I've been in unions and know what
Posted By: rm on 2007-12-09
In Reply to: This is where you may be wrong - Scribbles
they can do for you. Without unions there would be no vacation pay, sick days, 40 hour week (for some).
I would very definitely love to be part of a union and also would be willing to strike if necessasry to make this happen.
Like all unions, strength is in the numbers so let's hope people support the idea.
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Unions exist to make money for unions.
That's the truth. They don't care if companies close because they can't afford to pay union wages, and then the workers have nothing.
Unions are on the side of the Unions!
You have a very glorified view of unions. For many years, unions have been associated with graft, corruption, and greed, and for good reason. The unions are in business for the unions, period. Unions will twist the truth to whatever extent necessary to pit workers against management. That is how they stay in business. Have you ever seen info about the salaries that union bosses make? They are atrocious. Unions are a BUSINESS. They are in business for themselves. They are NOT charitable organizations out to help workers, although that is what they say. They will only help the worker to the extent that it lines their pockets.
Unions
Yeah. Unions have worked really well for the auto workers.
I don't see where unions have done anything for anybody.
My brother was in the aircraft mechanics union. He paid BIG dues. He worked 3 years without a contract with a major airline. When they were negotiating, the airline told them that they would give them their raises on paper but that they were going belly up and would use the mechanics as their scapegoat because they demanded more money. That is exactly what happened. The airline went belly up and the mechanics were the scapegoats. They never saw one penny of any raise.
Unions are just another big business. They take the workers' money, and the workers are just puppets doing what they're told, striking when they're told, unable to feed their family because of unions.
Unions
 WE CAN'T WIN!! So I guess I'm just going to shut up and type some more!
Unions not the answer
I strongly disagree that unions will solve the problems afflicting the MT field. As long as there is outsourcing and other alternatives to traditional transcription, such as voice recognition, there will continue to be downward pressure on MT wages. Years ago when I worked in Human Resources for health care facilities, I sat on the other side of the negotiating table negotiating union contracts (our nurses were unionized), and I am appalled to this day at the underhanded tactics used by the unions. And talk about overinflated salaries - it is truly shocking what union officials make, and it all comes out of the pockets of union members who get a rather dubious return on their union dues. I just don't believe unionization will solve our problems. I think the only thing that will stop the downward pressure on MT pay is if an end is put to outsourcing (and I don't think its unrealistic to think that could happen at some point).
Unions would help us get some recognition
Currently it's lacking 100%. Look at AAMT/AHDI -- they don't represent us, they're killing us. They need to be investigated and put on a short leash ASAP.
obama and unions
link The big money companies would not allow and would fight it big time. I know one southern California hospital sure did fight unionization
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/09/us/politics/09labor.html
It is too late for unions. It never would have worked.
bebe
If IC's can't join EXISTING unions, then maybe
it's time for MTs to form a union that DOES include IC's, especially since they are a large part of this industry. They deserve better wages, too.
Completely agree. Before unions,
people were forced to work 7 days a week, 12 hour days, no benefits, no overtime, no minimum wage, no safety standards, etc etc etc.... THANK YOU UNIONS.
You know, there are unions in place already. Here is their payscales....
Full-time and part-time employee hospital positions payscales are as follows:
MT Level 1 to Level 3=
$23.68 to $28.70 per hour plus benefits which include 401b, health insurance, dental, vision, life insurance, Wellness Programs, 24 PTO days, plus paid holidays and a few other perks.
Did you not do your homework?
The payscales you have in this post are way too low.
Unions haven't helped much in years
Sadly, they've become more of a corporation themselves. You pay dues and if a conpany wants to bail or relocate or outsource, they still can and do.
