I am against a union. It is plain what they have done sm
Posted By: My opinion on 2008-12-09
In Reply to: To the people who are against unions... - suzylyn
On the upside, they are great for looking out for the interests of the worker. They are responsible for helping to pull this country out of poverty post WWII, and for helping to implement laws which protect the health and safety of the worker.
In more recent times, they are pushed companies offshore. Automobile workers...they build so many of them out of the country. The plants and companies that don't employee union workers are prospering! They are cars they make are more affordable and they are SELLING THEM while the Big Three are asking for our money in the form of a bale out!
Closer to home, the Kroger outlets in Colorado, where I lived for many years, is union. Safeway is about half and half and the rest are nonunion. The end result has been job cuts at Kroger in every single department and cutting of hours for everyone. They have closed stores too. Their largest competitors are those who are nonunion and Walmart where workers are paid less than a living wage. The union has helped to push Walmart into the grocery equation.
Because we don't have leverage, we have no way to unionize and I am not in favor of it. If you want to make a difference in this industry, let us mount a campaign with our representatives to make it illegal to shift the transcription of medical offshore, or at very least to tax the beejeebers out the practice. THAT would protect our jobs. Because, quite frankly, there are not enough qualified MTs in the US to the work available...wages will have to go up, as will benefits, as companies vie for the best MTs.
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Now THAT'S just plain scary!!!!
Yes, but sometimes they are just plain lazy sm
I have a couple of MT friends. I make about twice what they do, but I "work" roughly the same hours they do. They do a lot of whining about wishing they made what I made. When the work is there to be done, they tell me about the work piled up, but how they don't feel motivated. By the time they get motivated, the work is gone. Then it is whining about finding a new job, but when contacted, they can't get motivated to test and one is always wanting me to look over her tests to see if I think she will pass (I saw that her work was very poor indeed) and I have only done it once, which was enough.
Working at home is not for everyone. It takes a lot to park your buns in front of the computer when the dishes are in the sink and the laundry is piled up, or the kids, DH or whomever wants your time. It is SO EASY to not work. I get distracted by the housework, especially today because my daughter was home from college this weekend and every single coffee cup and bowl are dirty! I did her laundry, not mine over the weekend...so I feel distracted.
The OP is right. Use the answering machine or voicemail, don't answer the door (I never do) and get down to it. If you are like me and the housework drives you nuts, you can do what I do. I type 3 reports and go do a short, under 5-minute task, and sit back down. I find I can get the kitchen 90% clean in a day by doing this and I catch up my laundry this way too. Then I can focus because I like a really clean house to support me when I am working. It is a support because I don't think about it when it is clean.
My last rant is about those $tupid TV ads about working at home as an MT. Gimme a break! It is NOT like that.
Plain rude
It seems to be a matter of manners and training. It's just as inconsiderate and rude for this doctor to change his/her mind halfway through a dictation as it is to change your order at McD's halfway through the line. IMHO, customer service has gotten out of hand in both industries, expecting smiles in return for just plain rudeness. Maybe if MTs and the order processors at McD's were allowed to be more honest with the poorly-trained customers, there would be some changes. Otherwise, these customers think its okay to act this way.
a beautiful man! plain and simple.
and a great actor.
A lot of those Guru projects seem just plain
xx
That is PLAIN OLD WRONG. Other MTs can write their own, just like you did. SM
Why the h*ll would you want to give your own "inventions" away? Let them DO THEIR OWN.
I don't return....plain and simple....and if someone ask about their
When you do not return...that's where it hurts the business. They NEED our business in order to stay afloat!!
I like plain ol' Dell or Logitech.
I need a keyboard with a light touch, but I also like one that is clicky, if you know what I mean by that.
