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I hear people talk union all the time, but no one ever

Posted By: me on 2007-04-13
In Reply to: Theory about MT Pay - Anonymous

does anything about it.  Personally I would never join one anyway so I don't care.  I am not a single mom, but for one year my DH took off work to go to school and I was the sole support of our family.  I paid all the bills, including insurance, though mine was not $700/mo.  We didn't have $$ for lots of extras, but all of our normal bills were paid and our house payment was $895/mo. 


I only worked about 6 hours/day at that time, though sometimes worked less and sometimes more.  


Just because one person can't do 2500 lines/day or be self-supporting, doesn't mean that some of us can't.   I make good money and could make more if I wanted to work more, but I don't.  


No one is forcing you to be an MT.  If you are unhappy with the pay, etc. find something else.   Companies, MT or not, have to look out for their bottom line.   MT companies are now in competition with Indian companies, or US fronts for Indian companies, who will undercut any line rate to the customer, so in order for MT companies to keep accounts they have to maintain rates.   I know of one local company who went out of business because while he had not raised his rates in about 8 years, he just could not compete with other offshore companies.


 




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time to form union, people
nm
I did finally hear back and did okay but I think I am done testing until I talk with someone about
what they are looking for.  I cant get the foot pedal to work with the voice so  it takes a lot of time to go back over and over the dictation.
It's an ASSOCIATION, people. Not a union.
It's not so. There is no union for MTs.

They have broadened their scope, true. They have finally changed their name to fit what they really are focused on -- healthcare documentation.

MTs are a vital part of that process.

However, the AAMT or AIHD or whatever is NOT your union. Stop groaning over these things.

Basically, what I'm saying is that people are so quick to want a union but...
they do not realize that in this day and age, their job can shoot straight out of the company. In fact, it's also working the opposite - Indians, Phillipines, Brazilians are being shipped in to do nursing now! South Americans are being shipped in to work on hurricane relief efforts clearing mold and hazardous material for $8.50/hour for FEMA.
You said talk to the people at
Medquest, cannot do that as you see no posting unless you work there. Having said that, I have read scores and scores of posts on that board. No way would I ever stand around and see my work dropping down pricewise and having the cesspools they talk about all the time. Why in the world would anyone work like that when they can do better? I know not all platforms the same but I also am not going to work for a place that seems so disjointed like the one you mention. My platform has changed lately - was an excellent one before but here lately I have done more corrections- I have been doing this same editing job now for about 5 years. You tell me, why do the Medquest people stay?? I find it utterly ridiculous to go down the drain with the company. I do make lots of corrections here lately and still make a very decent salary in editing. People should look further than staying in the same ole job and not getting anywhere.
There is no list, but people talk and
the MT world is small.  If you leave like that and your MTSO knows other MTSOs, it's likely that your name will come up informally as someone who does that kind of thing.
part-time IC is 5000/pay period and full time IC is 10,000 per pay period. Need to talk with
recruiter about cpl, I'm sure it varies with experience. 
I think they will hire PT if it is a hard to fill time slot. I would talk
to them and see. They go both by hours worked and lines transcribed since you are employee status. The insurance is First Health and the coverage is great. We had Aetna prior to this and First Health offers better coverage for less money. Vacation accrues immediately but you cant' take it for the first 90 days. I think you get 11 days the first year and it increases every year after that. I think the max is either 21 or 26 days per year.

Hope that helps.
MQ people let's hear from you
This reporter I talked to knew all about the lawsuit with MQ so it would be interesting to show their latest practices.

The paper is in Long Beach, Calif.
Anyone hear of People Support?
I checked out their website.  Am I wrong in assuming they outsource to Phillipines and Costa Rica?  I had taken their test and they called me today and the number came up as Rapid Text, so now I am confused.  Thanks in advance for any info. 
But if no union shop, no union representation
You can have a trade group represented by a union, as your husband is, but if he doesn't work in a union shop (company), the union can't represent him at his place of employment. Look at nurses, for example - there is a union for nurses, but the vast majority of nurses are not union members, because their places of employment are not unionized. So it's irrelevant to the majority of nurses that there is a union to represent them.
If I get past all the people who say they get hired then don't hear anything
people complaining about the instability of work flow and constantly running out of work, and if I ingnore the fact that the company is expanding its operations in India by acquiring a facility to employee 5000 people offshore....wait, what was my point?
I hear ya...some people just feel the need to chime in about everything and anything...
opinions are like buttholes...everyone has one...LOL...just don't read the negative posts...
DVHP gives vacation time to part-time people. nm
x
I HAD A TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE THERE, AND I THINK PEOPLE DESERVE TO HEAR ABOUT IT...

