I don't think it'd work just to unionize here. Timing's wrong. SM
Posted By: MsIndigo on 2007-12-10
In Reply to: Unionized Transcriptionist? - tiredof it
Actually, the phrase Pissing into the wind, comes to mind. Once the folks offshore competing for the same work unionize, then maybe. (Did you notice that successful unions are for lines of work that can't be sent offshore? Inability to replace workers is key.) And once EMRs come into widespread use here in the States and a new workforce has transitioned around them, maybe. Being an optimist, I also like to think that countries with new growing middle classes will start producing, not only more demand for middle class wages, but plenty of local work too generated from people who will also get to benefit from this amazing medical revolution we're all part of. In the meantime, identifying and training for a position in the medical information field or another that will/should have decent-paying work in the future would be a good idea for any of us. Anyway, that's what I think.
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WRONG! WRONG! WRONG! We turn down work because so many hospitals are sm
calling wanting a company that keeps work in the USA. The trend was stronger a few years ago before it all came to light about poor quality, the woman in Pakistan who threatened to post medical records on the web, 911, etc. There are hospitals who look for US-only and they are the MAJORITY not the minority. Definitely seeing the tide turn on offshore from an MTSO perspective, both MTs and customers!!!!!
PS, and to all the MTs who think we ought to unionize
since all we ever seem to do is attack and fight with each other, how well do you think that will work?
Unionize
It is time for all MT's to Unionize! Why not the nurses did it!
Those wanting to unionize should probably
Friday, July 18, 2008
When management becomes unreasonable, when benefits shrink and get more expensive at the same time, and when the average salary increase is way
less than the inflation rate, here’s something you can do: Form a union.
And on Long Island, you wouldn’t be alone. Just don’t let management know what you’re up to – it could get you in trouble.
There are already 650,000 construction workers, teachers and grocery and health care workers in unions on Long Island today, and as economic conditions
worsen, some employees are hoping to take cover by turning to organized labor.
John Durso, president of Local 338 RWDSU/UFCW and the Long Island Federation of Labor, said frustrated employees generally meet off-site to air their
grievances without fear of retribution.
“Sometimes they just want to get things off their chest, want somebody to listen,” Durso said.
Sometimes, however, it’s a lot more than that. If one-third of the employees sign on to join the union, an election is held and a petition is filed with the
National Labor Relations Board.
And that often leads to a fight.
It shouldn’t, Durso said. He said in the best circumstances, unions and employers work as partners to make a company better.
“It doesn’t make any sense for a union to make it so unworkable that an employer cannot grow or expand,” Durso said. “If you have the right attitude, the
right work environment, there’s no reason why an employer and a union cannot work together.”
Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Companies faced with negotiating contracts with unions could stall, because if a deal isn’t reached within a year,
the union needs to be recertified.
“Nothing in law requires them to reach a contract. They are just required to negotiate in good faith,” said Bruce Millman, an attorney with Melville employment
law firm Littler Mendelson, representing employers.
To fight the stalling, unions are pushing federal lawmakers to pass the Employee Free Choice Act, which would make it easier to form a union. It would also
force binding arbitration in case of an impasse, thus eliminating stall tactics.
But Bob Archer, managing partner of Melville’s Archer, Byington, Glennon and Levine, which represents labor and employee benefits clients in the building
trades, entertainment and service industries, said he doesn’t expect the Employee Free Choice Act to pass under a Republican president.
Not all contracts stall, however, and once a first contract is reached, the union is official. Then members need only to pay a set amount of dues each year.
In 2004, the latest year with complete data, dues nationwide averaged $377 per month.
Another interesting note: Long Island’s unions are becoming more white collar.
For instance, adjunct professors at Stony Brook University and New York University recently became union employees, said Tom Conoscenti, chief
economist for the Long Island Contractors Association and the Long Island Builders Institute.
He said the adjuncts formed a union to receive amenities such as offices, a pension plan and health benefits.
Joining a union has hardly led to the elimination of “the struggle.” Traditional blue-collar industries, such as construction and plumbing, are feeling the
pressure of undocumented workers taking what had been union jobs, Archer said.
“That is an X factor that we have not seen in the past,” Archer said. “It’s more of an issue of competing against employers that use unregulated workers.”
