Hello, my fellow interpreters! I am setting up this blog, because it seems like the company we are working for is absolutely clueless as to who is making the money for them. I have not been employed in the company for nearly as long as some others, however, I have already encountered numerous counts of injustice. We are constantly reminded by our SLSs how we must be professional and self-improve every day to keep the clients satisfied. For what? So the company can make more money, and so we can get a thank you at the next team meeting.
Don't get me wrong, I love my job and I take pride in my skill, and this is the exact reason why I think we should be rewarded for our hard work. I am sick of thank yous!
As you all know, LLS keeps buying out other interpretation companies, such as Teleinterpreters recently, making more and more, while we get the overflow calls. So now we have to work three times as hard as we used to, but get paid the same. I heard from the older emploees of the company that there has not been a raise since 1994, and per minute employees actually have gotten their rates cut in the past! And noone is getting any extra vacatuon days either! This is ridiculous! We are the product this company markets, without us they are nothing and they should treat us accordingly.
I have posted a very similar statement on LLS forum about a week ago, there was also the same poll I have on this site. Guess what people: they took it down! Last time I checked this was supposed to be a free speech country, but apparently too many interpreters voiced their complaints and they could not take it. The response to my poll was - 96 percent yes, we feel overworked and underpaid!
By the way here is the piece of information that I think got my post deleted. Check out this link http://sec.edgar-online.com/2005/04/15/0001193125-05-077537/Section17.asp It was provided by one of the interpreters. What it is is an annual corporate report. It shows the salaries of our higher management and the president. $327000 salary and yet $200000 worth of bonuses, and he cuts our wages! And if you look in the right hand corner of the intranet site, you will see a little red sign. If you click on it, you will see that it is security settings, and you can clearly see that this link was blocked! They don't want us to know how greedy the company is, oh no! Is this outrageous or what?!
I invite you all to post your complaints on this site or even send them to my email pukalces@uc.edu. I will be accumulating them all for the next few months and then will try to directly contact the president, so I can speak on behalf of all of us!
For those of you concerned about company's retaliation - deleting by post was despeakable, but this is the best they can do. This already borders on breaking the Labor Law. I consulted with my attormey on this. I will send a copy of a brochure that describes our rights as employees under Federal Law to anyone who is in doubt.
If we rally we can get our benefits, join me, talk to me, spread the word to others! The company has been successfully keeping us separated from each other so we cannot even talk. For God's sake, we do not even know the email of people who we are on the same team with. In order to get for our voice to be heard we need as much response as possible. So, people, do me and yourself a favor, tell about this blog to every interpreter whose contact information you have, even you do not know them. Next time you have a meeting - tell them about our campaign, this is the only way to get the word out. The company does not want us to talk, because they know - united we are worth a whole lot of trouble for them and they CANNOT retiliate! JOIN ME!
P.S. Note to any person who might be snooping around on this blog with the purpose of keeping an eye on what I have to say. I am not doing anything illegal here, I am exercising my right to organize workers, which is protected by the US Federal Law. I am just hoping tha the company does not do anything illegal either, because if I notice that my work environment changed to the worse as the result of this little campaign, I will not hesitate to start a lawsuit.
14 comments:
First I want to say congratulations on stepping up to the plates. I, and I know many other interpreters will join me in this, applaud your courage, your intelligence, and I wholeheartedly accept your leadership in this matter.
Yes the call volume is "horrible", and yes the compensation is "horribly inadequate". I feel like I work on an assembly line, every day, day in day out. I am not complaining about the work itself, but working on its own is not reward, working without adequate compensation (you're right "thank-yous" alone are not enough) or tangible recognition (yes, yes, I do get the so-called bonus check, but "that is part of your salary, so don't you dare expect a raise) is HELL.
And now they are gobbling up other interpreting services companies, getting even more business, but we, as the workers that make this company, are overlooked!
What kind of a crooked company is this? And they want top-notch interpreters (I have a masters degree) to boot!
I want to be laid off!
I have been an interpreter for close to 10 years and I love my job. I signed up for this job because I felt I was making a difference while making a decent living. The company has grown there is no doubt about that. They have acquired two companies in the last few years Online Interpreters and Tele-Intepreters, and have added numerous other services to the services we already provide. ie "Your World" The hospital Double phone,. In the time I have been employed I have suffered the indignity of getting my rates cut by almost 30% which is absolutely incredible. They have sent most of the jobs off-shore but realized that they need us because interpreters in other countries cannot handle certain calls. I pose this question, What will happen If we decide that we are not going to work for an entire week. (Hey anyone can get the flu (Wink). Language Line Service needs to realize and real soon that "WE ARE THE PRODUCT" and without us you have nothing. What are you going to do when you lose all of your talent because of corporate greed. The thing that I find most infuriating is that I am making less money now than I did when I first started, while inflation and the cost of living has gone up 10-Fold. Some intepreters will probably end up losing their homes and management simply doesn't care.
