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MTSO or just plain stupid

Posted By: mt on 2008-10-27
In Reply to: Well the IRS has nothing to do - with unemployment. That is a (sm)

The IRS has EVERYTHING to do with this.  IRS defines criteria for employee vs IC status, MTSOs laugh all the way to the bank at IRS and MT ICs because MTSOs have been on the non-legal side, pushing the limits, with little to no work force resistance.  Factor in the lack of employee benefits and although ICs may work as hard and put in as much hours as employees, ICs  make significantly less per unit than MT employeese.  Company owners have taken the risk that we are all just so grateful to have any income, that we won't fight IC vs employee status.  In fact, these company owners make millions of dollars annually filling employee jobs with IC employees without benefits, confident that no one will blow the whistle.


IRS laws clearly distinguish between independent contractor and employee status:
 
ICs:  Enter into a signed contractual agreement with Contracting Party, providing service of completing projects (work). 


-  Contracting Party CAN define begin/end deadlines, length of time IC service is required, basic guidelines, definitions of project and expected outcome.
-  If Contracting Party demands IC adhere to step-by-step instructions, supplies training, or insists IC work during specific hours of the day, specific days of the week, 30 or more hours per week, IC is an EMPLOYEE, entitled to all benefits afforded by definition, INCLUDING UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION.


ICs: ICs purchase, procure and use their own tools, equipment, software, lbooks and other learning materials and training programs to carry out contracted project. 


- If Contracting Party loans, sells, leases, provides or pays for arrangements for loan, sale, or lease of tools, equipment, software, reference materials or books necessary to the project IC is an EMPLOYEE entitled to all benefits afforded by definition, INCLUDING UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION.


ICs invoices Contracting Party for payment of services, arranging for CP financing, up front partial payment with final payment at completion of project, or payment submitted @10, @30, @60, day terms. 


- If a Contracting Party pays ICs on a regular biweekly or bimonthly  basis, through scheduled direct deposits, ICs most probably are employees robbed of the benefit of matching employer funds contributed their Social Security funds, as the law provides for Employees.  ICs (business owners and other self-employed) are solely responsible for payment of their individual quarterly state and fed tax installments, their own Social Security with no SS contribution by employer.


The IRS has EVERYTHING to do with this and by collective silence, MTs continue to allow MTSO's continue rob them.  After the lack of appreciation MTs have suffered, loss of jobs to VR, overseas, I think it's time to stand up and demand what is rightfully ours. As they've already dropped our wages to 0.06 - 0.08 cpl, and turned us against each other as we have to fight for our share of the work, we can only benefit from saying, Enough is enough.


(To poster:  You've been ill-advised.)




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Okays guys - ask a stupid question - get a stupid answer!!
nm
That is just plain sad
nm
A lot of them just plain don't know!
.
OSI plain and simple
Speech recognition, outsourcing, massive turnover, only the beginning. The only way to offset this was to offer more benefits but they also upped requirements to receive them. You can't make more lines if more and more companies are outsourced, and two new ones have been added to that, Mayo and Sarasota--Ochsner already was. They aren't being that generous with benefits in the long haul and as someone said the other day nobody will stick around long enough to actually receive the benefits.
It is just plain courtesy...
I'm well aware (as I'm sure most ICs are) that you don't need permission to take a few hours off or a day off but it is just common courtesy to request it off. I requested this Sunday off because I will be out of town for the day, I know my company cannot say no but I did commit to working Sun-Thurs and I can't change my Sunday plans so I have agreed to work extra this week and a few hours tomorrow morning. Again it is just common courtesy to pull your share and to try to be accomodating should you need time off.
Well that's just plain dishonest then.
I wonder if the MTstars quote was actually written by the the recruiter him/herself then.  I think I'll pass on this company then.
just plain dumb!
I have a couple of docs on my primary acct. who start every report with the patient's name and SS#. I can't believe an MD would be that clueless! There definitely should be some laws about those things!
And they do just plain nice things (sm)
like send restaurant gift cards when you've worked hard.  Nice to be given information, too.  The platform could be better, but the lines are really excellent.
If it's mainly plain films, go by page.
If the reports run the gamut of radiology, go by line. You could really jammed up doing long rad reports for a buck and change, especially with a lot of MRIs, CTs, PETs, nuke med, interventional rad, etc.

