Sweat shop labor
Posted By: MTness on 2007-08-24
In Reply to: LOL! I agree, but the BIG thing I don't get... - Can't figure out...
We can all clearly see the run around by various layers of quality control when work goes offshore, and what it really costs. But the thing is that as more and more corporations offshore their products, they are able to skirt strict regulations in the U.S. For instance, as we already see the advantage of India doing transcription while we sleep here in the US, they don't have labor laws as we do. A corporation here in the US dealing with American workers has to deal with lots of regulations such as labor laws, state compensation for injuries for employees, etc. These regulations cost money to the company. In countries like India, China, the Phillipines, there are no labor laws such as in the U.S. If a company says a worker must work 12 hours a day with no benefits or breaks, you can be sure these people will do this, and are sometimes grateful where no job existed before. If working conditions are intolerable, there is no agency that protects the people. You can see how American corporations are motivated to send work offshore and not deal with US regulations and laws that cost the company money. Yes, exploitation at its finest. However, I saw a documentary recently by Lisa Ling on TV where it showed that many women in third world countries are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with working conditions. The documentary followed different women and what they must do to have a job in the city. Many women leave their children far away in another city at home with the grandparents. These women travel and live in the city to work for a few dollars a day. They must work weekends, holidays, and may travel back home once a month to give the money they make to their families. These women were interviewed and were questioning whether having a job far away from a rural town was worth it with no time off for the holidays, and missing their children and families. So you see, these people are getting restless too, and want time off on their holidays and family time just as much as we do. I have no doubt in time there were be a rising in advocacy for labor laws in these countries.
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Labor Stats from Dept of Labor for MT inside
This is quite interesting...it is too long to post here but I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on the statistics. Thanks!
tp://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:eGxrU1X5lOEJ:www.bls.gov/oco/ocos271.htm+how+much+to+become+certified+Medical+Transcription&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us
Don't sweat it.
I left and came back to it. You'll remember everything and your speed will go up after a couple of weeks, and it'll be like you never left. Go to the Job Seekers board or the Jobs database to find available positions. You might want to post your resume in the Resume database. That's what I did, and my current IC employer came to me. I knew I didn't want to work for a big national (like Spheris) again.
IC is independent contractor. Not all nationals have it. Part time is available with most companies. How many hours are you looking for? I like IC because I do a set amount of work each week, but my hours are really flexible.
Hey girl, don't sweat it (sm)
Just as the poster below said, the manual is extensive, but a lot of reinforcement detail. It's actually pretty straight-forward and clear. Just take a deep breath and read it once before your training. You don't have to learn everything before the training session.
The training sessions are very clear and the instructors (mine anyway) are very patient and knowledgeable.
DQS has a lot of bells and whistles, but it is a very user-friendly program.
Send the computer back when you upgrade yours. When you switch, all you have to do is download the program on your computer and all your parameters/info/expansions will still be there.
I had EXTREME anxiety before I trained and went to work on DQS. It was all for nothing... my learning curve was slow, but that's just me... an old dog.
Good luck, sweetie, and check in later and let us know how it's going! :)
Sweat and shakes
My sister does the exact same thing after coming off BC for a significant number of years. At first, because of the shakiness, etc., she thought it was her diabetes, but it only occurs at certain times. She is now 38. Her OB/GYN said it was a severe drop in her estrogen around the monthly. She didn't want to go back on hormones after having just come off them, so he prescribed the cream and suggested Estroven. For those perimenopausal women, I hear the actual change can take a long time for some. I got mine out of the way at 29 thanks to hysterectomy. The only other thing I can think of is if you are on any kind of antidepressant, they cause sweating.
You make me sweat bullets with the talk of sm
anuerysm and headaches. I have two, one diagnosed 13 years ago after suffering with headaches for 9 months and the other appeared three years ago. I was a very lucky girl that it didn't rupture and has been stable all these years, treated with medication. I have polyarteritis nodosa and I am absolutely paranoid about headaches, with each one I wonder if it is a flareup or stress. It just scares the heck out of me to hear about so many aneurysms. When I worked at the hospital, a girl who worked there died when hers ruptured, leaving a hubby and 3 kids, another collapsed on the dance floor and was rushed to the hospital. She is okay. My youngest son went to first grade with a girl whose mother died in bed with one. So sad. Medical help is only a call away. Please use it.
aerobics? If I want to work up that kind of sweat I'll go
delve into the pile of laundry in the basement. :)
That way I don't have to deal with other sweaty people. Eeeeuw.
i gave blood, sweat, and tears as a QA person -
I tried for over a year with a very lame lady who supposedly graduated from one of the *top 3* schools and was a former nurse. She had a terrible ear, little to no comprehension, and was clueless on how to even use her reference books! She was hands down the worst MT out of dozens of people I worked with. The point is this - You can usually tell pretty early if someone is worth training or not. What does your gut say?
