A community of 30,000 US Transcriptionist serving Medical Transcription Industry

STRIKE!!!!! WE ALL NEED TO STRIKE - DJ

Posted: Nov 21, 2009

Go back to school - the economy is so rough on experienced MTs and we all need to band together and strike for three days just like people do with the gas prices. Let them see how really important we are instead of paying us wages like a beginner transcriptionist.

that probably wouldn't help our cause. - nm

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Strike A good Idea! - rdavis306

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A very good Idea! With what I am making now it is ridiculous. There are hard times out here and it seems that all the transcription companies are making slaves out of us all! They don't want to pay. There was a time when you could make a decent living, but now it might be better to go work at your local grocery store or wait tables, at least the tips would be more that what we are making today. Yes, there are some companies out there that pay, but the majority of them are getting rich off the sweat on our backs.

We all need to band together and make a stand. I am game for the strike thing. The voice recognition is their way of getting more work out of us for half the pay! They can't get along without us and it's time we make them see that is the case! Staying out for two or three days will make them think again! They cannot get anyone to do the work. They even need us to proof the work they send to India. They are making fools out of us all!

Are we just going to sit back and take it??

WAGES: - Max

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ANYONE MAKING EVEN MINIMUM WAGE?

I make well over minimum wage and always have.... - LovinMT

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I have not always stayed at the same company (I get out if times get bad) BUT I have always made $20 to $30 per hour consistently with at least 8 hours per day worked. It's just about finding the right match for you.

Same here - Still MTing

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I make about the same per hour, not anywhere close to minimun wage, and no way am I going to jeopardize my job by walking out even for 3 days. I have been an MT for many years and it is true the pay was a little better maybe 10 years ago considering the rising cost of living, but still I am able to make a decent living.

Well over mim. wage????? - sue

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I'd be better off now with making min. wages and doing landscaping and at least losing weight and I would not have to even SPEAK English!! I have worked in-house and all gone now. I made more on unemployment after the hospitals got rid of all of our departments. Feel like a prostitude?? Work for a service and the pimps get their fair share of your hard work. The only difference? The government also gets their fair share. We work for Cathy Lee, just in North America!!

YEAH, RIGHT. - nm

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Just My Opinion - MT struggling

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There are so many transcriptionists already looking for work that if the majortiy of us went on strike, there would be 10 more ready and able to take our places. Someone said they need us in the other posts. I say they need someone to cover a chair. They don't care who, why, or how good or bad they are, just crank out the reports and keep that dough coming in. No. I don't think an overall strike would work. We are not union employees, and if we did that, the ones that actually sriked would be out of a job entirely. Trust me on that one.

Again, just my opinion. They really do have us over a barrel and they are laughing at us, too. It hurts, yes, but if you need to work and you need the income, it's either find a different profession or suck it up.

Takes time to train new hires to the software and - the accounts, even experienced MTs. (sm)

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The OP wasn't talking about walking out for weeks or months, until some sort of concrete demand was met. She's talking about maybe 3 days max. Having even part of their workforce "off sick" for 3 days will give them a taste of how much we actually do, without the time to get anyone else up to speed on our accounts. Don't forget that usually, for every employee that works out, there are 4 or 5 that don't. That all takes time and money. Something they wouldn't have if we staged a "sick-out" for 3 days, with no advance notice. Good time to do it, too, as the swine flu is starting to pick up some serious steam.

Yes, they do have us over a barrel. But for 3 days, we could turn the tables on them for a change. 'Twould be entertaining.

Sure. That will work. - eyeroll

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There are thousands of unemployed MTs and newbies ready to fill the jobs vacated by any MTs who would go "on strike." Without the club of union rules to force all MTs to honor a "strike" whether they wanted to or not, all that a strike would accomplish would be to change the fingers on the keyboards. Employers would just hire replacements from a readily available pool of candidates or ship more work overseas. A strike would harm no one but the strikers because employers have other options. Even union strikers lose more in a strike than they might gain in concessions from their employers. In a free economy in a Western democracy, strikes do no one any good.

The so-called "gas strikes" were equally as pointless. Maybe some people don't buy gas for a certain number of days, but eventually they have to go to work or school or somewhere else they need to be, so even the "strikers" eventually have to buy gas. Businesses, governments, police and fire departments, shipping companies, bus companies, and a whole host of other entities cannot even consider not buying fuel. The only way it could possiby work is if everyone on the planet stopped buying gas indefinitely, and that is simply not going to happen. It's not the amount of gas sold that determines prices anyway. The idea of "gas strikes" was the brainchild of the clueless.

One thing about striking, see inside - L

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I think we would all be without a job to tell you the truth. President Regan (spelling?) years ago fired the air traffic controllers, remember it well. Those folks went from the huge bucks to having to get jobs at the corner 7-11. Those people went on strike and that is what happened.

Strike - gourdpainter

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My guess they would rejoice. They could replace the "strikers" and have an excuse for sending the work to BFE.

Works for me - tired

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First need to unionize or it won't work

I make more than minimum wage every day - Lynne

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I was complaining the other day about how the doctors are so horrible now and what we were allowed and not allowed to do, as in clean up their horrible English. Husband stated that unless we all stood up together could not get anything accomplished. I agree it is a mess and like he said, probably will only get worse.