Those employers are seeking cheaper labor, especially when prices for land, and subsequent property taxes, on Long Island are among the highest in the
nation.
The politics of labor has stretched from the Suffolk County Legislature to Albany.
For example, Hauppauge-based Bactolac Pharmaceuticals recently battled the unions and the Legislature over building a new headquarters at the
Hauppauge Industrial Park. The unions and supportive legislators wanted the company to hire contractors who paid a prevailing, or union, wage in exchange
for $6 million in state Empire Zone benefits.
Although the company originally balked, it eventually gave in, holding numerous meetings with union officials and promising to offer each contractor a fair
shake.
Also, the teachers union has played a large role in fighting a plan to create a 4 percent property tax cap, Conoscenti said.
The Commission for Property Tax Relief originally pitched the tax-cap proposal in May. Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi headed that group. The
proposal was endorsed by Gov. Paterson, but faced strident opposition from other New York leaders, including Democratic Assembly Speaker Sheldon
Silver of Manhattan.
I think our chance to unionize has come and gone,
the current perks big companies get for offshoring American jobs. No, offshoring can't be stopped (unfortunately), but instead of being rewarded, companies should have to PAY for it as a privilege, not a right. That way, companies who truly NEED offshore workers could do so, for a price. But it should be more cost-effective for MTSOs to use American MT labor, even with the pay we deserve, rather than what we're currently getting, than to use foreign labor. Right now, they're having their cake and eating it too, at America's expense.
It is time to unionize before it's too late
After reading a post about how greedy MTs are to expect more than $0.05 per line, to expect a gesture of appreciation at Christmas, I must post this.
====================================
It is JUST THAT TYPE OF ATTITUDE, and total acceptance of VR, EMR, and pitifully low pay that have caused MTs to be kicked into the respectless extinction we now face. It is because of MT's like the GRATEFUL poster with the THANK YOU FOR MY PAYCHECK, KIND SIR sweatshop attitude, that we find ourselves with salaries/hourly/line pay having been cut by 60%, and we are looked upon as mere clerical workers instead of the medical language and computer specialists that we actually are.
Some of us work from home so we can be there for our children or grandchildren, some want to transcribe without having to deal with the politics of an in-house staff, there are others who are physically handicapped and work from home as it is the least painful and most sensible option.
But a small faction of MTs spout ridiculous self-depricating platitudes that we should all be grateful for receiving even a pittance of a paycheck, and a late paycheck, at that, and not expect to be rewarded for dedication and excellence, disregarding the fact that many of us work 10-12 hours per day now to earn what we were able to earn in 4 hours 5 years ago. The MTSO's and hospital HIM administrators never stood up for us; they sold us out to VR and EMR, yet the GRATEFUL faction would have us believe that we do not DESERVE anything more, and that expecting to be recognized for dedication and job excellence is nothing more than shameful greed. THEY COULD NOT BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH, and the members of the GRATEFULS are slowly ruining this profession with our silent blessing, because we are allowing them to. The members of this faction, as well as the MTSO owners and hospital members that did not come to our defense, but instead embraced VR and EMR to make the last of their money as our trade was being made extinct, those are the folks that have contributed to the extinction of our trade. Do any of you know lobbyists who fought to keep medical records in the US? Most likely not, and the members of the GRATEFUL faction may be jaded and void of self-respect, willing to work for 60% less pay and grateful to receive a pittance for their services, but I am not, and neither should you be. We work hard for what little we receive, and we need to gather our forces and strengths and stand together against the extinction of our careers.
Unless extinction of our trade is the goal, Medical Language Specialists and CMT's cannot continue to allow medical facilities and MTSO's to manipulate by fear. MTs must be allowed to speak out without fear of losing jobs. If we do not unionize, or at least organize and agree on boundaries very soon, our industry will never recover. VR/EMR will replace us totally IF WE LET IT. These facilities and MTSO's CANNOT outsource/offshore or jump from full transcription to VR without transition, and THEY CANNOT TRANSITION WITHOUT MTS TO EDIT.