Good luck!
You're just plain nuts. nm
xx
And being rude is just plain rudenss. No need
for it, either. 
Well, plain and simple - they just don't care about the MT -

they want to make $$ - meet their turnaround times (for which they get paid more), take on clients, hire more MTs, perhaps lose clients, leave us all hanging with no work and as long as they can make a profit off of us, they could give a darn about all us lowly MTs.  Run out of work, too bad, and they don't need to give an explanation or they can just say they have new accounts coming and please be patient  and string us all along.  Plain and simple, they are in it for more profit, don't care about the MTs, kinda know we are all at their mercy cuz we have to have a job, but plain and simple just giving us all the runaround. 


Somebody prove me wrong - please. But unless you work for a company, can honestly say you never run out of work and never get bounced around on different accounts - spending YOUR  time logging in and out to scramble for work, please don't respond with how good your company is to you.  Yup, you guessed it, I am having a bad day, bad week, and bad past months working for MTSOs.  Unless you are making a decent wage, every hour of every shift - as management and owners are - you are being used and abused.  Feel more like I am on-call lately than an FT employee. 


this is a flame plain and simple. NM
NM
Wow, either your comment put her on a pedestal or you're just plain mean
I'm guessing that you're mean or bitter. I read her ad, and it makes sense. MTSOs don't have firm accounts, or maybe very few of them do, but they lose accounts all the time and get new ones all the time. Nothing is stable baby!
IN PLAIN LANGUAGE, IT'S KNOWN AS "LOSING FACE" fm
Don't see how an MTSO can inspire faith and loyalty in his/her employees by blowing sugar up their collective behinds 1 day & all the while sticking it to them.  Call me sweetie pie, sugar cakes all you want, but don't do it in the same breath as telling us we'd all have to joint a 50% salary cut club, telling us that the low work for MTs is because of the Huge responses we got for our VR takeover and that because these brand-new VR'rs are so very productive all of a sudden -- (Why not chuck the euphimisms and say straight out, There's no work because it's gone to VR - in addition, we had to overhire a bunch of newbies as prophylaxis to a lot of expected resignations - added benefit, we don't have to pay any more bonuses to keep work in TAT - but you guys (you really do rock!) did pester us about low/no work, but will just have to FLEX until November when the new accounts (Ugggh) show up...hope your landlord, grocer, hungry kids are as understanding as you are, sweetie, sugarplumb - You're all the best! 
You can have 2 sets of headings in ShortHand, ones that are bolded and others that are plain. I had
accounts like that also, one using bold headings and the other not. For the bold headings, I would put maybe an x or a number behind the shortcut, such as HPIx for bold and HPIxx for without bold, whatever suits your fancy.
And this is why every company overhires - MTs don't stick it out - the plain truth
nm
AMEN! All this stuff about being nice is just plain silly.
nm
Why personally attack this poster? That is just plain wrong.
Every post I read by her is good-natured. The only people taking things wrong are the ones listening to the green-eyed monster. IMHO.
Any companies offering just plain Word and upload to FTP?
nm
No pay. No work. Plain and simple. I have never heard of not paying before during training. You can
bet they are getting paid by their client on the job that YOU did. How cheap can you get. RED FLAG..RED FLAG.. run.. run fast.
Plain and simple, you have to be able to handle the difficult dictators in this profession if..
you want steady, appreciated work by a national company. There are so many hoppers out there who bounce from company to company, and then come here to complain about it. Trust me, we have all had our share of tough dictation over the years. When I started MT over 20 years ago, I cried daily trying to get through those many mumblers, ESLs, etc. to make mere pennies an hour. The experience and skills that I gained by hanging in there made me a successful Transcriptionist over the years. I started out in-house, and then obtained a few local accounts, and built from there. I ran a small MT service with several subcontractors helping me. I am now with a small national, the name of which I don't want to mention. I make a good line count of .11/65 characters with spaces and have absolutley no overhead. If you are an experienced and skilled transcriptionist, there are companies out there who will pay you what you are worth. Don't settle for less. However, if you are new and inexperienced in this profession, do not expect to make a good living until you have built the skills necessary to succeed. If all that was involved in MT was getting the easy dictators or accounts, it would not take much to be good in this profession. A company needs to see that you can tackle whatever comes your way. No one ever said it was going to be easy!
People do make mistakes sometimes. Maybe it was an oversight or plain ole mistake
on someone's part, an unintentional mistake. It is possible.
when docs give mtso a check, then mtso pays you?
nm
If someone is stupid enough
to apply for it, the company deserves someone who is that stupid! 
and it is stupid
/
well that's stupid
x
that is just STUPID, IMO...nm
xx
They Must think we are stupid...
Exactly!  That's what has me most PO'ed about all this.  All these vague statements and evasions are completely transparent, deeply discouraging and quite frankly insulting.  One of the reasons I've done this kind of work for 25+ years is that I prefer to turn out good work with a clear-cut, straightforward contract and otherwise be left alone to do my thing, without being subjected to a fat load of corporate double-speak and rah-rah.  I do this work because--at least until the past 5-10 years--I was able to earn a good living and have a lot of personal freedom without having to tolerate and endure such BS. My passions in life lie elsewhere; I do this work strictly for the money and the freedom to work hard with keen focus on a schedule that works for me (and varies from day to day), and otherwise be free to follow my passions as I see fit.  Those are the things that motivate me.  I'm very discouraged and disgusted to be ladled out such a bowl of beef stew.  They'd get a lot more respect from me if they'd just come out with some straight answers and give us credit for being the intelligent, seasoned professionals that we are.
How stupid can you be
Oh, KW can't really think for him or herself. In fact, s/he cannot really think at all, but only spout corporate lingo that is undoubtedly preprogrammed/brainwashed in. Pay him no mind. If s/he were any kind of corporate heavyweight, there would be other duties such as planning the next corporate takeover, etc. to attend to.
And how many new MTs will be stupid to start at 4 cpl?
x
Stupid question

