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Praying doesn't put food on the table.

Posted By: sm on 2005-10-03
In Reply to: Why is everyone so negative? - Positive thinker

I'm back in school getting the degree that will get me out of this crappy business.

Complaining doesn't change anything, but neither does putting your future in someone else's hands and "praying things just work out."

Gotta take the bull by the horns and take action or the world will run you over like a steamroller.


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Praying most certainly DOES put food on the table! I am extremely offended by your post.
t
Does credibility put food on our table, gas in our cars, and
clothes on our backs?

We must have been credible at some point in time. After all, we made good incomes because we were paid higher wages, we started MTSOs that were later bought out by the big boys with the big bucks, and we loved what we did and the product we produced. When did we lose credibility? Maybe when the big boys started offshoring? Do you think credibility will be brought back when the big boys bring our jobs back into our own country? Huh? Huh? Huh?
The company is not putting food on her table,
SHE is putting the food on the table?


The company is not putting food on her table,
SHE is putting the food on the table?


Have to agree ... keeping the lights turned on, food on the table, and sm
a roof over my head is pretty good motivation!  Plus, I do not want to exist.  I am single, but I want the same things my married friends have with 2 incomes.  Since I haven't found the seeds for my money tree yet, I work.  As I mentioned below, I have been an MT for 30+ years, but I have worked the last 10 years or so at home, and it is MUCH different than having to get dressed up and drive over town.  Working on a Saturday or evenings or anything is not so bad when you can sit wearing a t-shirt and shorts and have your doggie curled up under the desk. 
Transcender who doesn't want to go on food stamps
How is Spheris as an employer?  Are they hiring?  Are they fair?  Do they have benefits?  Can someone make a decent living there?  If their employees give them everything they've got, is Spheris loyal to them?  TIA.
If poisoned pet food and toys doesn't keep people (sm)
out of Wal-Mart (and it doesn't seem to, read the blog Behind the Counter), I can't see it stopping offshoring.

Not to excuse it, but I've watched the trend over the last decade, and I honestly think a lot of companies offshore only because of the bottom line; transcription is one area that hospitals are always trying to cut and the pressure to drop line rates is tremendous. I used to take several calls a month at the small MTSO where I used to work requesting us to drop our per line rate. It ranged from whining and pleading to outright threats of losing the account if we didn't comply. It was a constant aggravation and stress.

I think some companies dipped a toe into offshoring just to try to keep up and then it trapped them into continuing so as to meet expenses and the TAT. JMO on the mid-size MTSOs; not sure how it worked in the big ones.
Can type you under the table though.
nm
Well, I'd like to get paid under the table

and not report the income, so does that make it okay?  Because some people think it's okay?  It's illegal and they should be reported.  It is of no benefit to any MT to work a set schedule when you're an IC.  Period.


No need to turn the table to innocent MTs
You obviously weren't employed at OSi when the offshoring mess went down, causing the former QA manager to lose her job because she mistakenly let the cat out of the bag about the offshoring - which was a big secret until that happened. Then the current so-called manager threatened to quit and/or blackmail if she was not given the job promotion.

Pray tell me, what MTSO in their right mind would give a quality management position to a person who can't construct a sentence or even spell Douglasville, for goodness' sake? Not only that, but constantly harass the best MTs over insignificant crap until they leave? OSi, that's who.

OSi is a dirty company doing dirty business.

BTW, they have to train the newbies on the harder accounts because MT's with experience are so threatnening to the QA manager that she makes their lives so miserable they have to quit. Then she hires newbies to do QA to boot. What a scam, this OSi.
It is hard! They have been back to the table 3 times
where my husband is on strike and nothing still.  It is VERY hard, especially with children! I pray all works out perfect for your family and my family.  Hang in there
Food for thought. What if...SM
I think helping to clarify the pay rate in this scenario was important for others to understand. It does show that the company is willing to try and compensate fairly for this transition, or at least it appears that way on the surface. But, what if there's more to it than meets the eye. What I would like to see us do as a profession is look at the bigger picture. Where does this all end? I see the potiential for it to end in our eventual professional deaths.

What if, for example, a significant enough number of MTs start doing the VR editing and do realize a reasonable increase in their base pay for their efforts. What I see is that, for an extra $200 bucks a pay period, they're getting us to help put them in the driver's seat. Small price to pay to ensure one's ability to eventually be able to cut out the "middle man" and have the whole profit margin to yourself. And once their feet are firmly planted on our ground and we have no where else to turn and no leg to stand on, what do you see happening to that extra $200 bucks a pay period then? I see it potentially turning into a scenario of: "We'll pay you whatever we like, and if you don't like it, hit the door. There are plenty of other hungry ex-MTs out there who would welcome a chance to come back at these lower wages just to have a job." Not a pretty picture of our collective future, but it could be an accurate one if we don't stand up now while we still have some ability to make a difference. What if?

