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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

Unions exist to make money for unions.

Posted By: I'll be honest on 2008-12-23
In Reply to: TIME TO BE HONEST WITH ONE ANOTHER; NO ONE ELSE WILL - UnionNOW

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.


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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 in Canada, MTs make $23 hour plus Yep
I communicate with an MT in Canada and that is what she relayed.
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).
I've been in unions and know what
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.
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.
Posts about unions - For All Posters and Readers

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. 


MTStars allows you to discuss your topics on the Company and Main boards but each poster must still be appropriate.  Posts with inappropriate information will be removed; posters who engage inappropriately may be banned.  There are no special circumstances either way for those discussing the union topics than any other topic on MTStars' boards. 


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I though unions not legal in some states (right-to-work states) nm
nm
A typo does not make it unprofessional. Perfect doesn't exist.

We all do our best, but typos will happen from time to time.   Won't matter tomorrow and certainly won't matter next year.


Amherst so we make less money and they get more money for MQ and bigger bonuses. Our guidelines came
from Amherst.
yep, gotta spend money to make money. NM
.
I doubt you will make enough money in 5 hours a week to make
nm
You won't be able to make any money there.
Especially if you have to enter ALL of the patient info.
MAKE MONEY ?
How on earth can anybody make a decent pay with this editing crap?? It is not user-friendly...it is slow and they pay is even more crapier !
Can you make any money?

Hi all,


Just wondering if if is possible to make much money doing transcription for these companies at home.  I just started with one and they are very nice, professional, etc. etc., however I feel I am moving along at quite a good pace and am just making a little over $10 an hour.  I was hoping for more like $25.  Is it possible anywhere?  Let me know what the average pay is?


I wish I would get more OPS, always make more money with them.
nm
I think MTs believe NO ONE should make money but them!
If no profit is to be made, no one will be in business - whether it is a small MTSO, an MT on her own, or a national. Heck, even a hospital will close if it isn't making profit!

Business is to make money. Competition is so high for companies/MTSOs. It's not the MTSOs fault, is it? No. They have a right to make a profit for their work.

I'm like you: I don't agree with everything going on in the profession but I am very happy with my work and always have been. I can accept the things that I cannot change. Otherwise, if I am unhappy, I move on. No sense sitting around being glib about something you have every opportunity to change.
Sometimes you make LESS money
Because of having rounded experience, you sometimes get all the crap/scrap work.

How do you make money like this?
Are most of the reports full listens? Does it balance out with lots of reports with only 1 or 2 blanks? I'm considering an offer and need to know if I can make any money with Focus on escription?
How do you make money on VR?
Please tell me how to make $50 an hour with Escription.  I need to be making more than 7cpl.  My husband can't work so I have to take care of my kids.  Please email me any info on how to make money on Escription.  Thanks so much
At TT, can I really make as much money with VR
nm
make more money at Wal-Mart
and they give you a piece of the company


lol
Etransplus--can you make money there
Does anyone know about etransplus.  Upon until now the feedback I have gotten has been pretty good looking through the posts.  I was really taken aback by the amount of styles they have.  Wow, what a change for me.  I know I can get used to it, but I know I'm going to probably take some time.  How do their line counts jive with a character count line?  I really liked the fact that they offered insurance for 900 lines a day.  That is great.  I hope I can bang out the lines!
At Spheris, if you want to make more money
you have to go to a higher level account, period.

That is the only fair way to do this, in my opinion.
so why not buy a few shares and make money off them anyway?
x
I make great money there
I do not do radiology, but ER and basic 4, and I make 10 cpl, have tons of work, and make a great living there. That is just my own experience. Others may have had different experiences there.
You can make a lot more money than that at home
NO MSG
MT's often make more money than managers too
.
hard to make money
One account has a rotten platform that doesn't work half the time and has a long record of miscounting lines.  Just about everything is 100% listen which makes it even harder to make money by the line.  Big turnover in account managers lately so expect to work for phone clerks and HR clerks who have been promoted to account manager (cheaper that way) and people who have no acute care experience whatsoever.  You've probably already been told there is no holiday pay, the vacation time sucks, and the insurance is horrible.  If you just need editing experience to move on, that that's the place.  
i make more money at home but
you must be disciplined to sit and not get distracted. There are a lot of distractions at home.. I do know I save a lot of money not using my car.
And that might just explain why MTs can't make any money. nm
x
I beg to differ, I make more money on VR sm
than regular transcription now.
Me too. You work, you make money. SM
You work well, you make more money. You work smart, you make more money. You work long, you make more money. You work hard, you make more money. The key word all else depends on isn't zone, it's work.
Gosh you can make a lot more money in QA
:)
Could you expand on that? Why can't you make any money with it?
x
make better money coding...sm
I do earn more money coding, mainly because it is hourly pay (so no fluctuations like you get with line counts) and the value of the benefits. I do think there are coding jobs which are much less stressful than where I work. Actually, I think most of them are. Our facility is huge, actually has it's own little city, with 3 hospitals, one with a level 1 trauma center which is shared with a children's hospital, 150-some clinics, an eye institute, and a cancer center plus is a teaching facility so we do the coding for the college facilities. Most coding jobs in my area (midwest) are working from home. Our benefits include health, dental, life, disability and vision insurance, FSA and HSA accounts, tuition reimbursement, AHIMA membership paid, 403B match, 4.6 hours of earned vacation and 1.8 hours of sick time per pay period (2 weeks) so they're pretty good. I do know coders in other facilities around here who do not have the same stressful conditions which we have and who love their jobs. Much of it is due to size and our remote management. I used to work at a smaller hospital and really liked coding there. I left when my daughter became ill and needed me home. I ended up at the facility I am with now because they were one of the few places who did have home coding available at the time that i started. Now I just think I am too darned old to start over someplace else and give up my seniority, vacation accrual, etc., so I will stick it out until I can retire. So it's my own fault I'm miserable 'cuz I don't make the change! If you go into coding, I hope you get to be one of the people who does love it and would venture a guess you would not find the stress level to be what ours is unless you work for one of the largest of facilities.
I couldn't make any money with them
for pretty much the same reason -- and I usually do pretty well with ESL dictators, but combined with the dictation quality it was rough. I think they started at 0.0875 per line, with maybe more per line depending on how many lines you produced. I don't remember for sure about that though.
Used to make good money
My income has dropped by $20,000 in the past 2 years working at Spheris, and from what I understand new hires get paid even less.
I asked for and make no money with the
rescue group. I do not file on any taxes, I did not incorporate it, my only thing is to be able to interact with the animals and rescue from otherwise the animals being put down. I did not go into for the money. If others make money off of it, that is up to them. I only finance.
I do VR and love it and yes you can make money but
you need a good platform to be able to do it. I work on Escription, possibly the best according to others who work on it also. I make 4 cents a line,the biggest percentage of my work day is VR but also have some straight thrown in. I do NOT use any keys to help me. I have done MTing now over 30+ years, no newbie here and fast speed of 120+. I usually average over $20 per hour. I am very familiar with my acct (same hospital job now for 19 years), hold my pedal down and fast forward as much as humanly possible and really like it much better than straight anymore. No secret on my end, just able to edit fast and yes, I do read each and every word and do not just let the work go through in order to make what I would consider decent money.
I never said I didn't make money being an MT. sm
I simply was exploring what would happen when a manager was informed they would take home half their pay in October. I don't know if I'll make money when my pay is cut. Will you when yours is cut?

Kudos for the rolling eyes, I wouldn't have thought of that.