I agree with the rest of your post except for >But paying for bench time is a norm, not an exception Having worked at a temp firm for a low skilled job, call

I agree with the rest of your post except for >But paying for bench time is a norm, not an exception Having worked at a temp firm for a low skilled job, call center and data entry, you don't get paid for downtime. They have you on an agreement where you get paid hourly and just aren't scheduled. Or they let you go and call you back if there's more work later. The negotiating power isn't there for employees to have the companies shoulder that risk