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The American Sign Language (ASL) Interpreters Union (OPEIU) held a press conference on Wednesday, Feb. 26, in front of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) building in Washington D.C. They asked the FCC to protect worker conditions by regulating two Video Relay Service (VRS) companies.
ASL translators use VRS to provide visual translations for deaf and hard of hearing people in situations such as interpreting 911 calls.
Many interpreters employed at the VRS companies — Sorenson and ZP Better Together — said they have suffered from poor working conditions, low pay and inadequate service quality for years.
The two companies regulated by the FCC have been accused of harming the VRS service by focusing on profits instead of investing in their respective interpreter workforces.
There are five companies in the VRS market. Sorenson and ZP Better Together were the only companies accused of wrongdoing at the event.
VRS Interpreter Meg Huseman, whose husband and daughter are deaf, gave an example of the rapid turnaround required in her job.
“We might get a call from the bank as soon as we hang up,” she said “Five seconds later, we get a call to a mechanic shop, immediately followed by a parent teacher conference, and then a 911 call might pop up where we witness trauma. And when the call is over, we are expected to jump back in as business as usual without taking time to assess our own state of mind.”
She added that her daughter, who is fluent in ASL, struggles with VRS.
The union said its call for action to the FCC is crucial because of the recent proposed sale of ZP Better Together to the French firm, Teleperformance.
Interpreters and deaf community members raised concerns about the quality of service, including insufficient privacy in call centers, lack of emergency redundancy, poor-quality hardware, long wait times, and an insufficient use of deaf interpreters and team interpreting.
U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, who represents portions of San Antonio, sent a letter to the FCC that detailed these complaints.
“We never know when we're going to need someone else's help, and these services actually are a lifeline for people, deaf and hard of hearing or not,” he said at the rally. “I need my deaf and hard of hearing constituents and neighbors and family members to be able to call 911 and be well understood. We badly need that.”
Casar has called for the FCC to host two town hall meetings with the union to improve services and working conditions. “And that hearing is happening. We are going to have that public meeting which we have never had before,” said Casar at the conference.
In a statement on Monday, March 3, Wendy Adams, chief relationship officer at Sorenson, explained in response to the protesters' complaints and accusations that the company "is working to remain free of third-party representation. We believe this type of representation will not improve the direct relationship we now have with our Interpreters, which is something that we have cherished and nurtured for many years. At Sorenson, we have made significant investments in our Interpreters, not because of organizing efforts, but because we invest in our employees and recognize that Interpreters are critically important for the Deaf community we serve."
Adams also addressed what she said were inaccuracies in the press conference. In part, she said in her statement: "It is not true that Sorenson only allows five seconds between interpreting calls. Sorenson provides its VRS interpreters with paid 10-minute breaks for each hour of work, and a mandatory minimum of 15 seconds between each call."
She added that interpreters received eight pay raises in the last two years; the company has made significant investments in its interpreter wellness program for physical and mental health; the company has invested in its "Interpreter-specific EAP resources that includes vicarious trauma counseling resources;" the company offers professional development/training programs and tuition reimbursement programs; and the company holds monthly calls to listen to concerns from its interpreters.
ZP Better Together did not respond to TPR's request for comment.