We are the ones who edit the VR reports and I don't know how many of you know this, but in doing so, we are actually TRAINING THE VR SYSTEMS TO RECOGNIZE ALL OF THE WORDS THAT IT DIDN'T CATCH THE FIRST TIME AROUND WHEN NEXT THE DOCTOR MUMBLED THEM INTO THE MICROPHONE, AND THIS ALLOWS THEM TO MOVE FORWARD AT A HEADY PACE TO TOTAL VR WITH NO EDITORS. We laugh about the hilarious mistakes perpetrated by VR, but we are actually help perfect it by editing. Soon there will be no editing to be done.
The GRATEFUL FOR A PITIFUL PAYCHECK faction have made us all look like groveling idiots, willing to silently accept AND BE GRATEFUL FOR, a $0.05 per line pittance to edit VR. We must set boundaries, stand up for ourselves, put guidelines in place and STICK TO THEM, refusing to work for MTSO's or facilities for $0.05 a line for VR editing, without fear as we really have very little to lose at this point, but it is not too late to turn this death of a trade into a rebirth.
We MUST stand up for ourselves, our voices louder than the GRATEFUL FOR ANY KIND OF PAYCHECK faction, as they are actually cutting off their own noses to spite the rest of us, and the days of AAMT are over. ADHI will not help us, as they support not only offshore but VR/EMR, as well. ADHI’s views are counterproductive to US MTs now, as they clearly embrace off-shore, VR, and EMR in totality, and are of absolutely no use or help to Jane Doe, CMT.
In Michigan and Indiana the union is almost in place; final legalities are being settled quietly, and I advise the rest of you, if you want to continue transcribing for a living, to continue to make a decent salary doing what you chose as a career, if you want to be paid what you deserve, if you want to see your daughters take up this trade before it is extinct, you need to unite. Facilities and MTSO's are counting on continuance of MT silence, acceptance and complacency, along with PAYCHECK GRATEFULNESS to keep us in line, at their beck and call, on their terms, cutting our pay and benefits, running remote sweatshops and reaping the benefits as they quickly invest in other businesses because they see the end of the trail for transcription. They count on the fact that we will continue gather in places like this, arguing amongst ourselves, whining about low pay and no benefits, while doing absolutely nothing to reverse our plight.
Unite while we still have the power to command better salary and stop the eradication of our trade, because the scales are slowly tipping against us.
Don't be grateful for the pig swill they're tossing our way. We are intelligent, talented, skilled tradespeople and we deserve much better than what we receive.
There are clerical workers with less skills than MTs, and they’ve unionized and have won mediations and settlements. It is possible. We can save this industry for ourselves.
If you have had enough, if you have even a a modicum of self-respect left, have not been dehumanized to the point of no return, and have a sense of the injustice over what we’ve endured for the past 6 to 8 years, please visit the soon-to-be opened web site of USMLSU (United States Medical Language Specialists Union Initiative). You can email them at contact.us at usmlsu.org for information.
The following states have local chapters: Colorado, Delaware, Indiana, Ohio and Illinois. If you are in a state not mentioned here, please choose someone from your state to represent you by emailing the USMLSU.
I hope to start seeing many of you at meetings, and organizing your own. The time is now.
Or maybe it has to do with timing and needing MTs and
paying what it takes to get them. You have to remember to that I am an SE so I have to pay my own taxes and also in order to get 10 cents per line, I had to be full time. Part time I think started out at 7.5 cents per line.
Part timing
What about those who can produce many lines just part time would those kind of people be considered? I don't have to particularly work an entire 8 hours to do a lot of lines.
I think it was experience and timing sm
I know that I was told that resumes like mine don't come across her desk very often and I have heard that before. She talked to me and asked me a few questions. She seemed to like my answers.
Given that I have been there only this week, am on the new big account everyone is talking about, and have a secondary that I worked all day (one as good as another to me), I have been off QA on the one since my second day and off QA on my secondary after just today AND I have met my production quota...it was validation for the recruiter.
Someone said to quit bragging or making others think it is all so easy. I have many years of experience in just everything there is. I don't generally check my work for anything other than spelling and I am fairly fast on top of that. It has NOT all been so easy!!!!! I have worked extremely hard to get to this point. It has literally been blood, sweat and tears.
