oh, it’s rampant. Raise an issue – like equipment malfunctions blamed on you – and you’re out the door. One Reddit user got fired after reporting a glitch, then threatened with legal action for seeking reversal. It’s a culture of fear, where speaking up gets you labelled a troublemaker. In Smith v. Kelly Services (2020), a worker was axed over a “no-touch” policy violation, but the real stink was the disputed reasons. These aren’t anomalies; they’re the norm in a company that views humans as disposable.

Hiring Horrors: Ghosting, Scams, and Background Bullshit

The recruitment process at KellyOCG? A farce wrapped in incompetence. Applicants report being promised gigs, jumping through hoops – I-9 forms, drug tests, the lot – only to get ghosted or rejected via curt email. Interviewers cancelling for “lunch,” asking daft questions, or mocking candidates outright. One went through a week-long onboarding charade, just to vanish into the ether. Patel v. Kelly Services in 2022 nailed this: breach of contract after misrepresenting job requirements (no degree needed, they said) and lying to clients about qualifications, leaving the plaintiff jobless.

Then there’s the 2017 FCRA settlement over improper background checks – violating the Fair Credit Reporting Act by digging into applicants without proper consent or disclosure. Scams abound too; KellyOCG even warns of fraudsters impersonating them on Telegram and WhatsApp, luring job seekers into traps. But who’s really the scam? A company that builds its empire on precarious labour, then washes its hands when things go pear-shaped.

Non-compete clauses add insult: Kelly sues ex-employees for jumping ship, like in Kelly Services v. De Steno (2019), where they clawed $72,000 in fees for breaching a one-year ban. Or v. Greene, alleging fiduciary breaches and trade secret theft. It’s possessive, vindictive – keeping talent trapped while offering bugger all in loyalty.

Data Breaches and the Digital Fiasco

As if exploiting workers wasn’t enough, Kelly can’t even keep data safe. In 2025, Kelly Benefits (a Kelly affiliate) faced a class-action over a data breach hitting over 260,000 people. Cybercriminals waltzed in between December 12 and 17, 2024, nicking unencrypted files with personal info. Names, Social Security numbers, the works – exposed because Kelly allegedly skimped on security. The lawsuit accuses negligence, failure to protect – and rightly so. It’s not the first; a 2017 employment screening violation cost them nearly $7 million in a private lawsuit.

This isn’t just sloppy; it’s reckless, endangering lives in an age where identity theft ruins futures. Combine it with the robocall lawsuit tossed in 2023 (Kelly accused of violating federal laws with spam calls), and you’ve got a company that treats privacy like an optional extra.

The Global Grift: From Malaysia to Mexico

KellyOCG’s tentacles stretch worldwide, and the scandals follow. In Malaysia, as mentioned, exploitation and racism. In Mexico, a Reddit user won a labour lawsuit against Kelly Services in 2025, with the company appealing – details sparse, but it screams employment disputes. Bertha Guerra’s 2024 suit alleges repeated denials of accommodations for anxiety and panic attacks in 2021, 2023, and 2024. Marquise Lewis’s class action that year piles on, accusing violations at Kelly and client Canoo Inc.

It’s a pattern: global ops where local laws are bent, workers squeezed, and accountability dodged. TikTok buzzes with layoff tales – sudden terminations amid economic woes, leaving folks scrambling. Unprofessionalism reigns: unreachable HR, blame-shifting, and a “bad taste” from dealings that scream zero fucks given.

The Cummins Tie-In: Ethics? What Ethics?

Wrapping back to Cummins – that award in 2023? It lauds KellyOCG for “exemplary service and innovative customer support.” But innovative how? By supplying talent from a pool tainted by these scandals? Cummins, with its supplier portals and thousands of partners, picks Kelly as elite. Yet here we are, another cog in their machine peddling alternative ethics – where profit trumps people, and controversies are just the cost of business. It’s gritty, it’s raw, and it’s bloody infuriating. If Cummins wants integrity, they might want to look elsewhere.

In the end, KellyOCG embodies the worst of corporate America: a facade of solutions hiding a cesspool of abuse. Workers ground to dust, lawsuits stacking like unpaid bills, and a trail of broken promises. It’s not just business; it’s a betrayal. Time to call it what it is – a fucking disgrace. And Cummins? They’re not oblivious to this stuff. They’re friends because they share these values, whether they admit it or not – and that my friends is the cold truth.

Lee Thompson – Founder. The Cummins Accountability Project

Supplier Series : KellyOCG – More Disability Discrimination and a Whole Lot More