From worker.gov.
Since going public on September 30, no ASL Interpreters Union member has been retaliated against by Sorenson or ZP management. We have not seen either company hold captive audience meetings where employers inform employees of their stance on unionization. There have been no threats from management towards employees. There have been no disciplinary actions in response to the campaign.. ASL Interpreters Union members have been vocal and straightforward in public forums about the failings of both Sorenson and ZP management for interpreters as well as deaf consumers.
Since going public, we’ve:
- Met with senior staff of the FCC (including the legal advisor to the Chair) to discuss issues facing VRS interpreters and users.
- Met with Cassandra Robertson, Special Assistant to the President at the White House to discuss issues facing VRS interpreters and users.
- Met with Texas Congressman Greg Casar and his staff to discuss issues facing both VRS interpreters and deaf consumers—Congressman Casar is now working with us to turn up the heat on the FCC.
- Spoke to the Boards of CalPERS and CalSTRS, pension funds that indirectly back ZP and Sorenson—about our efforts to organize at ZP and Sorenson.
- Met with New York Comptroller Tom DiNapoli about our campaign, who wrote a letter to ZP’s private equity owners urging them to take action on our concerns.
- Expanded our support base with increased attendance at over a dozen public and organizing meetings. We are getting more photo quote shows of support by both interpreters and deaf allies by the day.. .
- Received additional coverage about our organizing in the news media.
- Won raises at Sorenson.
It has now been announced that ZP has been sold to Teleperformance, which has an international neutrality agreement with UNI Global Union, a global federation of labor unions. Conversations about this change of ownership are very early on but we expect them to be productive.
A testament to all the work we have done, Sorenson and ZP have remained functionally neutral in our organizing campaign. Because of this, ASL VRS interpreters have not had to deal with the routine violations of workers’ rights that often occur during union organizing campaigns.
Now is the time for VRS interpreters at Sorenson and ZP to join our efforts! Reach out to [email protected] for more information.