TiredMT and just plain tired -
more pay - so it doesn't take so many hours. You may be a bit late - nice try to the both of you. YKW (you know who)
No excuses need. He's an alcoholic, plain and
simple. Don't like it now. Never have. Don't have to stay, can make it on my own. I've done it before and could do it again. However, I choose to stay. I'm not giving up on him. He's an alcoholic and I'm a teetotaler. Don't like drinking, never have, never will. Love him, always have, always will.
and just plain out right dealing with folks!
x
Actually, they just changed it recently to plain
x
Plain and simple answer: No.
That is ridiculously low pay. Even if you are the fastest Transcriptionist in the world and you work 16 hours a day, you still would barely be able to make ends meet. Do you really want to live like that?
If you can do this job part-time so that you will have the experience to put on your resume, go for it. But constantly be on the lookout for something that pays better and when you find it, grab it.
You people are just plain E-less! hahahahaha!
Plain and simple burnout.
I used to carry two pagers for two hospitals all by myself, 24/7. They went off maybe a couple of times a month. The chore of being on-call is now shared with a few other people but now the after-hour pages come in nonstop and I don't know why. Me thinks some deal was made to keep an account or something but I really am just pulling that answer out of my tuckas. It's gotta be costing the hospitals a mint to have us at their beck and call like that....either that or they got a really sweet deal.
The other issue is it used to be a much more laid back environment. You logged on, did your work, and you were left alone. You kept an eye out for stats yourself and took care of them, because you are there because you are responsible.
Now you log on, strike up this thing called Instant Messenger, and sit there at your desk working your alloted shift but can't get up because you must be present if you get an IM for a stat...even though you are already on it because it's your job to be. Want to take a break? Yeah, sure, once you finish up this stat. Oh wait, I've got another one here that needs to be done super duper stat....you know what I'm talkin' about too, lurkers.
Ya know the movie, Office Space? I'm always referring to it with this company. You know the scene with the TPS reports, where the fella has 4 bosses telling him the same darned thing even though you already know your job? That's what I'm dealing with and, yeah, I've been reduced to the mumbling dude who worries about his stapler.
I don't blame my bosses at all, but the micromanaging thing is out of control and I have no idea why it has come to be, because it wasn't like this before. The days of a happier Hayseed with high line counts and company pride are long gone. I don't know who works there anymore as the folks I knew have all left, and that's made an impact as well. Ask for new scenery because of burnout, and all you get is a strokin', nothing more.
You can make it as plain or fancy as you like
From "Mary Smith, Inc." to "Transcription International" or whatever....
Just plain sick and tired
All I can say is I am just plain sick and tired of MT work with no chance of leaving for many years. Sick of burping, farting, snuffling, mush mouthed ignorant jerks who pass for doctors. Honestly, as stupid as they sound, I have no clue how they got through high school, let alone medical school. Working for peanuts and getting nowhere. The good days at this job are fewer and fewer anymore! The companies are making it harder and harder to make a living at this.
The plain and simple truth is
if we push, they will shove, and they will shove us right out of our jobs. Down the line sure it might help someone when they get tired of outsourcing, but we would all be out of jobs before then. I for one cannot afford that.
We can get mad, yell, scream, stomp our feet and demand better pay, then start looking for another job. We have no leverage and we are only one piece of the puzzle, not to mention the most dispensable piece.
that was just plain ugly, sorry I read that post (NM)
xx
I just speak plain ole Texas vernacular....sm
And I don't wanna hear one mean word about it. When I was transcribing, I typed in classical, perfectly grammatical American English, but now I post (and talk) just like I please. :D :D
when to put a comma before 'which', in plain English... ...
Some nonessential clauses begin with who, whom, which or that and include a verb.
Put a comma before those.
Example: The house, which is a very old house, is situated on 45-92 Grand Street.
Consider the commas as 'hooks.' The clause 'which is a very old house' could be 'unhooked' and dropped out of the sentence because it is not necessary to identify where the house is situated. It is merely extra information and not essential to the basic meaning of the sentence.
In all other cases do NOT put a comma.
Acc to my experience there are more cases that do NOT require a comma before 'which.' Also, the trend nowadays is to minimize the usage of commas and hyphens.
when to put a comma before 'which', in plain English... ...
