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I had thought of reporting her

Posted By: Finally got paid on 2007-05-10
In Reply to: I'd pay a little visit to the LABOR BOARD, myself. sm - Notta Machine

I had thought about reporting her to the Labor Board actually, but was told by a friend as an IC the labor board couldnt do much for me.. then someone else said they could..especially since, even though she likes to call her employees ICs, they really are actually employees she is illegally calling ICs to avoid paying taxes and bennies.. But since I did finally get paid, there's really not much for the LB to do, I would think. Except maybe light a fire under her in the future and make her pay people and not try and play games with their money. The one she really needs to be reported to is the IRS.. you can't have ICs and make them work a schedule and hound them, and threaten their jobs for not working scheduled hours..but they sure do!!


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Reporting to the IRS
I did research the IRS stuff about Independent Contractor versus Employee.  As far as reporting companies, all I could find was 2 forms; one to fill out when you already work for a company and want to dispute your classification (SS-8), and the other form to fill out had something to do with the actual taxes being withheld while your dispute is under investigation.  I was not able to find the form or process for reporting a company regardless of whether I work for them or not.  If you know the details, I would appreciate you sharing them.  I'm sure that anyone can phone the IRS and make a statement, however what does the person on the other end of the phone do with it if there is no formal process or paperwork in that case?  It might just go in one of their ears and out the other, and I certainly don't want to waste my time.
You could try court reporting (sm)
...If you're that sick of transcription.

My sister does it and makes good money.  I agree with the poster, above, though - there can be two or three people talking at the same time, some people could be hard to hear 'cuz they're really far from the microphone (a microcassette player you bring yourself).  Plus it seems like double the work - you have to go to court and type on that little ShortHand machine (oh, and you have to learn shorthand), then type the stuff out in readable form at home.  And you have to have a professional wardrobe to wear to court.  Yuck; not for me. 

She seems to like it, though.  She does have flexible hours (it depends when there's a case going on), works from home but has an office base.  She has to drive around to different court locations a lot (she might be able to deduct gas mileage).  I think she's considered an independent contractor, with all the pluses and minuses that go with that (more freedom but more taxes, pay for own insurance, etc.).
Reporting messages. (SM)

Please do not report messages to be removed simply because you disagree with them.  This is a public forum.  Anyone can post here.  If you disagree with a post, simply look past it.  When you post here, everyone is entitled to reply to your entry.


Now, if a post violates posting policy, that is completely different and we want to edit or delete those. 


However, you should focus on obtaining the information/discussions you want from the forum and ignore those who disagree with you.


If you want or need to discuss a situation you are encountering, please e-mail me and we will see what we can do to resolve the situation.


IMPORTANT:  If you make a post and want to retract it, please do not use the moderating form to report the message -- instead, e-mail me.  I must be able to verify that you posted the original message before removing it if it is not violating posting guidelines.


If anyone has any questions, I will be happy to answer them.


Thank you,


Goldbird


I don't work for them. Just reporting what others have said. nm
s
To poster reporting this...
Yes, we got the complaint. The name was removed. The remainder of the post is acceptable. The voting is not broken. You only get one vote.
Reporting companies
From the website:
http://ethicswontcutit.brentcaulley.com/resources/Complaint+Form

Instructions and info:
There are 3 major U.S. Government Agencies that are concerned with
misclassifying workers as independent contractors when they work as
and get treated as employees
1)The first and most formidable is the IRS. Anybody who has ever been
audited can tell you the IRS is bad news. The IRS is interested both
because Independent contractors get tax breaks on their business
expenses and the company hiring them doesn't have to pay payroll taxes.
The types of penalties on a company like Vector for this kind of tax
evasion on a mass scale with tens of thousands of workers are enormous,
possibly even bankrupting. The only drawback to reporting a company
to the IRS is that you can't do it online. You will have to write a
letter, print it out, and either mail it or walk it in to your local
IRS office, which are all listed at www.irs.gov
2)Your local Dept of Labor, which is interested because it is their
responsibility to make sure workers in their jurisdiction are being
treated right, getting all the pay, benefits, and treatment they
legally have coming to them and that employers are following labor laws.
There are both State DOL Departments and a Federal one. Most likely you
will have to mail them a letter, stop by, or call them up. Their
contact information is at www.dol.gov
3)Your local Unemployment and/or Worker's Compensation Insurance Agency/s
They are interested because if you aren't classified as an employee
but you should be, the company that hired you is skimping out on
unemployment and worker's compensation benefits. These agencies are
closely related to the Dept of Labor and often even a dept within the
DOL. These locations can be found at www.dol.org too.