Truth about unions - good for employees
My huband is a union member. Union membership is voluntary, with it you pay dues, in exchange your union officials bargain with the company for fair wages, benefits, and pensions. A union signs a contract and during that time, the employees have job security. If there is low work because the offshore companies messed up or shipments didn't come in, it is their union that pays them subpay to compensate the difference between average earnings and unemployment if he has a week off. Also, we pay nada for health insurance premiums, only $10 for office visit, and $5/$15 for Rx, 0 for dental 50% for orthodontics, and $20 for glasses. Without the union supporting these workers they would have no ground to stand on with regard to pay and benefits and working conditions. Thanks to the union, if my husband works Saturdays its time and a half, Sunday are double-time and heaven forbid a holiday he gets paid triple time. When he retires, we keep the benefits and a nice pension. Unions are not all about the mob - I have family in chicago and it is not as you describe it. Chicago is a high crime area and it's not the unions that are causing the problem, it is the quality of people who work in SOME of the factories which are lower paying and the socioeconomic drive that results in shady business and your so called mobter and gangster life.
Well, MY experience with unions is the exact opposite...
My dad was in a textile worker's union for 35 years. He had to go through a strike when he had 3 small kids. For six weeks, he received $20 a week and only two bags of groceries for the whole duration. He lost his job at 35 years from the plant closing. That is not to mention that his union wages had us always barely making it, and the union never once did a thing about the conditions they had to work in. He has struggled with a form of bladder cancer for 19 years from working in those conditions and the chemicals used there.
Ask the auto manufacturers what the union has done for them. Yes, the workers are making it fine laid off, but the companies are near death. Those companies feed our nation. We're 1000 miles from Detroit and our livelihood depends on those car companies staying up and running. My husband's company does not make a thing related to cars, but the company that OWNS his company does.
Bottom line is that if this industry has come to the point that we are discussing needing a union, then maybe we need to either get government intervention to standardize the industry, set regulations about ONLY US work for US medical records, and use only certified workers, OR we need to go back to college for our next career choice.
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Posters placing threads and replies about unions are expected to follow the same guidelines and policies that all other posters follow. Making derrogatory statements about MTStars while utilizing its resources is not going to be tolerated. Encouraging posters in practices that are not advisable for MTStars posters is not going to be tolerated, either.
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MTStars Team
Unions in Canada, MTs make $23 hour plus Yep
I communicate with an MT in Canada and that is what she relayed.
I though unions not legal in some states (right-to-work states) nm
nm
What good does it do? They've lied, they've betrayed us.
They've taken all they are going to take from me. I am not going to waste any more time being angry. I hate the way things ended, but I refuse to accept the blame for any part of it because I know that was a lie too, even though they did try to blame the MTs. I know part of the problem was quality issues, but QA wasn't to blame for that either, although they have been.
It is time to pick up and move on. I think mgmt will reap what they sow. For those who worked on the main account Webmedx is still hiring, though the best time slots have already been taken.
What the heck? I've never heard that in the 8 yrs I've worked here. sm
Go back to your STM or over his or her head.
Since you've brought it up, I've stopped SM
giving the negative info because every time I have in the past I am called a disgruntled ex-employee or told that my experience has no relation to what the company is like today.
I won't repeat the information I've given in the past, anyone can find it on searches. I've decided to just let the people have their experience with the company and that experience will validate everything I've ever said about those people.
The same people own and run that company--they may have new names doing the management, but it still runs the same way.
You've got it ~ you've hit the nail on the head....
I can Google until dawn and still not find John Smith in NY - you know the neurologist... Cut me a break! I've now learned to ask my online company for a list of referring physicians (since none of the accounts are in my state) and also ask for websites for the hospitals, but I still don't take more than 5 min of my own time to find referring physicians. I send it right through with a verify cc:...
As far as making an educated guess, I would only do that if it was my own account and I know the dictator well. For the online company, it is their responsibility to make that educated guess as it is their client, not mine. I leave that up to the company to make assumptions; this way it is on their back, not mine when it comes to the legality of the report. Ultimately, the physician is responsible when signing that report or there should be clause on those reports that state dictated but not read. If that clause is not there, then it is the physician's responsibility to know the content, not the MT. An MT can only transcribe what they hear and really should not be making educated guesses on anyone since we live in a world of sue-happy patients and their malpractice insurance is so high. If there is a question, it needs to go the dictator to resolve.