Works for me, just give us a date. - Im sick of working so hard for so little.

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nm

Strike? The problem with that is - Still MTing

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there are so many MTs coming out of school that would gladly take our jobs, and I really need my job. Striking would not change anything, only lead to the unemployment line and loss of a good reference. Seen it happen in my own family with union jobs, no thanx.

striking won't work - Snow Bunny

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If anything, even more work will be sent overseas.

If you want to put a kabosh on things, I recommend two things:
1. Stop editing the reports.
2. Transcribe verbatim (even if it don't make no good sense at all).

Put yourself in the position of the hospital and doctors. If the above two situations were to occur at the same time, what do you think would happen?

Stop editing, type exactly what they say, gosh - most of us are going to be in the soup line

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I am one that would not go out on strike. I am satisfied with the money I make, satisfied with the hours I work, satisfied with the company I work for. Let others strike if they feel they have the need but for myself, not a problem here.

the soup line will be temporary - Snow Bunny

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because as soon as the hospitals and dictators have to deal with "the mess" for a long enough period of time, they'll be more open to discussion.

excuse me, but this does not make any sense!...sm - vrvr

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It is said that doctors do not even know or do not notice if their reports are transcribed straight or VR.
This would only accomplish that we type all straight and get paid as if doing VR.
?????
A strike is a bad idea.

it makes perfect sense - Snow Bunny

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And it doesn't matter if the doctor knows or notices if their reports are transcribed straight or VR. If they sign it, they have 100% liability, just as much as you do if you sign a contract without reading it. This E&O insurance is a crock, and anyone who agrees to get it is taking ownership of someone else's problem.

Strike? No. But stop editing and transcribe verbatim, watch how fast TPTB are willing to "talk turkey."

This is JMO. sm - Ella (retired)

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I agree with another poster, however--all a nationwide strike would accomplish would be even more work sent offshore, and a great many fresh graduates who are now desperately looking for jobs would suddenly have jobs, probably at much less (or "entry level") pay than experienced MTs get.

Meanwhile, there are many MTs who are the sole support of not only themselves, but of their children, and if married, even their husbands may be out of work in this economy. How many MTs could afford to go on strike even for a week or two? Just wondering.

Affording to go on strike? - ORMT

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I agree with you. It would certainly put me out in the street. My husband got laid off 10 months ago and still is not able to find work with pay even close to what he was bringing home before. We are now living paycheck to paycheck for the first time in our lives.

I am glad we are not union so I don't have to worry about being forced to go out on strike! There are plenty of people lined up to take the jobs of people who do strike and more power to them. I have worked hard to reach a very good line rate for this industry, have good accounts, perfect schedule, and very happy with the company I am with.

Strike, wanted to add to my previous post - ORMT

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For the people who are this unahappy with their jobs and the direction this industry is going, the reasonable thing would be to look for another career. This industry is not going to go backward, either adapt or move on. It seems there is plenty of energy here that could be better spent learning a new career that better suits one's needs.

I realize I am coming from a standpoint of being satisfied and happy with my MT career, and I suspect there are far more MTs happy with their career than this board might show, but if I were that unhappy with my job I would move on to something else, either another MT company or another career, a no-brainer. JMO

I never considered newbies snagging the jobs - Snow Bunny

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But definitely agree that it's a possibility. The impact it could have on more experienced MTs makes me think of what's happening in today's job market with college graduates competing with "old timers" for positions. Who deserves it more? (IMO, always the person with a family)

This Again, Good Grief - Knock yourself out!

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Oh, and let us know how much this accomplishes, how much better off you are, and how the company just begged you to come back with more money, better PTO, and benefits. But please don't come back on here whining about how you lost your job or your work is even lower because the company started offshoring more or overhired on your account.

Really, this idea gets very old. In the first place, you could not organize something like this and have enough MTs to participate to make a difference. There are over 100,000 MTs nationwide. There are probably more MTs happy in their jobs than not (even on these boards), but you only hear from the unhappy MTs here.

Personally, I make an average of $25 per hour and always have. Sure, there are slow times, but then there are times when workflow is so heavy we do OT. If you guys are unhappy in your jobs (income and workflow), why not look for something else? When I intereviewed with my company, I told the company how much work I HAD TO HAVE and what I expected. Your best bet is to look elsewhere and find a place where you will be happy. The MT pay is not going to go back to the days of old, never, so you may as well get used to that. And BTW, I don't think you will find even a dozen MTs to go along with the idea of striking so don't get excited when a couple of people on here say yes, they are unhappy also and think it is a good idea.

No, I would not risk my job for another miserable MT. For all I know, their problems are of their own making. Certainly if they were good, qualified, professional, reliable, and skilled MTs their time would be better spent on how to use that to their advantage seeking a position that requires those things, not threatening to withhold them from a company that obviously does not care.

newbies - gotta love 'em, and all that idealism...SM - anon

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Someone above said it, and I agree. The schools are cranking out so many it would take several, and then probaably another several, strikes in a row before they felt even a tingle.

This gets a little old. Will not work. - MTs will not be with you. NM

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