The other thing here is that Transtech is the very best company I have ever worked for. This says a lot because I have worked for about 50 different ones, including several large nationals, in my time. The QA people are not only not judgmental, they are endearingly kind and thoughtful. It is like working in a family atmosphere. When you have that kind of pleasure in your work, when the very work itself is pleasant and plentiful, it makes you want to excel...and you will. I certainly did.
I hope I never have to work anywhere else.
Bad timing for this question
Acusis has left a bad taste in everyone's mouth right now. After having cut Editor wages, they reassured transcriptionists that it was not happening to them, only to turn around and cut MT pay by roughly 10%. The typable work is either offshored or VR, so you are left with the crud. The range seems to run around 7-9 cents a line depending on the difficulty level of the account, but you really work for that 9 cents and they lowered the level for some of what had previously been among their difficult accounts.
Work seems to run out on Sunday and Monday, occasionally stretching into mid week during daylight hours, but other than that, it's usually pretty good, although, obviously, if they're hiring more people that may change.
Most of the people are decent in the chain of command until you get up to the parrot level. Tech support is, of course, not in Omaha. They have been in the midst of rolling out new upgrades to their platform seemingly weekly, each of which seems to screw my computer up a little bit more and more. The platform was originally simple, but it seems like with each upgrade, it becomes a little less user friendly. A lot of their upgrades and mandates seem designed to get a foot into my computer's inner workings, and while I understand their need for at least some knowledge of what goes on inside my CPU, others have felt a bit intrusive. There are benefits, but I've never been able to afford them so I can't tell you if they're any good or not.
Anyway, except for being big fat ninny-ninny liars, I don't suppose they're much worse than anyone else. Enter at your own risk!
I guess the only thing I can think of is maybe the timing...
They offered a 1500 sign on bonus when I took the position so maybe they were needing more help. I don't know, I can see some people are getting upset about this post, so maybe I shouldn't have tried to be so upbeat about my job.
doesn't anyone else here think the timing of this post is
.
Have been timing off system and checking back in every so often (sm)
so I don't show too many hours on. Used to work for Medquist and their time clock made you paranoid about things like this.
Your timing is good. They just asked me if I wanted to pick up an ER account for weekends which inc
Thursdays and Fridays. It is an internet-based account and a good one but I have enough work on my primary.
Why, Is something wrong? I used to work with them
I just sent a note to say hi and heard nothing back. Where did you get this info?
Wrong- employee only. No SE work at all
nm
Nothing wrong with that. Their work requires someone with
that set in stone requirement.
It could be that you are on the wrong account, there is a lot of work.
Things are busy. If you'd like, send me a private e-mail. I think I can help.
WRONG - I work on 2 which are NOT overflow and know of 3 more sm
in my own STM group that are not.
So you are supposed to work until that minute like nothing is wrong? sm
Do they really expect everyone to just say OK and carry on as usual until that time? They're nuts.
You have it all wrong. I work SMARTER, not harder.
I will take on any acct. After months of getting used to it, I see what I am making an hour. If it is worth the work required to do that acct, great. If it isnt, I ask to be taken off acct and so far, have never been refused. Sometimes takes little while for them to get another MT for acct but have never been refused. Company is not working for the prestige, loyalty to an acct, or ME for that matter, or for the good of mankind. Why should I? I am in this for the money, just like the company. I am very much a pro, which is probably why companies would rather have me on another acct, than to quit giving me work all together. They know many companies are always looking for a good MT. Like other posters, I dont understand why someone would work below their worth. There are too many companies out there to try. I have tried several, staying with the ones where I could make good money.
Well, it wouldn't work for me - (wrong equipment).
to make hanging look like an accident (for an adult, anyway). Making it appear that it was part of a partial-asphyxiation sex act seems like the only way to do it. Unless, of course, he was messing around with some other person who fled the scene once things went wrong.
You're right, though... very sad.
Wait .. that came out wrong. I'm not glad you don't have work .. just relieved I'm not alo
x
Wrong. Companies chose to or not to offshore work, nobody makes them. sm
My company does not offshore work, absolutely will not. We've actually gained/kept accounts assuring clients that we do not. We have many clients, cutting edge technology for both customer and employee, a healthy growth rate and a high MT retention rate. It's not impossible to have a successful USA-only based company. Sadly that may not be the norm anymore, but it's a choice MTSO/CEOs (whatever they may be) make and in my opinion maybe cutting some of the bottom line and offshoring is being done in place of producing a high quality of work that keeps a customer happy and not looking around for other service options. Subsequently I think these companies then suffer inferior work further because they are paying less and/or maybe have contractural obligations. Personally I'd like to think they'd still prefer high quality to low prices and inferior product. I have to wonder if these offshore companies are losing just as many accounts because of their product. I just know I am glad I work for a company who doesn't outsource, doesn't plan to, and has every intention to remain successful because quality does count.