What does "gross line" in terms of pay mean? Thank you.


This may sound stupid but..
when a company asks for basic 4 knowledge, what do they mean?
We're not as stupid as you think we are, BS
LOL
This might be a stupid question but..are
MDI-FL and MDI-MD the same company???? with one in Florida and one in Maryland. I went to the website someone put in an earlier post and the only location it gave was in Maryland.  Two different companies??  Thanks. 
Stupid question...
I have heard people say they have their own accounts instead of working for someone else.  My question is, at what point do you need to apply for a business license to run your own accounts?  How many clients do you need to consider what you're doing a small business?
Stupid move
Just because they are hiring does not always mean they currently have the work. I was with a company that was waiting for a certain type of transcription that I do. Even though the company did not yet have the transcription, they were advertising for MTs for that type of work. My sister said that do that so that they can be prepared. I am sure you made a smart move because more than likely they still wont have work to give their MTs.
Took The Stupid Test......

It was really strange...the test was multiple choice, however, they not only asked questions relating to terminology, meanings, what type of test would you use...., abbreviations and so on but they also asked questions pertaining to windows operations. 


I felt very, very confident after finishing the test - for Radiologoy you have to make a 90 or better.  I have been doing medical transcription for 10 years covering nearly every category including the Big 4.  I know Radiology - it's what I love to type.  Anyway, I just checked my email and they sent me an email saying that I only made an 88 on the test, not meeting their standards and could not be considered for employment.  I could take the test again in six months. 


I graduated from MT School with a 4.0 GPA (I didn't fail ANY tests, etc.).  I had to take every test imaginable in order to prove myself to my first employer in order to get my foot in the door and I've never had a QA score below 98%.  So, for them to tell me I only made an 88 is totally and completely blowing my mind.  I don't whether I'm mad at the company, very upset with myself or both right now, but I can say my brain is doing flip flops in my head trying to figure out what went wrong.


Okay, I'm done crying now. 


That's how stupid it is, but apparently it has been done. sm
So many people think that MT is easy and they can pick it up fast, but getting in the door is the tough part.

Years ago someone on one of these boards confessed to doing such a thing. I've heard other similar stories as well.

It IS sad. It brings us all down.



May sound really stupid, but...SM

When a company downloads their software into your own PC, if you quit, does the company remove the software or do you remove the software?  Some of these programs are so vast, they would take up tons of memory.  How easy would it be to get rid of it on your own?


Oh boy, I said it was stupid question. 


I have a stupid question too...sm

What are 1st, 2nd, 3rd shifts?  I mean, what hours do they generally consist of?  I've always worked on a 24-hour TAT basis or now even as an employee, my shift is between the hours of XX and XX, so have never worked on the basis of a certain set *shift*. 


Sorry for the dumb question, but when I see ads that say openings for 1st or 2nd or 3rd shift, I don't know what hours they mean.  Thanks for any answers!


