A community of 30,000 US Transcriptionist serving Medical Transcription Industry
To all you NO UNIONS... - Get a grip
Posted: Sep 12, 2012
Collective bargaining is the ONLY power we as a group of MTs would ever have. We are an isolated group of mostly women and representation as a group with demands would be the only way this job would be a viable living wage.
And to the argument that only a certain percentage can be offshored..THAT would be one of the demands. along with:
Salary worth our expertise
Reasonable auditing and accuracy demands
On-line support for QA for difficult dictators and/or new hospitals.
Better PTO
NO TIME CLOCK
This profession is fast becoming obsolete..eventually they do not want even a poorly paid exploited Indian having to edit..they want the technology to simply go from dictation to report..and believe it will.
But until then..if there was even a small chance to unionize FOR COLLECTIVE BARGAINING we would be fools not to. Exactly how bad can it get? I make min wage..if they MModal closed up shop tomorrow because we as a bargaining unit forced them into it..guess what? I'd go work at McDonalds or Walmart BECAUSE I AM MAKING THAT NOW!!!!
As well unionization would clear out the riff raff of MTs who are not up to snuff becuase the advancement and improved morale would inspire those of us have the experience it takes to do this job.
I agree! I believe we only have 2 choices. - Union or
[ In Reply To ..]no job in the next year or two! After reading the article below, we will not have a job soon and that means for some of us, we will be out of a job before retirement by a couple of years.
Union would wake up this country and be all over the news how medical records are being done by another country.
Agree with both of you! - MModal Livestock
[ In Reply To ..]Even a mention of unionization gets me energized. Right now we have no power and no representation. A union can change that. As individuals they can pick us off one by one as they've been doing for a decade now. Let them take us on as a combined power bloc.
While there is a risk that the formation of a union would mean we would all be fired immediately, our jobs are disappearing regardless. This might be our last chance to stop the downward spiral.
Our biggest chance lies in the distinct possibility that MModal cannot afford to offshore every MT/ME/QA/MME job in such a short timeframe. I feel that this is likely the case, especially given that most of the company's assets are tied up in future technology development, deployment and maintenance. They've spent their future income before it's come in; hence the need for a parent company as opposed to unpredictable stockholders. Beyond that they are competing with Nuance and continuing to face new lawsuits annually.
It's time to take our back our livelihood!
I completely agree! ROCKS ARE BEING THROWN - AT U.S. CONSULATE IN INDIA.
[ In Reply To ..]WHAT THE HECK!!! AND I PRACTICALLY GAVE INDIA MY JOB??? THIS IS HOW THEY TREAT US???
it's just that - nomoreMT
[ In Reply To ..]it's about 25 years too late. should have been unionized before labor got sent to India. never gonna happen at this stage of the game. they'd rather lose you than use you (because they have another choice). sad but true. GET OUT NOW
I do think it's their goal to get rid of us - downtime
[ In Reply To ..]from reading their recent press releases, it looks like their goal is to move the whole operation to India. So much for the new COO who believes in "doing the right thing."
Please god let me find another job today.
Sadly..you may be right..should have unionized BEFORE - untapped resource of cheap labor in India was poun
[ In Reply To ..]x
Unions not that bad - anonymous
[ In Reply To ..]Hubby belongs to one. He makes 3 times what I do, has great insurance, benefits, and job security. He has a union rep to watch his back. I am thinking that wouldn't have been so bad, but I agree that it is too late for the transcription industry.
Norma Rae? I told you, girl, get offa that table. - nm
[ In Reply To ..]x
when you only have 1 line, use it over and over, - i guess
[ In Reply To ..]Getting old.
I get your pardon. This is slightly different than what was - used below. Funny is funny innumerable times. nm
[ In Reply To ..]s
Oops. Should be I BEG your pardon. (but you knew that ) - nm
[ In Reply To ..]s
THere you go again, being the dominator of - every post
[ In Reply To ..]Quit already.
Seeing posts you dont agree with? Dont read them. - nm
[ In Reply To ..]x
Because some may not agree with a poster, does not mean poster's - thought are not valid and should be cencored. nm
[ In Reply To ..]s
Testing your broom early for Halloween? - HadEnough
[ In Reply To ..]You made your point. What next?