You're wrong. You are not required to work one weedend day a week.
s
I have not posted anything wrong. It is common knowledge that Keystrokes does not send work offshor
Now I know why so many people do not like these boards. I did not write anything bad or over the top. I simply stated facts. I agree with the others and will now observe but not post. This is craziness here. If someone asks a question, I guess they would rather have answers from those that do not know the real answers. Call the company if you have questions from this point out. The phone number and web site are not secret.
You are wrong! Here is the ad. I got it too. There are no words spelled wrong and the caps are pa
This is pasted from the bottom of the email blast.
Why are you trying to stir up trouble? Keystrokes does not send ANYTHING offshore.
Here is the email blast from ILHIMA. The KS logo is at the top but does not paste here:
Rapid Turnaround, Guaranteed Accuracy, Measurable Cost Savings, U.S.A. Only, & Personal Service. These are our Five Stars of Excellence Promise. Find out what they can mean for you today. Email Pam.Gingrich@KeystrokesMT.com today!
SO WRONG
You are so wrong in your assumption! Although she is not with us anymore, the records need to be set straight. Shannon has over 10 years of medical transcription experience and typed on every account we have at MDI. You may have thought she didn't transcribe but that was because she was too busy typing on other accounts and doing the job she was hired to do which was to manage ALL of the accounts. So before you begin to drag Shannon into the line of fire, please do your research. She was hired to do a job which she did very well and she will be sorely missed.
Wrong, just someone who has to SM
work with people like you and is really tired of listening to the persecution complex. I'll bet you have the same problems with the job you have now, right?
Wrong again
Actually, it's y'all - for you all.
Ya'll is for you will.
The contraction divides the words.
WRONG!
Before you start cutting people down, why don't you do a little bit of research on your own? Flossie is not QA DIRECTOR. BS is QA Director. Flossie is QA MANAGER. There IS a difference. And she's a DAMN GOOD ONE at that!!!!
Wrong !!!
She is out of town.
Man, you are WAY out there -- WRONG.
If you're working for MQ, you're getting up to $50 a month DSL reimbursement, not $30.
YOU pay to update your computer??? How is that?
You'd be paying your electricity anyway, unless you live so frugally from the stoneage that you don't require electricity. If you're an SE, you can claim part of that on your tax filing -- if you have a designated room for an office. As well, you can claim any rental fees for equipment -- if you're an SE.
It's your job to make sure what you are typing is correct. Asking to be paid for researching what you are responsible for is as idiotic as saying you should be paid to run spellcheck. Geez.
Virtually every part of the demographic screen is filled in and they provide all the search tools for that. On occasion you MIGHT have to type a patient's name in. Get over your bad self.
If you want to be paid for actual time you spend regardless of how productive it is in lines, then you need a job with an hourly pay instead of production. That simply isn't how it is done. You don't like it? Get an hourly job. Don't like that? Get into a different line of work.
That is where you are wrong...
There are a lot of MTs employed at OSi, so where does this "me along with everyone else" come in to place. Oh, let me guess...you and all the other smart people? lol! too funny
Are you ever wrong about anything?
Opinions are always welcome...if they are not shoved down our throats. You make me choke.
What is wrong with you?
You obviously do not work for MQ and are very rude.
You are wrong
Nothing is paid for if you work out of Amherst MQ other than production time and PTO time. I was directly told that. No exceptions!
You are wrong.
I work for Diskriter and THEY DO pay for downtime. They have been more than fair with my pay. Do not post things that are not true, you are WRONG.