I would rather be corrected than look too stupid. sm
Maybe that poster or emailer or whatever was trying to help the poster not look bad?

I am playing devil's advocate I guess.
Never mind, I am stupid. I have not got my W2.
Sorry!
Ya know, that is a really stupid question . . .
ESPECIALLY when it comes to MONEY AND BEING PAID ON TIME. If this has happened ONCE, do you think it's gonna happen again?? YOU BETCHA. DON'T MESS WITH MY PAYCHECK. I called accounting and they said to me, some companies work ahead, we work behind. OMIGOSH. What if the TRANSCRIPTIONISTS DID THAT? Where would we be? In a profession that is dependent on deadlines and TAT, why would we expect anything less on our pay? I know there can be a few disgruntled people just venting, and I take those objectively, but when it comes to NOT BEING PAID ON TIME, MAJOR RED FLAG FOR ME. When I see a post about companies either not paying or paying late, I don't give them a second thought to work for them. Seems to me you're just trying to start something here . . .
Are you totally stupid or what?
I have to tell you that people like you are my worst nightmare. I have a brilliant son that stutters and I pray that he has enough confidence in himself to go on and become a doctor. You should get your head out of your fanny! This doctor has probably had to deal with these types of issues his whole life and now he should have to hear an opinion from someone who probably did not go to college or did not finish college and thinks she is so superior because she is a stay-at-home medical transcriptionist? It was a totally inappropriate post and very disrepectful to the millons of people who battle stuttering. SHAME ON YOU!!!!
Very stupid and very annoying - ARE YOU FOR REAL - sm
It is Diskriter's equipment. What if you go onto a website that is not related to work, and it ends up infecting THEIR computer with a virus? Did you ever think of that?? Did you ever think about how long you would be out of work because of it? It's not that they are being nosy, it is more or less for your protection and their protection. What if your kids or partner get on the computer and play around and go onto sites that bring on a virus. How would you feel about not being able to work for a few days while the computer is being repaired?

There is nothing annoying or stupid about it. Just think about it!
No, it's not funny, it's stupid and childish.
Don't you all have anything else to do except come on here and bash each other and see who can come up with the more clever comments? I mean, this is really sad. We are supposed to be adults here. Don't you have something more constructive to do with your time, like, I don't know, WORK?
THer, this is a stupid question but
how exactly do you negogiate? I'm just curious as to how one goes about this, because I feel like I have to accept whatever they offer.

For example, if they offer you 8 cpl, do you just say I'm sorry, I can't work for that amount and see if they counteroffer? Or do you say something along the lines of I've had xx years of experience in acute care (or whatever) and I believe my skills are worth xx amount.

I guess I should just treat it like I was applying for any other job and say I need this amount??


If they were as stupid as they were with my taxes one year - sm
they looked under my DH's SS# for verification of my SE taxes. Did not look under my # for some reason, though a joint return. So if you file as a joint return and file with the forms they send you, in theory, your spouse will be the top dog on the return (that is male on top, LOL), therefore put under his SS#. If that is your situation, check into that possibility. They are too *tupid to figure it out them selves.
300 of us can't be wrong or stupid. Perhaps your experience at KS sm
was not the best but perhaps it was your fault too. The owner is not 666 as you put it. How absolutely horrible of you to say that about someone you do not know or even someone you do know.

Someone did something very wrong at Keystrokes? I don't think so. The person who did something very wrong was the person that started this bashing and those that continue to post for the pleasure of hurting someone.

They have a good reputation as witnessed both by their continued growth and the longevity of most of their MTs.

Quit your I think and normally. Those are suppositions and very hurtful and potentially harmful.

I pity anyone around such a negative, hateful person. If you are treated badly somewhere, you deserve it.

I am sick and tired of watching these posts the last few days. I love the company I work for and could not sick back quietly anymore.

If you have facts such as my check was x number of days late on x occasions (never in 3 years I have been at KS), I was not paid on x for $x, the company promised me vacation that was taken away or even I had 100% QA scores and 100% reliability and they let me go because of my race, anything definite, maybe just maybe you would be credible.

As it stands, you are a bitter, hateful person with too much time on your hands. Where do you work now? Or has no one hired you? Seems suspicious that you have not mentioned a good company to work for.

I am sure KS is just one in a long line of companies that people like you bashes just to bash. I hope you get yours for being so hateful.
Then spell stupid correctly.
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