Some nonessential clauses begin with who, whom, which or that and include a verb.
Put a comma before those.
Example: The house, which is a very old house, is situated on 45-92 Grand Street.
Consider the commas as 'hooks.' The clause 'which is a very old house' could be 'unhooked' and dropped out of the sentence because it is not necessary to identify where the house is situated. It is merely extra information and not essential to the basic meaning of the sentence.
In all other cases do NOT put a comma.
Acc to my experience there are more cases that do NOT require a comma before 'which.' Also, the trend nowadays is to minimize the usage of commas and hyphens.
Are you PT, 3rd shift, negligent to your children, or just plain dillusional? SM
I worked FT with a newborn and had a hospital surgical account. My top priority was to see that all of the preoperative H&Ps were transcribed by 7:00 a.m. I never knew if I would be waking up to 14 or 40, so I would start my day already sleep deprived at 4:00 a.m.
One of my all time worst work at home memories was when I was on my last stat report around 6:50 a.m. and I could hear my little angle crying because was hungry and of course wanted her bottle. I just sat there for a few seconds and tried to determine which of the two top priorities in my life I should take care of. Could I run to the baby and put my job in jeopardy or sit there and pretend not to hear her. I was a new mom by the way. So what I did was try to stay focused, riddled with guilt, then proceeded to transcribe the rest of the report through so many tears, I could hardly see my monitor. THAT was THE worst day of my at-home transcription career.
I don't care what anyone says, without the structured setting of an office environment, working at home is very hard. Just ask yourself how many people, family, friends, or otherwise have called you during your workday that wouldn't dare call you in an office OUTSIDE the home.
My goofy sister called me from her job when I was employee status and had the nerve to ask me to round up her horse that had gotten out and put it up. I told her I would have to clock out just the same as she would. Needless to say, the horse enjoyed a day of freedom.
My daughter is 11 now so my life as an MT is 1000 easier. However, when she was ages 1 to 4, in order to keep her home with me working FT, would have been cruel, negligent, and not to mention dangerous. So I found a wonderful private setter to keep her for 3 to 4 hours a day and she actually loved the interaction with the other two children. In fact, they are all still close friends to this day.
Point is...you cannot be structured in a nonstructured environment. This is why flexibility is SO important.
are you with a union?
Union -YES
NM
union
yes
union
YES!!!!!
Even the grocery baggers have a union
union for MT's
I'm in 1199 at my hospital - and this is a transcription position. (in NY).
What union? lol Please tell.
nm
Union
I wonder if it is possible for MTs to organize. This is a profession that requires a good amount of training, skill, and responsibility. We should be able to make a living at it. There is something really wrong here.
union..
very interesting concept, but one has to keep in mind, transcription is a very degrading job nowadays as there are alternatives for companies i.e. outsourching, voice recognition, etc...so, everyone needs to just face the fact as I have so degradingly done so....there is no respect or money in transcription anymore! Try being on your own and raising children on "transcription wages"...not gonna happen!
I'm not in a union now but used to be...
It depends on the union. We MTs need a union badly. I'd say go for it. I used to belong to the American Auto Workers Union (about 30 years ago). DH belongs to an electrical union.
Anyone union here?
I have been offered an MT job that requires me to be in a union. Anyone in a union? Pros, cons?
TIA
Union for MTs
I am sorry, but I do not agree with you about a union for MTs. I have been married for 25 years to a man whom I have seen fight for everything in his union, pay union dues and watch the lazy people get away with everything they possibly can either due to the fact that they were hired by a friend or just are not hard workers to begin with. My husband is a hard worker, goes to work every day, does not steal, sleep on the job, smoke dope on the job, and these are just a few of the illegal practices that go on. He is now the shop steward and he does not recommend a union as he does not see in 15 years that his union has done that much for raises, benefits, etc. It just seems that unions some how represent a lot of people who do not want to work and hide behind a union to get away with it. Of course, some people do get fired, because unions will not stand up for the law breakers, but the others use it as a crutch. Our government has to stop sending our work overseas, but as long as the companies can save a few million dollars by sending our work over, they will continue to do it because it is the dollar that rules. But, our government is at fault here. Unions can work sometimes but not all the time. But, this is my opinion, and I have been in the MT business for over 30 years. I have seen the quality of the work from overseas and so have doctors, and some are appalled, while others could care less, because they save money. It is just like China making toys or dog food with poison and lead poison, our country needs to stop having them make these things, but they won't because labor is cheap over there. All of this is truly sad that we have to pay a price to save a few dollars. What is wrong with this country?