IT WAS GREAT WHEN I FIRST STARTED, THAT MUCH I WILL ADMIT.  I WAS PLEASANTLY SUPRISED AT THEIR WILLINGNESS TO HELP, THEIR KINDNESS, AND THEIR AVAILABILITY TO THE MT'S.  BUT AS MANAGMENT CHANGED, SO DID ALL OF THE WONDERFUL THINGS THAT MADE DSG SO PERSONAL. 


I LEFT ON MY OWN TERMS.  I WAS NOT FIRED... I AM NOT A MAD IC OR EMPLOYEE THAT WAS TERMINATED.  I WAS SICK OF BEING TREATED LIKE CRAP ALL OF THE TIME.  AND I STILL TALK TO MANY FRIENDS THAT I HAVE MADE THERE AT DSG, AND THEY WILL ALL SAY THE SAME THING... DSG HAS BECOME A VERY IMPERSONABLE PLACE TO WORK, AND IS A PLACE WHERE YOU HAVE TO FIGHT FOR YOUR WORK.  WE WERE NEVER ENCOURAGED TO HELP EACH OTHER AND WERE OFTEN GREETED WITH RUDE COMMENTS FROM THE MANAGEMENT WHEN TRYING TO DO SO.  


I DO NOT HAVE TO KEEP QUIET ABOUT MY OPINION OF DSG OR THEIR UNPROFESSIONALISM.  IT IS A FREE COUNTRY.  


THANKS FOR YOUR BLESSINGS, THEY ARE NOT NEEDED.  I AM EXTREMELY HAPPY WHERE I AM NOW.  NO NEED TO FIGHT FOR WORK, AND MAKING MUCH MORE INCOME.  SO YOU CAN HAVE DSG... FOR ME IT WAS A STEPPING STONE ON THE WAY TO A REAL JOB... 


Agreed!!. They know exactly how they want those lines counted. That is why you hear people saying
that they averaged 200 lph at one company and switched and now get over 300 lph. It is all in how the counts are set up. Sounds like Transtech people are getting a bum deal. There has to be something to it because A LOT of people have complained. If it were randomly a person here or there I could understand but there are way too complaints not to be valid to some extent.
Awesome, it's so nice to hear from people who like their jobs and are positive.nm
xxx
Takes a lot of time to hear back
I was job hunting in July and had the same experience, no responses. It took weeks to start hearing back, then the responses started coming in. I even got some responses 2 or 3 months after applying. It just seems to take a long time right now. You have to be very patient.
What should be the turn around time to hear response after testing?
nm
I know that at one time a lot of people from MQ

They were raving about how good JLG was at the time.  Don't know about now.  There are a lot of posts on JLG if you will just do a search.


I think it is all nearly full-time people now..they may have (sm)
a few people working part-time but I'm not sure. 
In this day and time people are taking
pay cuts to keep their jobs, don't think now is the time to be asking for a raise. We are on a tier system, so there is no way we can get a raise. Other companies where I have worked have always had a cap and once you reached that there were no raises.
That is just silly. People discuss pay all the time.
x
KS people who work on accounts with lag time (sm)
I have been having the phone line go dead and sometimes I can call right back and get my report and sometimes I lose it.  I have had my cable people out here several days in a row, and they can find nothing wrong.  I was wondering if this happens to others - and maybe it is a problem with the hospital line we use - not actually the line in my home.  I appreciate any input.  (I am new on this account so do not have enough history to know.) 
People post that info all the time.
x
The reason PT people have a hard time/
is because the majority of PTers are very cavalier about schedules.  They log on or log off at will, despite the fact they agreed to work specific days and hours.  I'm sure you are very reliable, but even the company I work for will not hire PT anymore because they are either undependable or they work a month or two and quit.  That's a lot of energy the company has to put in for no payoff.
but it is a free country. People ask questions all the time that
are best answered by a representative of the company in question. 
I only worked there briefly, but great people, and pay always on time. sm

They do have a thing where you have to get a paper check for the first 90 days, then you can have direct deposit.   The account that I was on used ExText.