The independent contractor status is not there to allow some employers
to weasel out of all the rights our local and federal governments have
decided employees deserve, it is there because there are a small minority
of business owners out there (like most attorneys, consultants,
accountants, and such) who run their business by doing small, brief
jobs to multiple other people or businesses- usually at the same time.
Those who run their own businesses don't have anybody but themselves to
give them their benefits and don't need rights to protect them from
anybody but themselves (or the businesses they do their brief jobs for,
but employees get don't get a whole lot rights to protect them from
their customers either, just their bosses).

What the government is looking for in determining whether they are an
employeee or not is behavioral control, financial control, and the type
of relationship. Which are all outlined here:
http://www.irs.gov/govt/fslg/article/0,,id=110344,00.html
To determine these 3 factors, they generally use the IRS's 20
questions which can be found here:
http://www.richterscale.org/garage/20ques.htm
(if these links get outdated you can always search irs.gov and google)

Anyone have information on Ubiqus Reporting
Thanks
Does anyone have any info on Ubiqus Reporting?

Can you work part time for them?  How are they to work for?   Do they have enough work to go around?  Is their pay pretty decent?  


TIA!


Wish I'd chosen court-reporting! -(sm)-
When I was 25, my friend & I were both going to trade school. She chose court-reporting, and tried in vain to get me to take it with her. But no, I chose MT because it was faster and I could get a job quicker.

SHOULDA', COULDA', WOULDA' !!!!

If life were on videotape, I'd rewind back to that year and make the RIGHT choice this time. Too late, now - MTs are screwed.
The issue of reporting companies
I would never think of reporting a company because I have a child to care for and I do not want trouble in my life. I was merely passing along what a tax pro told me. I am just glad to be getting out of MTing for good and after January 1, will not look back. What was once a wonderful chance for many women (and men, too; I am sure there are stay at home dads out there) has become rather a school of sharks. I am glad I am leaving it.
reporting cherry pickers falls on deaf ears. I have complained for years.
,,
I actually thought of that. I even thought of trying to go back to MQ part-time!! (sm)
I just wonder about hours at a second company.  I work days (and some nights) with this company.  I have a set schedule but with the no work situtation I've been on the computer at all hours of the day and night.  Right now I have no work, so I would love to jump on at a company #2 and start working.  Do you have to have set hours at your company #2?  Thanks for the suggestion.
Bashing?????? You consider reporting nonpaying employers bashing? sm
Yeah, I got my 1099 too.  It included the couple of thousand dollars for invoices that she's never paid me for.  She really deserves her due now, doesn't she??  On the bright side, maybe the IRS can do something with her.  Cuz I ain't paying taxes on that money she's never paid me. 
A thought. sm
Good points. From what I've heard, managers don't have to handle situations exactly the same way as others might. They follow basic company rules and procedures, but you could get different people running things differently depending on their style, preferences, or client needs. MQ offices are like this, too, from my experience.

Maybe it's not favoritism, or misinformation, or conflicting information, but rather just a choice being made. Then again, if there are vastly different methodologies between managers, to the point that it affects the MTs, maybe that does need to be brought to the attention of a higher authority so it can be worked out to the satisfaction of all involved. The managers may not even be aware that they work so differently! Maybe this is something that MTs can address with the managers involved?
Has anyone thought that.....
the office politics we suffer from national MTSOs is WORSE than the office politics you find in hospital medical records departments?  At least in the hospital you run into people and they can't ignore your communications, whereas with nationals they can not only ignore you but they can deny reality.  I don't fault any MT for NEEDING to work at home, but it's not pain-free, there is a heavier downside than commuting (especially when you add in the inferior benefits: vacation, sick leave, etc.)
I thought they might get better, but...
Sorry, you are having a rough time. Are you new to MT or just new to the company? I have to say they do pay well, but it doesn't matter if you don't get paid for all your lines!!! I like the accounts I am on, don't mind ESL, but QA has gotten really bad, very inconsistent. It is hard to get a hold of anyone if you have a problem, too.
sorry, I thought you said w/o
Sorry, thought you said w/o.
I never thought 40% though.
I thought maybe 20% or 25%, so I was shocked with the 40%, and I would not be so angry had they told us ahead of time.  I think it shows what they think of us not to at least tell us on August 1st, but then that is just my opinion.  Some people let others treat them as door mats and don't have a problem with it.  I do have a problem with it and think I deserve better from any employer.
Have you ever thought about....sm
the fact that usually people post only on the forum (and websites like this) only when there's a problem and not when things are going well?  I and others that I know of on my account aren't having the problems that you're talking about (knock on wood!).  
just a thought

Does anybody else think that medical transcriptionists and migrant farm workers have a lot in common, such as wages, supervisors and working conditions?   I think the MTSOs and the migrant/illegal worker supervisors have very similar character and personality traits as well as  business practices.  I wonder if they get their training in the same places.  