Wrong
I have worked as an Editor for a US company. I am not the owner of a MT company. I did an excellent job there and left because I chose to leave for a better opportunity. The US company where I worked had MT's call in sick daily, yet the HR person was constantly receiving emails from them about the possibility of a raise. They complained about not having enough work, yet when they were offered the opportunity to work on another account, they refused. I know that there are many quality US MT's who care about the level of quality of the work they produce. Yet there are many who are lazy and do not care about the quality of their work who constantly call in with excuses about why they can't work their shift. And US MT's (many of them) are constant job hoppers. MTSO's have a responsibility to provide their clients with a product. If they can't count on you to work your shift, you leave them with little choice.
My experience since working for a company who offshores has been totally opposite. These MT's are eager to work. They are meticulous about the quality of every report they produce. They are eager to improve their skills as an MT. They are all educated. It's amazing that they are able to produce work that rivals yours in quality and most often exceeds it when English is not their native language. You may not want to hear this, but the truth is the truth.
Don't take this the wrong way, but
I found more than 10 spelling and grammar errors in your post, and that didn't even take into consideration the punctuation errors. Granted, this isn't work so nitpicking isn't necessary. However, why should you make as much as the experienced transcriptionists who are doing the more difficult work without errors? I was at the second highest level at S. and was off QA in less than a week. I did ESL all day long and had three different accounts to learn in less than three weeks. I consistently produce 250 lines per hour on one of my accounts without an expander, 350-400 with the expander.
You tell us how fast and accurate you are, but you're not seeing the whole picture. You can either take on a more difficult account to get a higher line rate or start using an expander. Honestly, I wouldn't take on the more difficult account if it was my choice. You're better off typing faster and using the Expander on an easier account to make more money. Don't they offer an incentive plan for lines produced, too?
My bad. I was wrong.
nm
Wrong, wrong, and very wrong.
All three of the first points are incorrect, won't even go into the rest because they're subjective. Please contact a recruiter for accurate information.
Don't get me wrong...they are very...
nice people. Unfortunately neither the owner nor office people have any MT experience, and all MTs are expected to not need QA. For a newibe that can make it very difficult. Without feedback it's impossible to know if you make an error, and you'll never know what your blanks were. That makes it very difficult to improve when there are never answers . . .
I could be wrong, but
somewhere sometime I read they outsource work to India or they are an Indian company fronting in the US. I can't seem to find that info right now.
i think actually you are wrong about that
whuzup w/you?
oh, get over it. nothing wrong with it.
lol
Wrong!
The MTSO is only paid about half of their normal line rate when quoting VR work. No increased profits.
You can say if I'm wrong, but I almost SM
feel like they might have thought you would be a high-maintenance MT? Okay, what I mean by that is this--did you have to call them a lot with technical problems? Were you able to operate the software without a problem or were you getting stuck in various reports? Was the work you did get to turn in good? Meaning no medical terminology errors, etc.? or did you leave a ton of blanks (even if you were just learning the account?
If it makes you feel any better, there have been a number of recent posts stating that Breitner owes some people money, so it is doubtful that you would be getting a regular paycheck with them anyway.
You are wrong
I dont know how you can speak for the industry but I know for a fact a person with a lot of influence in the industry read me off names of MTs to avoid. If that is not a list I dont know what is.
Wrong??? No way!
Peter Preziosi and other AAMT bigwigs openly admit that they are helping MT industries in other countries. This is not a secret. They are not even ashamed of what they do.
Wrong
I as a new MT other than working for one physician in OH. I had to take what i could get and as single mom of 3 myself one of which was diagnosed ped. bipolar and has been in and out of inpatient and we as a whole family have been through hell getting him the treatment he needs and DESERVES. I as a new MT jumped at the perks that Heartland had to offer adn the fact i have been able to home school my son with me working from home and at the drop of a hate it is all taken away to give jobs those who work for next to nothing. AS someone else said you get what you pay for. Yes it cost more for us than them, but I am sure the quailty of our work far better and better works, means happy clients and more work, which in the long run means profit. take the work overseas and get less quality and you get clients who are made and leave you butt behind. myself i carry the diagnoses of cardiomyopathy, left ventricular dysfunction, GERD, meniere's disease, and hypertension and I needed Heartland's insurance and many other great perks.
We as AMERICANS need to stop putting up with all of the jobs that we are losing to low paid people over seas. Big companies are killing the AMERICAN DREAM and we have to put a stop to it as a country.
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