The ASLIU has been collecting this survey data over the past few months. We are still soliciting responses; this is a work in progress. Overall, our preliminary results show that a small proportion of current FCC reimbursements are going to interpreter wages and benefits. We still do not have DIs on the phones. More interpreters filling out and sharing this survey will allow us to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the compensation in VRS. The results show that there are very uneven approaches to pay based on certification and years of experience, and that ZP’s VIA program has very low wages that are incommensurate with the $244+ per hour received from the Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) Fund. Very few interpreters are eligible for benefits, so the hourly rates include necessary expenses for health care and retirement. Teleperformance CEO Daniel Julien made $9.7 million in 2024 and holds $60 million worth of Teleperformance shares. While there is no data on Sorenson executive compensation, or for their primary parent company Ariel, Sorenson’s minority investor Blackstone (owning 27 percent of the firm) is headed by Stephen Schwarzman, who earned over $1 billion in 2024 and has a net worth of $43 billion.
The ASL Interpreters Union – OPEIU is organizing to make sure that there is a fair and consistent wage scale where everyone is compensated based on their years of experience and that people receive appropriate bumps for certification and for being a CODA to ensure that we have a highly qualified VRS workforce. We are coming together because we recognize that there needs to be more Deaf inclusion in VRS, including Deaf interpreters on the phones.
| FCC VRS Rate Increase in January 2024 | Amount Projected for VRS Interpreter Wage Increases from 2021 to 2026 by the FCC | Average Actual Wage Increases For Interpreters from 2023 to 2024 |
| 30-49% | 65% | ~9% at ZP/Teleperformance (n=92)~7.4% at Sorenson (n=62) |
| Current FCC Reimbursement Rates | Current Average Interpreter Wages |
| $6.51 per minute ($390.60 per hour) for the first 1 million minutes$4.07 per minute ($244.20 per hour) for every minute thereafter | $37.88 per hour (ZP/Teleperformance) (n=102) $44.19 per hour (Sorenson) (n=68) |
Spotlight on VIA (Apprentice interpreter) Compensation at ZP/Teleperformance:
Average pay of around ~$20/hour.
Median Wage for RID Certified Interpreters at ZP: $44.51/hour (n=35)
Median Wage for RID Certified Interpreters at Sorenson: $46.35 per hour (n=38)
There are non-CODA, non-certified VRS interpreters at ZP with under 3 years of experience making as much as $50 per hour, while there are certified interpreters with over 5 years of experience also working at ZP making as little as $37 per hour, indicating wide wage disparities.
At Sorenson, the disparities are not as profound as at ZP but still significant. There are non-certified, non-CODA interpreters with 15-20 years of experience making $49 per hour, while there are also certified, CODA interpreters with 15-20 years experience making $38/hour.
The FCC has stated that if VRS providers do not raise their wages by 65 percent by 2026, that they will consider slowing or reversing rate increases, stating that “to the extent that CA wages are not increased consistently with the above estimate, the Commission may also consider and make appropriate adjustments in light of such evidence.”