JMO - been doing this for over 20 years. 
I've been a QA 15 years and I've never heard
of any company only paying for the actual Keystrokes of the blank. You would literally make less than minimum wage that way. Waaay less.
I've come here for as long as I've been...
...an MT, for the same reasons all of you do. I don't scan the boards looking for false accusations, but when something comes up that does involve me, I would like the opportunity to defend myself. That's all...
I've used it before...sm
If you are thinking of going with a company with the beginning letter of "e" and ending in "Z"....you will not be getting paid for spaces. They allow ONLY 8% for spaces, which IMO, is retarded. The platform is very easy, but this particularly company has it set up to NOT count spaces, you will be typing your fingers off it seems.
I've been doing this for more than 11
between 250-350 lines an hour where I am now, without killing myself. At Medware, I was lucky to get 200 lines an hour.
I've only seen 1. sm...
And it was at www.transcriptionoutsourcing.com . It doesn't say this or much of anything else on their website. I think I got this as a link from an MTDaily ad that had a different company name listed and when you clicked their email, the Transcription Outsourcing web site is where it took you. I'll look around and see if I can find the original ad. It was a small company. Good luck in the meantime!
I've got?? i think this is better said I have 12+
nm
I've been there too ... and it's getting very old
I've accepted offers with and tried just about everyone. So far, the one I trained on today has been the best to deal with. The trainer also told me she has been on this account for many, many years - and in that time has only run out of work twice, due to hurricanes. I'm getting very, very tired - I just want to find the right fit. I've found quite a few WRONG fits (and I'm not a newbie - I've got 13+ years on me). I figure, at this point, I want to pick the RIGHT ones, not just ANYone. I think I'll talk to DH some more and see if we can work something out. Who is the *&%* Company, it's late, I'm tired and I can't figure it out. If you want, and can do it, e-mail me separately. I have to make a decision with them soon. Thanks so much for at least your honest, yet positive, input. It's refreshing on these boards.
I've have been doing (sm)
some work for them lately. The stuff is mostly medical conferences and symposiums where people are giving talks. You generally get their Powerpoint presentation to help with drug names and doctor names. I did have one nightmarish assignment where there were about six people sitting around a table all talking at once and I was supposed to figure out who was talking when. The rest of them have been pretty good, though.
Just so you know, this is another CL, not the CL you've seen here for a while now, before the mov
x
Not me, I've been looking for (sm)
minimal part-time at least 9-10 cents per line for a long time. You can find it and get nothing but the bad dictation. BTW, I started typing about 30 years ago. So hang in there if you'd like, I've donated too much of my time to this so-called profession. And there are no hospital jobs around here. I live in a fairly large city and the hospitals are ALL on VR or EMR. It will reach everyone's town before too long. It will be whoever will work the cheapest can have the job. Not me, I'm not that cheap.
Wow! You say you've been an
Again, it is common sense not to post people's names on public forums for any reason. Sometimes, I can't tell if you folks are 12 years old or 98 years old.
Please do not post names.
Well DUH - so do I. That's why I've done
in one form or another (as an employee, as a contractor, as an MTSO) since 1983. And have been with the same small service for many years. And have had my own company/accounts since 1992. But I know my skills are in demand. That certainly seems to bother you a LOT. You sure are defensive about this company, aren't you?
I've been both....sm
There is a little more restriction in my work schedule now as I have to work the hours I committed to in order to help the company keep things in TAT, but there is some flexibility if I need, for example, an hour or two for an appointment. Some companies are more flexible than others in this regard. Also, the amount of time you have to put in to acquire the required line counts is dependent on many things, such as platform, audio quality, dictator mix (ESL:EFL) and the amount of work available to you.
Be prepared to receive much less per line with a national company than you are making right now plus the fact that your taxes and SS will be withheld from your check unless you find a company that offers IC status. The other side of the coin there is that ICs are usually not offered bennies.