Really, are the long-term results worth the minimal short-term gains in pay? At this rate, they're not only getting us to help them kill us off, they seem to be getting us dirt cheap to boot. From their perspective, the idea is to give us a couple hundred extra bucks dangling out there like the proverbial carrot while we help them work out the kinks, and all the while were really just lambs being led to the slaughter.

What if the way this particular company seems to have just sprung this whole deal on everyone was a glimpse of the boldness and in-your-face attitude to come? What if?
Food to munch on

Thank you guys so much for all your input.  Yes, we do have the advantage of knowing our docs, etc.  We are now using tapes, so we are not familiar at all with the service's platform.  There were four of us in-house transcriptionists.  One has already been deleted due to not having DSL in her area.  One is doing the unemployment route and going back to school, as she said she did not feel secure with going with the service, and this would be a perfect opportunity for her to advance her education.  So, there are 2 of us left and we are undecided due to the issues discussed.  Our CMO, who is Indian, would just throw a fit if we do not go with the service.  He has refused over and over again through the years to outsource transcription.  He only wants us doing it.  My doctors have been told that we are going with the service, even though nothing is set in concrete.  The docs have only been okay with this transition knowing this.  If the two remaining transcriptionists do not get onboard with the service, I think my company will have mutiny on their hands - - IT WILL NOT BE A PRETTY PICTURE THAT IS FOR SURE. 


The MT who wrote the newspapers and such - - YOU ARE MY HERO!!!  Way to go. 


You get to a point where you are tired of being #%#@@#.  That's where I am.


 


 


I would take it. That would pay for food for the week
and maybe something better than the usual mac and cheese and hot dogs we have been eating. Uggg. I would perhaps even try to buy meat like chicken or steak for a change. LOL.
Why have cable and little food. You don't say
internet.  But like you said you get your priorities straight. 
Can you use a food pedal with on-line tests, or do
nm
Oh yeah! A food pedal would be great..just think..
Supper time would be so easy..just hit the left pedal for the microwave, the right for the fridge..just push that pedal to the medal and whip up some potato salad and green beans..
Does that $0.9/65 Independent Contractor job come with food stamps?/sm

Does that $0.9/65 Independent Contractor job come with food stamps?

































































INDEPENDANT CONTRACTOR


 


EXPENSES


$0.09/65


 


$0.11/65


lines/8 hr day/40 hr wk


1200


 


1200


$/day


 


$108.00


 


$132.00


$/wk


 


$540.00


 


$660.00


$/yr


 


$28,080.00


 


$34,320.00


Health Ins @ 60+


$12,000.00


$16,080.00


 


$22,320.00


2 wk off/pd vac/PDO


$1,080.00


$15,000.00


 


$21,240.00


op costs


$1,200.00


$13,800.00


 


$20,040.00


minus taxes


$2,760.00


$2,760.00


 


$4,008.00


 


$17,040.00


$11,040.00


NET


$16,032.00


 


Sadly, I make $300 too much to get Food Stamps
I was going to bite the bullet and get them. So obviously I'm overpaid. Time to switch companies.
There are, Food Shelf, Goodwill, Salvation Army. LOL! nm
.
If they invented a food pedal, we would never be allowed to take a lunch break, lol.

Transtech no work situation putting me in the Salvation Army food line?

This is utterly ridiculous -- NO WORK/LOW WORK.  It is not even the holidays yet.  D. giving the title of an email Census does not make that the reason for the low/no work situation at Transtech!  There are other reasons OTHER THAN CENSUS.  That is so sickening all the time.  The greatest need of us MT's is honesty from their employer --- from the very beginning of employment to the end!


Even a child could see through their excuses for NO WORK. 


Doesn't apply if your OSI account doesn't use Ichart.
It is the Ichart only for OSi where you are cheated.
TT doesn't pay for spaces or ExText doesn't
nm
That doesn't fly - KS doesn't offshore
nm
He doesn't trust VR, or doesn't trust his MT to train it correctly?
Or perhaps his MT(s) has/have been filling his head with horror stories about VR and how it is a lawsuit waiting to happen?