MT Union
I am fully in agreement that we need an MT union, particularly to protect our profession and stop those who do not know our profession from taking over and making decisions that they know nothing about. Everytime I have worked for a hospital, all the decisions as to our equipment, typing platform, pay et cetera have been made by the board of directors of that institution who know nothing about what we do. The last hospital I worked for, the supervisor was told not to make any noise about sending our work offshore. We knew nothing about this until later, and lo and behold this failed miserably, and we could have told them it would. The quality of work was deplorable, yet we worked with horrible equipment and for low pay, but they thought they were saving money. How about putting the same money they would to offshore work into better equipment and better pay. Yes, I would fully support a union.
UNION
Now you're talkin'!! We deserva a union - we're being taken advantage of by all of these companies! How do we get started?
I was an MT, we were in the union. nm
We do need a union. We just need
to go back into the hospitals to work as medical transcriptionists. Then we would make a decent hourly wage, be paid for any overtime, receive benefits, etc. It used to be that way for many, many years. The outsourcing of work by the hospitals to MTSO's was our downfall, as well as the formation of AAMT.
I do know many of you want to work at home, and you probably only got into this industry because it was home-based work, but if we were in the hospital setting, we would be treated with more respect and earn a decent wage. I know, because that is how I started out in the early 1980s. I enjoy working at home too, but unfortunately it is difficult for many to earn a good salary transcribing at home and being paid by the line. Years ago we got hired in-house if we had knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, and then the real training began by the old-timers in the medical records department. This was the best way to learn medical transcription.
Some do go on and become successful at home after a formal MT training course, but unfortunately many never make it and many drop out of this line of work because of the low pay. It will only get worse in the future, and I do predict that unless we go back in-house, most of the MT work will be sent oveseas or become 100% VR-based.
What a union could then do is
What do we do then? I'm not an acute care transcriptionist. I have 20 years in this business. I work my own accounts and make decent money. I could do acute care no problem, but I don't want to. That's my choice.
My Dad was part of a Union and guess what? The steel mill sold to China anyway. So what did the Union really do for my Dad? Not a thing... Then my Mom had to go to work because my Dad was older by then and found it hard to find a job at his age (late 50s). I'm talking back in the 80s.
All of these companies have taken on the AAMT or whoever they are (I really don't care) as "word" and that's how they want things transcribed.
When you've been transcribing as long as some of us have, you tend to give up on a Union and what that takes to stay organized and also requirements and money it takes to keep a Union organized (dues).
I will never become certified because I won't make any more money than what I'm already making.
I transcribe for an online company that pays MTs that just graduated the same as I make. So, why bother?
Many years of experience is what makes you the money, not any school, or for that matter a Union.
I hate to be a downer, but really at this point, if there are MTs out there transcribing for 6 cpl, then we're done for. ASR is only as good as the Editor behind it and it is pricey as well. 
What a union could then do is
What do we do then? I'm not an acute care transcriptionist. I have 20 years in this business. I work my own accounts and make decent money. I could do acute care no problem, but I don't want to. That's my choice.
My Dad was part of a Union and guess what? The steel mill sold to China anyway. So what did the Union really do for my Dad? Not a thing... Then my Mom had to go to work because my Dad was older by then and found it hard to find a job at his age (late 50s). I'm talking back in the 80s.
All of these companies have taken on the AAMT or whoever they are (I really don't care) as "word" and that's how they want things transcribed.