Shop around -- sm
If you don't need something fancy for work, you don't need a lot of the bells and whistles that come with a more exp computer. Dell is cheap though most other brands have lower-priced computers. I would look at Dell.com, Gateway.com, amazon, Best Buy and Circuit City. If you ask you might be able to bundle the printer/scanner/fax deal. Canon's are good, and i have a Brother. If you have more specific questions, feel free to e-mail.
I wouldn't allow it in my shop.
Lordy, what's next? The patient was sent 2 radiology 4 a chest x-ray? God forbid.
Those are the reasons I do shop SM
at Target. I have a huge problem with the Salvation Army's practices (be our religion, go to OUR church, adhere to OUR values, or stay cold), I think our government ought to be the ones supporting the military since they sent them where they are, and as for supporting gay and lesbian rights, I think that is a good thing. I'm not sure exactly how you phrased that.
That's why I don't shop there anymore. sm
Years ago, they had this wonderful vanilla almond lotion. Discontinued. Then a delicious pineapple-mango lotion/body lotion/body butter. I bought it in everything they had. Discontinued. The last time did it for me. Why do they do that! 
shop around at the HP site for
small businesses - they have laptops with XP loaded that can be changed out for Vista at a later date if necessary. They worked this out with microsoft to bridge the gap between xp/vista, as companies are not so quick to jump to the change this time.
All prices.
WE go to a sandwich shop
and they call us by name; oh my goodness somewhat might know I'm there for a cheesesteak! I don't fret though! Because no one knows what I ordered.
I've seen other people's names on the lists at offices too, but I try to mind my own business... 
Only when the desktop has to go into the shop,
and I have to move operations over to the laptop. I just plug my regular keyboard in, which is a Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000. I like this keyboard; it's cheap, so when I inevitably kill it (I am hard on keyboards; must be a hold-over from having learned to type on a manual typewriter back in the stone age) it doesn't cost a lot to replace. (I'm on my second one.) And it has a decent enough touch. The curve is just enough to straighten my wrists out to a neutral position, but not so much that I feel like I'm typing on an alien machine.
Just wondering where you'll shop...
I think Wal-Mart's changes in hiring and benefits is dispicable. Wal-Mart is all we have in the small town we're in. Will you shop at K-Mart or Target, and what store for food? I'll have to go about 30 miles for the nearest K-Mart, but I feel that strong about not shopping at Wal-Mart. I always liked how they had the food store in with the regular retail store, so I'll have to find a grocery store too.
Thanks!
Fine, you shop where you want to and I'll do the same
nm
I know, those all make me want to shop at Target
in my state, there is also this to contend with:
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/08/23/BAGDKEBPA71.DTL
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/8/23/21560/4064
Jees. Ya can't win for losing, can you?
Still shop at Target at little bit (*never* Walmart), but I'm really going to try to make it much more exclusively Costco now.
Ask your local bike shop sm
They have the most bicycle knowledge and are truly helpful. If you can afford to get one, a bike shop bike would be much more practical (and able to actually be repaired) versus a mass-market store bike.
Check to see if there is a consignment shop...
in your area, especially if the children are small, as they outgrow everything so quickly. These are "gently used" clothing at way less than the original price, and are usually listed in the Yellow Pages.
Spi opens shop in Vietnam
The latest newsletter states Spi (formerly Cymed) has opened up shop in Vietnam. I guess they have run out of shops in India and the Philippines. I asked a vet if they speak any better English than the other two and he said NO. I guess I give up on finding a good QA position with headquarters in the good old US of A.
That's ridiculous. You won't shop at Walmart for something that you think you heard
that may or may not be true. You know I'm not a regular Walmart shopper but this is just plain stupid trying to smear a company that employs thousands of older and unfortunate Americans who may not have a job without Walmart. What's your beef with Walmart that you would post junk like this?
Rumor, truth, whatever, I'll still shop
at Wal-Mart because that's where I can afford to go.
Shop for a "USB to game port adapter".
Staples, Radio Shack or Office Max should have them. ebay should have them. If not, Google for a seller.