Personally, I don't see any reason an M.D. would not trust a VR program, unless he's seen the products of a report edited by a less than competent MT who didn't do their editing job appropriately.


okay, that doesn't really help. I really need to know
the major city that is near you, how far away it is, and also put the next major city to you. For instance, if you live in kissmee, florida, you would put Orlando about 30 minutes away and Tampa about 45 minutes to one hour away.
TH doesn't. nm
xxx
It doesn't mean anything now though.
I don't care if I got anything, but if it didn't come until all the posts about not getting even a card, it just doesn't mean anything.  
for CMT...CMT really doesn't mean....sm
a heck of a lot, as I know plenty of CMTs who make errors (just like any MT who sometimes does), errors like  typing Port-A-Cath as Porta-Cath.  For decades, *CMT* yielded NOTHING extra $$-wise.  Today that is changing a tad.
It doesn't get better than this! NM
.
And if you think she doesn't already know, I
p
It doesn't seem so to me. SM
I was told that my account would be 50-60% ESL, but I don't find them too difficult. As well, there are lots of normals to look back on for help if needed.
It doesn't take me any
extra time. I just write down the job numbers while they are downloading. If I was having to actually take time out of work, I don't know that I would do it!
It may well be, but it sure doesn't sit well.

Doesn't matter to me either way, I'm not staying. 


MQ doesn't either.
x
Maybe she doesn't have the exp in ...sm
the area they are advertising on the job boards. Maybe she doesn't have the years of exp they want. There could be many reasons why she hasn't obtained another job. Maybe she wanted to give this one a fair chance. Who knows?
doesn't have anything to do with that..
how many companies state a minimum and overhire so you end up not making your lines? It does not mean Synernet does not do the same thing. Have you worked for them? Do you know this for sure?
This doesn't add up...
I read the article.  It states, We have 1,000 domestic transcribers and 600 in India.  Now, why do they need 600 transcriptionists in India if only 15% of the work is being sent to India?  So, it takes 600 Indian MTs to complete 15% of Transcend's work and 1,000 American MTs to complete 85%.  Either the Indian MTs are very, very slow (and how is that cost effective and how does that affect turnaround time and quality) or they are sending more than 15% of the work to India.  Take your pick .
That says a lot about you then, doesn't it.
Why on earth would you find entertainment in MTs taking a pay cut to do VR and being low on work, etc. Sigh.
From the looks of that ad, it doesn't appear that
N/M
I believe and to anyone who doesn't sm

she tells the truth here.  It's so sad that they are doing this to us.  Those who stay will probably be people who are the 2nd income in the home, not the main breadwinner.


You mean she doesn't post her name (nm)
x
That doesn't mean it was sold...
there are many reasons why the accounts/offices are going through closure/moving.

If contracts are not renewed, then not only will the account be finished but if that is a significant percentage of work for that office MQ may choose to merge that office with another for cost savings.

All I know to believe is what they have told me.
Well that doesn't say much about the company
You've been there 4 months and have 5 accounts already?????  That tells people that they run out of work consistently otherwise you would be working on 1 account and have a backup, maybe 2.  I've been there years and didn't even get my secondary account for almost 6 months because the work was so heavy on my primary account.  Things have changed.  The turnaround is so great they have to continually overhire.  The only thing I have to say is think about why you were hired at 10 cpl.  You're training the VR that is going to be cutting that 10 cpl to 5.5 cpl. If you're happy earning 5.5 cpl doing FULL editing that's great.  Maybe you weren't there when the CEO was saying that the people who do really well on editing are not high producers in typing and vice versa.  Those who have a hard time doubling their lines in editing are the ones producing 350-400 lines an hour in typing. There's no way they can make 700 lines per hour doing FULL editing.  So if you're doing great in editing, you're not that great in typing...you're average.  If you're a high producer in typing, let's see how happy you'll be when making 5.5 cpl for producing the same amount of work.
This company doesn't try either
They have not responded to their employees directly ... instead they put their comments anonymously on this board.
Best pay, doesn't always mean the best company. sm
You could make $0.18 cpl doing ESLs all day long and run out of work. That being said, how much would you make really if you can't do ESLs or there is no work available.

Everyone is looking for something different in a company. My suggestion is to write down what it is you are looking for, line rate, steady work flow, schedule, pay periods, etc and seek it out.

Good luck to you.
Stop saying that just because someone doesn't
share your opinion they must not get the reports you do, must not get the dicators you do, must not be an MT, must not...must not...must not.

Some have a different aptitude for this work. Others have a different OUTLOOK on the work and on life.

You're not the only MT there. You're not the only one with your outlook. Just because someone works at MQ, however, does NOT mean that they MUST feel like you, get the same work you do, etc. I get difficult dictators and reports a LOT but I don't complain about it. It's part of the job.

I really hope you can find something you are comfortable and satisfied with. I wish you all the luck. Please work ardently at doing so.

Doesn't matter
They won't have the work anyway! They just want to keep EVERYBODY on standby constantly.
She doesn't. That is the beauty of it!
She is sick in the head and likes to pretend that she knows everything. That's what everyone on this board does.
It doesn't matter anyway
We don't have any work now, so no work later will be no surprise.  Have been working for 3 hours and have been able to "snag" only two reports.