 


 


Thanks. I thought that is what that was.
just wanted to make sure.
just a thought
Sounds like you need to spend less time whining and more time working. You might actually make some money! Boo-hoo.
That's what I thought nm

I thought
rofl
the more I thought about it after sm
I read that ad, I finally decided to send that little whipper-snapper an E-mail! I told her obviously she didn't have experience in this business or she wouldn't run an ad like that to begin with! I reminded her this was not entry level clerical work this was a skilled technical profession! I am quite insulted by that whole ad. I also told her that folks like her needed to be booted out of the MT business. That infuriates me. Maybe she will reword her ad or take it off all together! Arghhhhhhhhhhh!
OK, I thought it was just me
I had great training, but then got switched to another hospital and I'm just barely making a dime now. This account is HUGE, there is a ton of work, but the dictators are so stinky you can't make your way through the pile. And, I'm not whining - I've been doing this for 13+ years, do ESL docs on a regular basis, etc., and survived the earlier rounds of awful cherry picking at MQ (and I got stuck in the evenings with all the awful dictation that was skipped), so I'm trying to give Transcend a chance, but right now - it's awful. Then, even if I do get a good shift of dictators, when you have to stop and bold this heading or that heading, or keeping checking the AI sheets because everything is constantly changing ... pretty soon I'm going to need a job flipping burgers to supplement my income. So, still looking, haven't found the right fit yet.
I thought I was the only one. SM

I just started with a hospital at home.   I have over 30 years' experience, have heavy experience with ESL physicians.  I have no content errors, but it's all the hypens and commas and fine tuning.  It is really discouraging to me.  I have always been praised for my work.  The notebook from the hospital was about 4 inches thick and I was supposed to remember it all the first day!   I am not making any money, but worse than that, for the first time in a long time, I am losing confidence.   I can certainly relate.


I thought it was just me
I have tried and tried with them - I live very close to them and thought that would be great, did great on the test, too - but can't get a response from anyone. Maybe it should be questioned by the administrator as they keep posting here and another site for MTs, but has anyone actually been hired by them?
Thanks - I thought it was just me
I got trained on 2 hospitals from this huge account, and they were great! Great dictators, good sound, no problems - then when I went off training, I got put on the other two hospitals for this large account, and I've had nothing but headaches. What a complete mess. The dictators stink, the sound quality is awful and I keep having technical issues, for which you have to E-MAIL tech support and they answer you (usually with more questions) via e-mail maybe 6 hours later. So you've lost your entire shift. The last time I got so fed up, I paged the supervisor of IT. I am so disappointed because my training went so well. I've been hired at two other companies, one PT and one IC, and I will be kissing both MQ and Transcend good-bye. I've since learned, neither are worth the aggravation, or the time and effort.
I thought it was just me.
Interestingly, though, I had a job come through that was 10 hours old -- and one of the crap dictators -- someone must have been sitting on this one. Wonder where those new accounts waiting to come onboard are per their old help wanted ad on MT jobs.
that is enough now...I thought you were
working for this company, or have decided to work for them, just do not understand the debate...

no need to respond, I am not that interested...

good luck
No, I thought you really thought there was a law. :) sm
Yes, laughing is good. Here's hoping we all get a lot more healthy belly laughs in 2006! We deserve them.
I just thought of this...
I would think that you don't even have to know where the money was withdrawn, as long as you can identify the date(s) and amount(s) that she did it on your statement-these transactions always have location numbers to identify where.
Another thought
First of all, that's you. You don't know what her relationship was with the MTSO. Maybe the MT thought they were friends because that's what the MTSO wanted her to think. This particular MTSO does not give you the opportunity to fix your mistakes. Three strikes and you're out, honey. It doesn't matter if you've bent over backwars for her for years. It doesn't matter if those three mistakes happen over a year of you producing 175-200 reports a day. If you do something to tick her off, or she thinks you're lying about a power outage, the internet being down, etc., the client wants you off the account is her way of getting back at you. She thinks you can't make it elsewhee and you'll run back to her. Brilliant way to run a business, isn't it. She may have been ticked off at someone else and took it out on the MT. It happens.

The MT did own it. She came on this board telling what she did. She didn't bash anyone. She told the truth. I admire her courage. Only on this board is bashing synonymous with truth.

Yes, we all make mistakes. Doctors do also. Some of them catch their mistakes and some don't. That's why their malpractice insurance premiums are so high. Does it then become the transcriptionists fault because SHE/HE didn't catch it? They airhead out while they dictate, eat, mumble, don't know correct pronounciation, good English, dictate a mile a minute, talk to someone else, and can't spell. Yes, and it's our job to make them look good and question them when they dictate right at the beginning and left at the end of the report. No one is perfect. Not even you. I had a doctor apologize to me the other day because she couldn't get a complete thought out. Her excuse: I got distracted.