FYI..I am NOT the same person who posted below. - it was a long thread and
[ In Reply To ..]I felt the message was important so I started a new one. BTW..enjoy the view with your head in the sand?? At least the other OP was trying to do something for the horrific way we have been treated. You want to live in JustifLand..go ahead..no judgement here sweet cheeks, but do not malign those who actually take the time and research collective bargaining to try to better their lot in life.
Heres a thinker... - sm
[ In Reply To ..]Its those same posters who brag about their wonderful MT life and call us whiners, who tell us to do something about our situation, but when we do (talk about unions and such), they complain about that. I think its the same suits posting telling us to leave so that they can hire more newbie MTs for 3 and 4 cpl.
I agree--Time to Stop Running and Retreating - HonkedOff
[ In Reply To ..]They already have us surrounded. We either fight our way out or die horribly at their hands. The first step is to organize.
No need to fight your way out. Just leave. Dont show up for - your shift. Give 2 weeks, but no need to fight. nm
[ In Reply To ..]x
You Do Too Have to Fight*--Otherwise, Nothing Will Change - HonkedOff
[ In Reply To ..]The next job you take, if it is with a medical transcription firm, will either be racing to lower their wages (or to offshore) in order to compete with MModal, or soon will be taken over by MModal. If it is in another industry, you will find that management has already embraced "profitability models" that pretty much resemble MModal's model. Why not? Who's going to stop them?
The only way resistance works is to actually resist. Form a vision, organize around that vision, make demands, and force consequences.
*Either figuratively or literally.
Totally agree - OldMT
[ In Reply To ..]It's time to do something. Wages are sooo bad. It's hard to believe that someone is willing to work for 6.8 cpl (as seen on another post). As long as MTs accept those wages, the more wages will go down. AHDI doesn't do anything for us. We need to do it for ourselves. I'm willing to help in any way I can!
Right on all counts! 100% agree with you that - we have to fight. - Meerkat
[ In Reply To ..]
How? - Anontoo
[ In Reply To ..]I was never really a fan of unions until recently, but as an MT and watching my wages plummet and my primary go to EPIC, I am changing my mind. How can we do this? Could we put together a Facebook private page? Ever since the topic of unions has started coming up, this board has been inundated with "suits" for lack of a better word, anti-MT types who are trying to demoralize and marginalize us, keeping us isolated and powerless. They hijack every thread with their sarcasm and insults, I guess we are threatening them and their precious profits by this talk of action. If we did not have power, they would not be here trying to demoralize us. There must be a way to take collective action. They are trying to thwart us here on this board, where else can we take this? JMHO.
One thing I am going to do on my weekend - HonkedOff
[ In Reply To ..]I am going to send an e-mail off to a reporter I read a lot, who covers union issues, and I am going to ask him, "If you were trying to organize a union in a virtual workplace, which union would you contact?" and see what his reply is. I was able to find an article on how to organize a union, but it only applied to traditional work situations. We are trying something totally new here.
My thoughts exactly. I'm trying to find info on that too. nm - MModal Livestock
[ In Reply To ..]nm
Reality check... - No to Unions
[ In Reply To ..]There is no bargaining power when the work can be sent offshore, and a union will only hasten more work going offshore and I would fight against a union.
I am not losing my job over a stupid union that, in my experience, does not serve the employees and only in it to make money off us. Unions are no longer what they used to be many years ago.
as if any of our current jobs were worth having. - (Which they are NOT, anymore).
[ In Reply To ..]nm
no kidding - not like we are assembly line workers or anything
[ In Reply To ..]building cars, or something worthwhile. We are creating a product no one sctually uses and no one really wants, when there are multiple ways to get the job done more cheaply. Don't organize - escape!
If you don't organize, there will be no escape - HonkedOff
[ In Reply To ..][eom]
unless you get out of the field - which I fully intend to do
[ In Reply To ..]the ship is sinking. Get a life boat while you can.
You have no idea how many times I have already done this. - HonkedOff
[ In Reply To ..]Abandoned a sinking ship, only to find that my new ship had sprung a leak soon after. I'm tired of paddling. I'm going after the worms who are causing the leaks.
Yes to Union or basically... No JOB. - Will be out of a job soon. NM
[ In Reply To ..]:(
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