Hope you find something that is to your liking and works for you.
You've got that right! nm
Are people still posting complaints on the company board about how they need to apply for food stamps? I'm glad I got out when I did.
I've said that all along.
If we want to take someone's personal advice (and who knows whose advice we are REALLY taking because we don't identify ourselves here) about who NOT to work for, NOT to trust, etc., surely we cannot be surprised that companies would have their own insider list of who does poor work, doesn't stick to schedules, is a lot of difficult to deal with personally, is a complainer, just doesn't produce enough, etc.
What's good for the goose is good for the gander. At least they know each other there.
It doesn't bother me.
No, I've never had to do this...
just had to send a copy of my business license a couple of times. I've worked for about 5-6 different companies as an IC over the years and no one has asked for a copy of my ID.
I've never seen that
Granted, there are cruel sickos everywhere but where I live they chop the chicken's head off quickly before defeathering it. I've never heard of someone dropping a chicken in hot water while it's alive. Cows freely roam in rolling green pastures. Pigs do, too, except when in pens where they love to roll in mud. Your experience with farmers is much different than mine, I suppose, and I'm surrounded by them.
It's the best and I've used several sm
I get a better line count with ExText than any other platform I've used.
I've done
Done MT for 10 years but only for local private practices and clinics. No acute care. Radiology, ortho, ENT, GI, GU, podiatry, even some legal. No hospital tho darn it! That's why I was hoping for the best on this one. Its a hospital acct. I don't think its worth it tho somehow.
I've never used it.
It starts accumulating right away but I've never had to use it. The recruiters are happy to answer any questions you have that I can't. :-)
Just like we've been saying all along. nm
I could've had a V-8!
Guess I had one of those duh! moments (that has lingered awhile). Ha! Thanks ... great idea! -
It's funny, I am pretty new at this, and things will all of a sudden come to me ... like I just recently realized it would be smart to include no phrases ... like: No frequency, dysuria, hematuria; instead of adding the no on separately. (It is usually a no anyway.)
There are so many facets to this field, that it is taking me quite awhile to put it all together. I don't have a lot of medical background either, which doesn't help.
Anyway, thanks again for the idea. I will try to continue to see the larger picture in using the expander.
I've never used it
My employer doesn't require it. Truthfully they probably don't even know the BOS.
Thanks--I've been looking through them too.
x
I've used both....sm
and I don't think there's a huge difference. I do like the DQS format better, I think it's clearer, but they are both MT-friendly. I did seem to have more trouble getting lines with Bayscribe, but that could be chalked up to the learning curve. You can also have MDI import your Expanders from DQS.
It's just that everything I've been looking for...sm
in an employee position, they have it - an acute care account, a good line rate reasonable insurance costs with good coverage, PTO, 401K, typing in Word in the platform, equipment provided, and a sign-on bonus on top of it all. Looking at it all listed out like that, well, it could apply to a lot of companies. It's just something about talking to them that I like. I hope I'm right!
Oh, they do have an equipment rental but that doesn't bother me.
I've only been doing this for
3 years, but like I said, this is the best offer I have had. I graduated with honors, have done good on all tests ever taken, never been turned down for a job. I know I'm very good at what I do, but from what I read on here, I thought that was a pretty good cpl. I read every day all these people with 15-25 yrs. experience only being offered that from most companies. I wouldn't even know where to look to make a substantial amount more and still have the flexibility that I have with them. I mean, I work M-F from 5 a.m. until 3 p.m. and some Saturdays, so don't get me wrong; it's not that I don't work, because I do. I just like the flexibiilty to be able to take off if I need to with no problems! Easy accounts, easy platform and really easy to make my paycheck be what it needs to be. Where you make 9.5 cpl, is it that easy?
I've been there too sm
If people would meet line committments the work would flow without going late and they wouldn't have to bring in new people. They are forced to hire when the work is not getting done.
Yes they do and I've had enough of it too
Grrr
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