You don't know the whole story, the MT, or the MTSO.

I'm amazed at your lack of compassion and your naivete. I wish you a life that's a breeze: No worries, no elderly/ill parents, no kids to support on your own, no deaths in your family, no jury duty, no internet problems, and no power outages! Oh, and that you are able to schedule all of your appointments on your days off.
I thought so, too, but I keep seeing

big banners for Naukri.com, India's No. 1 Job Site advertising on this site, so who knows?


Not what I thought it was going to be ...
Enough work, yes ... but rules change as you go along. Not very pleased with them right now, and contemplating leaving.
not what I thought
It's not what I thought it would be either, I'm the one who always has to change my hours to get the work.
Thats what I thought!! :)
nm
That's what I thought.
It was for 65. Thanks guys/gals; I needed that little slap in the head. lol

thanks again
I thought it was 800? nm
nm
That is where I thought
So I suppose I should have asked in one question if you know which town the main office is in - probably St. John's I was thinking, is that correct? I am thinking about moving back home from the states to Corner Brook, not 100% sure it is going to happen but just looking at some possibilities. Thanks for the info.
another thought
One of my docs has been on vacation for the last two weeks, that could be another reason
Perhaps you did not do as well as you thought or perhaps sm
your experience was not what they wanted, or maybe someone else tested and interviewed at the same time who was more qualified for the position.

WHY IS IT THAT TRANSCRIPTIONISTS FEEL THAT THEY SHOULD GET EVERY JOB THEY APPLY FOR? THAT IS NOT THE WAY IT WORKS ANYWHERE ELSE, ANY OTHER INDUSTRY. EVEN BURGER KING WILL TURN SOMEONE DOWN IF SOMEONE THAT BETTER FITS THEIR OPENING COMES ALONG.
I thought it was okay, but (SM)
I had to resign due to a death in the family.  I felt the editing was hard to learn (keystrokes only using shift, control key, etc.).  Hand placement would be key.  Then, all of a sudden you have to actually transcribe.  So, it was kind of in/out of one mode/to another.  Real choppy, etc.  The training was not that great, too many people at one time.  The tech support was not really that great either.  I was willing to give them a shot, but it just didn't work out for me at that particular time.  Also, they'll change your hours with no notice, and they have you sign a paper stating you are okay with that, but don't really say that in the interview.  Tough call!  Good luck! 
That is what I thought
I have been doing transcription for about 7 years.  I have only been an IC for about a year.  I like the flexibility, although keeping back money to pay taxes is hard.  I am willing to accept this because of the flexibility.  I was looking at job postings because I was thinking of picking up some extra work.  Seems like these companies should be reported to the IRS.  If they had to fork over SS taxes they might change their tune. 
I always thought it was just me

But apparently I wasn't the only one who started to feel used and abused by TRS.


They were a good company, once. Then when they training in Trinidad started, it just went downhill from there. And that's where the jobs will end up


Just a thought about VR... (sm)

I have seen where MTs want to go out and get their own accounts, well what about offering VR for a client with the editing, etc.  There are sites that offer the equipment, for example transcriptiongear.  Of course you would charge enough to cover your editing fees (your pay) and probably even get them to purchase the equipment.  I wonder if an independent could really do this just like the nationals do and write off their expenses, etc.  Sort of like the old saying if you can't beat em', join em' .  I was just pondering this last night for a few minutes.  Then I get up and read my horoscope on my internet home page and it reads:


A business or philanthropic opportunity arises when you share a special interest with a diverse crowd. They admire your commitment to the cause, and you appreciate how enthusiastic they are about your ideas.


Is that not just too coincidental?  I am not making this up.  Thanks for listening.


I thought OSi had gotten all their
Is it a management problem?
thats what I thought

But there are a lot of unhappy campers lately and they just fired 2 hire ups,  I was told Healthscribe bought them out and talking more outsourcing.  Im new there so I am totally totally confused....


One thought
If MDI/FL is now owned by Transcend, then I have had some experience with Transcend.  The recruiter that posts here is a very, very nice lady.  She is well-informed about accounts and if she doesn't know, she finds out.  I unfortunately left Transcend shortly after starting due to some personal issues, but I liked the way they were organized.  There were very nice contact people right from the start.  My questions were always answered.  The interview went very well.  I don't know if this is a matter of consequence to you, but I found Transcend to be very profressional and at the same time very laid back.  I am not sure about the benefits because I was not going to need them anyhow.  Just some thoughts..... 
I have thought of it too
but, they do require that you work either a Saturday or a Sunday, plus all the negatives I have read has made me skeptical.

On the other hand, they have opened an office(training center) 45 miles away and I thought about signing on that way to see if that won't eliminate some of the possible problems others claimed they have had while working for this company.