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ASL INTERPRETERS UNION

23 Members of Congress Call on Teleperformance to Respect Labor Rights

OPEIU and CWA Applaud Call for FCC to Hold Teleperformance Accountable

 

Washington, DC — Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and 21 other members of Congress called on the Federal Communications Commission to closely scrutinize Teleperformance/ZP Better Together’s application for certification to provide Video Relay Service, an essential program that ensures Deaf, Deaf-Blind and Hard-of-Hearing people have equal access to telecommunications services. VRS is funded through the Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) Fund, which all Americans pay into through their phone bills.

“We’ve spent the last year organizing with our fellow interpreters to ensure VRS is the service that it needs to be, not a vehicle for corporate profits,” said Felix Reyes, a Teleperformance VRS interpreter from New York City. “The Deaf, Deaf-Blind and Hard-of-Hearing communities deserve interpreters who are adequately trained, have reasonable breaks and meaningful professional development opportunities, including from working with Deaf interpreters. We applaud Rep. Schakowsky and her colleagues for calling on the FCC to hold them accountable.”

In the letter, members of Congress pointed out Teleperformance could work to allay their concerns about the deterioration of service quality in VRS by implementing the labor rights accord that Teleperformance signed with UNI, a global federation of labor unions, in the United States. The labor rights accord has already been implemented in Poland, Colombia, Jamaica, El Salvador and Romania.

“We are organizing VRS interpreters at Teleperformance and Sorenson because workers need a voice on the job now more than ever — for themselves, and for the people they serve,” said Tyler Turner, president of the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU), AFL-CIO. “For too long, a profit over people model has wreaked havoc on VRS interpreters’ working conditions and the vital service they provide to millions of Deaf Americans every day. OPEIU will not stop fighting until these workers get the justice they deserve. The 90,000 members of our union thank these members of Congress for taking a courageous stand on behalf of our members and the Deaf, Deaf-Blind and Hard-of-Hearing communities.”

“Members of Congress have reason to be concerned about the impact of poor working conditions and low wages on the quality of Video Relay Service, especially in light of Teleperformance’s recent acquisition of ZP Better Together,” said Claude Cummings Jr., president of the Communications Workers of America. “VRS interpreters provide critical services to the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing community, and public funds should be used to invest in the workers who provide the service, not to boost corporate profits. By implementing the UNI workers’ rights framework, Teleperformance will gain valuable insight from front-line workers into how to retain workers and improve service.”

Last month, a separate letter by Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX) spurred FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez to agree to participate in upcoming town halls to hear from ASL interpreters and the people they serve — the first time an FCC commissioner has agreed to host public meetings on the subject. OPEIU’s ASL Interpreters United includes VRS interpreters working at both Sorenson and ZP Better Together. Sorenson is owned by private equity firms Ariel Investments and The Blackstone Group and ZP Better Together is owned by French telecommunications company Teleperformance.

ASL Interpreters UNION

About Us

ASL Interpreters Union is a group of ASL interpreters who are coming together to fight for justice on the job for everyone who works as an ASL interpreter for a major agency. We are organizing to build solidarity, support each other, and win justice for ourselves and the individuals we serve. ASL Interpreters Union is a project of the Office and Professional Employees International Union, with more than 90,000 members across the United States and Canada.

Interpreter signing at a laptop
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We are organizing to build solidarity, support each other, and win justice for ourselves and the individuals we serve.

Below: Deaf interpreter Dr. Shae O’Riordan shares the ASL Interpreters Union mission statement in American Sign Language.

Mission Statement

Our mission is to build an inclusive and strong union, by and for interpreters, that supports us in our work and improves the sustainability of our workplaces. This effort aims to bring humanity back into the essential services we provide and increase the longevity of careers in VRS, leading to further skill development and the retention of seasoned interpreters. Upon winning our union and beginning contract negotiations, we commit to bargaining for the common good: securing a collective bargaining agreement that benefits us as interpreters and the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community that we serve. We commit to having representation from Deaf users working closely with our bargaining team and will seek to bargain requirements in our contract mandating how companies can improve service quality.

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We need your feedback

ASL interpreters know what our community needs; the corporate managers running these companies do not. Our opinions need to be heard. That’s why we’re asking all interpreters to take this short survey to share their thoughts.

NOTE: Survey responses are confidential. Your names will not be shared.

ASL Interpreters Union

Your Rights on The Job:

1. You have the right to discuss your pay and benefits with other employees.

2. You have the right to discuss workers’ rights online.

3. You have the right to organize a union.

4. It is illegal for bosses to retaliate against you for exercising any of these rights.

5. It is illegal for bosses to bribe employees for opposing a union or organizing for rights on the job.