Did anyone watch Frontline last night? I will NEVER shop in Wal-Mart again.
Cheap prices will not mean a thing if the middle class U.S. population is out of work. I'd rather see my neighbors with a job and pay Target prices
I read in McCalls once that you don't tip for hair if it is owner of shop.
nm
My friends with large families shop at Walmart. I don't. I can't compare
prices or taste. These are not ignorant poor folk who don't know better shopping at Walmart. Walmart has definitely cut into the supermarkets business. Bottom line here folks, people are making Walmart successful and they keep growing. Not for nothing are people shopping at Walmart. They have to be offering something to the shopper.
Any tattoo shop mostly, hot topic, sally's beauty supply...SM
Any place that pierces, head shop, etc. Hope that helps.
Awesome! Here, a local computer repair shop has a similar commercial. Its really funny. nm
xxx
What are you doing for labor day?
xxx
Not til the Wed. after Labor Day ...
here near Rochester, NY.
I don't. It is just as labor-intensive and-
you end up fixing things like changing "were" to "are", "a" to "an", that kind of thing. Easier in my opinion to type from scratch, not to mention that you are usually making half what a normal line rate is to do VR.
I am, too, wonder if it's just because of the Labor Day holiday?
nm
No, its cheap labor.
x
7 or even 7.5 cpl is slave labor
I had a company offer me 7.5 cents recently and I said no, perservered it out, and found a great company that pays 10 cents a line and they actually care about their MTs, not treat them like a number. Hold out for what you deserve to be paid and don't compromise. A company paying 7 cents is looking for slave labor.
Slave labor
... sounds like someone is on their high horse in a third world country and expects American MTs to get with the slave labor mentality!
You can also go to the Dept. of Labor. (n/m)
x
They use overseas labor.
.
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.
Labor Board
Forget the state - go to the Department of Labor on website - I had to, my company "borrowed" from my IRA and although I got my money, I did not get my interest, cap gains etc. The labor board is helping me now, including filing charges against them for bouncing checks etc. The problem is if no one complains when the check bounces not much you can do. Bounce a check at walmart and go to court possible jail- bounce a paycheck and do nothing if they send out another to you, doesn't matter when they do, just that they do. If it happens often, don't request a new check file charges and then get your money. They won't do it again.
What you doing over the Labor Day holiday?
Happy Labor Day!
Speaking of labor, I am working today. Anyone else working this holiday?
If indeed more co. using China labor we need
x
Why would it cost $140? inc. labor?
you can do it yourself, it's easy. I doubled mine for about $60, but I think I got another 512 MB or so, then got I think a $20 rebate. I noticed the speed. It's easier to keep multiple programs running and loaded and properly functioning at one time. Multitasking is easier. My work computer is 256, tell me that doesn't suck! I spend half my day waiting, it seems.
Yep, that is labor also and you gotta know
I am dumb when it comes to computers and such. I would hate to really mess something up to where I could not work. I might have to have some memory removed in order to go to 1.5 but my computer will go to 2. Wonder if I should go for that much? thanks for the advice.
Labor Board
For those of you who are not getting paid (seems like an epidemic) report your employer to the labor board in your state. A word on Gant Transcription - this being a company who either does not pay or sends checks with insufficient funds - be wary of any advertisements here or on any other board - it's a bad deal - remember you are not working for free - and this company does not pay unless forced to. Don't fall into Gant's trap unless you like spending your days and nights working for nothing. If your company is not paying - keep all correspondence and report them immediately to your labor board - they will straighten things out. The BBB is not the way to go - they can do nothing to get your past wages to you - but the Wage and Labor Board can and will.
I am an IC so labor board can't help
I will be filing a small claims suit next. Unfortunately this company is in Midwest and I am on East Coast, so I am going to have to look into the logistics of it. Thanks.
Labor laws
I think there may be some strong labor laws against such behavior. State labor laws obviously vary, but even Federal Labor Laws should prevent this.
I hate to hear about collusion like this against a person, who possibly just had the temerity to disagree.
Quig
It is not manual labor...
just another excuse by you
Department of Labor
Were you awarded a judgment in your favor and how long it takes?
Try the Department of Labor and Industry.
You can turn them into the State Attorney General's office, BBB, FTC, as well. And small claims court. I would send a certified letter demanding payment first with the threat that if they do not pay by XX date, you will pursue further legal action against them.
So I am the one doing the labor and get 8 cpl. Frank and all the managers
need a little something-something for all their "hard" work. We MTs are so 
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