Hope this helps.  Good luck. 


Checks on time, 10 cents/line IC, nice people.

 .


Give it some time. I think some people aren't working today and the ice
s
Lots of people are happy with them, but you DO have to "clock out" every time you leave your
s
I have found this time of year to be extremely busy. People
are scheduling elective procedures while they have a long weekend off and don't have to worry about missing work, plus docs do their best to get  everyone home for Thanksgiving and I have DS galore.  I do think around Christmas it slows down, but I also think there are lots of MTs taking time off during this time frame so you would think the work would balance out - less work, but less MTs, so still a fair amount of work.

It has been slow for me since at least August, so it isn't just the holidays. 
I had a hard time making money. Nice people though! nm
nm
Decent company, good people, pay on time, work low sometimes. nm
x
As below, they do to full time people making 900 dollars per pay period. nm
nm
I worked there part-time briefly. People are very nice to deal with, sm
and pay was okay.  You had to wait 90 days to get direct deposit, and until then checks were mailed, which is a bit of pain, but they were always on time.  I didn't care that much for my account, but the leader was always quite helpful.  They must be a bit disorganized, though, as I still get messages from the help desk to help out, and I have been gone at least 3 months!  And the help desk is apparently in India, if that makes any difference to you. 
Great bunch of people to work with, pay on time, my only problem is that QA is paid by line instead
of by the hour and you must listen to all reports 100% instead of just jumping and filling in the QA markers.
Anyone that applied with Kathy Kirby hear anything yet? I am wondering how long it takes to hear a
response back
I said MAY NOT hear, didn't say you wouldn't hear. There is
a difference, and many people have said they knew they didn't do well on the tests, but still feel like they should have heard from companies and haven't. 
we CAN get a union
It takes hard work and yes, they will launch an all-out war against us *malcontents who probably are louse MTs anyway* but it has been done before against greater odds and CAN BE DONE AGAIN. It just takes a few people of like minds and determination.
Union for MTs
MTs may join the National Writers Union. This union could help us if more MTs would join. It is a good deal for ICs because one can get health insurance through it. http://www.nwu.org/

MT Union
MTs may join the National Writers Union http://www.nwu.org/nwu/.  I am a member and have spoken to them about MT.  They say they would very much like to help us, but very few MTs are members.  Membership has another benefit as well.  I have picked up various typing/editing jobs unrelated to MT from time to time.  They also offer medical benefits. 
union
I would support it.
i am in a union..sm
our union ratifies our contract every 3 yrs.
Union
Is there a court reporter's union? I think we might fit better there. One thing is obvious. We would need a central site to air our grievances and organize. I'm not sure if this forum is willing to allow that. This is something we should have been discussing years ago.
What is the name of your union?
I'm sure we would all like to know.
Where's the union?
I feel the same as anyone on the India thing, as I have QA'd their reports for a certain company and it was horrendously bad.

My question though is... everyone keeps complaining, but I have yet to see anyone form a union, to which I and I am sure many many others would join.

Where's the action behind the anger and the talk?
Union

I worked in a hospital where the transcriptionists were unionized, for some reason we were part of the United Steel Workers union (don't aske me what that has to do with healthcare).  It included all non-clinical employees of the hospital. 


I am in a union...sm
At a local hospital. Our Union ratifies our contract every 3 years. In fact, it renews again this month.
union
JustMe. Because this is an anonymous board, many of us MTs don't know if we are chatting with MTSO sup or managers.

If you can get ONE union rep with a legitimate web page, I think we'd all being willing to go their and sign up with a disposable email address.

At least, that is a start to us coming togeter. We can have state leaders and go from their with one union rep.

I look forward to hearing from you.
I'm in a union...sm
And we have the same problem of losing our positions to outsourcing--maybe not as quickly, but we are the last hospital in my state who have in-house remote employees who work at home. We slipped through last year, but it's a matter of time before they cut us.