When you've been transcribing as long as some of us have, you tend to give up on a Union and what that takes to stay organized and also requirements and money it takes to keep a Union organized (dues).
I will never become certified because I won't make any more money than what I'm already making.
I transcribe for an online company that pays MTs that just graduated the same as I make. So, why bother?
Many years of experience is what makes you the money, not any school, or for that matter a Union.
I hate to be a downer, but really at this point, if there are MTs out there transcribing for 6 cpl, then we're done for. ASR is only as good as the Editor behind it and it is pricey as well.
What a union could then do is
What do we do then? I'm not an acute care transcriptionist. I have 20 years in this business. I work my own accounts and make decent money. I could do acute care no problem, but I don't want to. That's my choice.
My Dad was part of a Union and guess what? The steel mill sold to China anyway. So what did the Union really do for my Dad? Not a thing... Then my Mom had to go to work because my Dad was older by then and found it hard to find a job at his age (late 50s). I'm talking back in the 80s.
All of these companies have taken on the AAMT or whoever they are (I really don't care) as "word" and that's how they want things transcribed.
When you've been transcribing as long as some of us have, you tend to give up on a Union and what that takes to stay organized and also requirements and money it takes to keep a Union organized (dues).
I will never become certified because I won't make any more money than what I'm already making.
I transcribe for an online company that pays MTs that just graduated the same as I make. So, why bother?
Many years of experience is what makes you the money, not any school, or for that matter a Union.
I hate to be a downer, but really at this point, if there are MTs out there transcribing for 6 cpl, then we're done for. ASR is only as good as the Editor behind it and it is pricey as well.
Should I chalk your post up to just plain old ignorance, the fact that you can't read or SM
are you just plain stupid!
Samtel does this all the time. Pretty sure she/he is foreign because of the plain stupidity in it a
x
Support union - YES!
nm
union -- teamsters out of LA said they'd take us
x
Yep, just like a union without saying the U word
and they jump right on in like the sleazy bottom-feeders they are.
See how fast they come to your aid when you need them too. You'll have to time them with a calendar instead of a stop watch.
Need labor union
After 20 years in this industry I can't wait to get out of it - early retirement here I come...They want to pay highly skilled translators (which is more what we do) at rate of a typist.
dream on if you think you are going to get 17 cpl with or without union
what's coming down the pike will knock that kind of pay right off the table, and no one will even look back.
how can they both be union and one pays so much more?
x
Please let me know the details of the union.
Yes we do need a union
If not the union, then what is the answer?
OK, so the union may not be the solution for MT and that's fine. But what is the solution? This profession has changed so drastically and the future is very unpredictable. Some posters on other boards have been in the business for 20-30 years and remember being paid .22-.25 cpl or more, and now have to settle for .10-.13 cpl or even less because the MTSO won't pay any more than that. We are paid on production, not salary, and every key stroke, every second that we spend working counts. The MTSO's are making it harder for us to make a decent living anymore in this profession, making us jump through hoops to just do our jobs to the best of our ability. We as MTs are not just glorified typists or secretaries. We are professionals who have put a lot of time and effort, and sometimes money, to have a career that is rewarding not only financially but spiritually and mentally as well. Many, many MTs are screaming mad right now, and rightly so. So many posters here complain about the MT business as a whole, but what can we do to change the situation so that WE can benefit, not just the suits? It is true that our government has a huge hand in sending work overseas. How do we fight government to get this stopped and bring back industry in the US? How do we as MTs fight the MTSOs to stop the International Labor Partners? How do we as MTs get the hospitals and doctors and MTSOs to look at MTing as something more than just saving $$ and try to bring back quality? We have to stand up and do SOMETHING other than complain. We have to look at the situation as a whole, get to the root of the problem, and come up with a solution to fix it so that all parties involved will benefit. I don't know what that solution is, maybe somebody else does. But complaining is not doing any good, just lowering morale all across the board. And low morale does not equal good $$ or quality product, it equals frustration.
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