Hey, guys! Can I ask you for a favor and leave your email addresses on the blog or may be just email me, if you want to support the cause. An email that LLS would not recognize is fine. I will not use your addresses for anything but updating you on what is going on.
I wrote the first comment. My email address is natashakinski00@gmail.com.
thanks again. I will write again when I have time... Tasha
First, I will like to express my gratitude and admiration in what you are doing. I will also like to express my frustration with LL. Acknowledging the fact that a business is just that, a business and the principal objective is wealth. I think Management should have the common sense to know that in order to continue in that path they must maintain a level of work conditions and benefits to the people used to obtain their objectives.
It is unbelievable that mastering the skills of two languages, most of us almost to perfection (of course thanks to LL’s pressure for excellence from the puppets sent to us making believe that the puppeteer is great and we all live in interpreterland!!), having the gift of a pleasant and under a certain pitch voice, good elocution, patience, respect, great professionalism and customer service skills is only worth a ridiculous and unfair amount of pay per hour. I have lots to say so I will maintain contact with what I consider now, OUR world OUR speech line. LoL. I will like to sign up to this unofficial union my email is: mistreatedinterpreter@gmail.com
Thank you very much!!
It is unbelievable how I feel
the same way. I have been with LLs
since 1999,love my job but feel so
disrespected by this company have not gotten a raise for the last 5 years (last time .35 cents)
Every quarter I would get and Exceeds Expectations and even an Outstanding the I would get for that a $250 bonus.Well last time
I got a Meets Expectations and a bonus check of $237 with a warning later of possible dissmisal because I dare to get the sick with the flu so I took 3 days off and my son was involved in an accident without thinking that he was about to have his mom get reprimended for going to the hospital to see him.
I am very upset about the way I am treated by the company I have served for many years.
I hope we all get together and at least have our voices heard, the same voices that are making some people very rich. But most of all to get respect.
Hi guys, please add my email for updates, it's serafimmifares@yahoo.com THANK YOU!!!
I would like to comment on something sickandtired said. First off, I started this job, for the benefits of staying at home and being able to take care of my kids, in contrast to having to work outside of the home getting home after 6pm, tired, mad because of traffic, to do homework with the kids, and cook dinner, all at the same time.
One of my kids was diagnosed with (Juvenille Reumathoid Arthritis) at a very young age, she is now 6, but she is still suffering from it, I mean this is something there is no cure for. I recently requested a day off, a day that I set up all of her 3 doctors appointments in the same day. I was denied that day off, because I have not yet completed the first 6 months of employment.
I understand they have their rules which we respect, but they have to understand our needs as stay at home parents in return. Also I am a military wife, so my husband goes on deployment 6 mos at a time, in that period of time I become a single parent. What am I to do during those six months if I have to deal with an issue regarding my kids? I do believe they need to be a bit more sensitive and more realistic. I do understand that there is people that might get adavantage of the company if thay get more flexible. But I arranged the appointments on the same day so I would not have to get a nother day off (without pay)
UNFAIR?!?
Hello colleagues...I sympathise with you all, we can still keep adding concerns and discontents and the list will be getting bigger and longer, I have being reading this blogger and the forum of course, everything is accurate, and I agree that we deserve much better, everything is going up, but salaries, and to give you an example: last friday I purchased a gallon of milk for 3.95, 2 weeks ago I paid for the same brand 3.69!And of course I am grateful for my job, and I am blessed because of it, but I also think we are being neglected somehow.
I had to coment as anonymous because I forgot my password, but my name is Nathalie and my email is natnature@msn.com..I made the comment about the milk, the very last one
This is great!!!...but I noticed that most people do not go to the Forums. How can we inform a broader group of collegues?!?! We need unofficial and confindencial help. How????let's think . . .
Hey, guys, I love you for your enthusiasm! You are right, we must contibue networking. The only way I see right now is sending emails about this blog to everyone you know, maybe asking your SLSs to forward it to everyone they know. If you noticed my emaiol has changed, because my old one is overflowing. It is pukalces@uc.edu now. You can still use my old one, but it might take longer for me to take note of your correspondence. Love you all!
P.S. To the military wife. I am about to become one myself :-) Maybe we should organize a separate branch of our society: For LLS interpreters who are also military spouses! Hehe.
Hey count me in. We have recently received a training for taking more calls. Now we have to interpret recorded statements and non-clinical medical calls. We had to take our training outside our normal schedule. It wasn't paid as over time which it was and our salaries were not raised even though our work load was. Now we are costumer service interpreters that take recorded statements and medical calls. My email is coolyessy4ever@hotmail.com. Keep me updated.
About the recorded statements and the non clinical calls, plus the rest of them, the call volume is incredible! one after another, and most of the days I finish my shift 15-40 minutes after the scheduled time! but no incentive of any kind yet!
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