I wish there was some short, witty, and obscure phrase I could use to summarize my thoughts on this, but this is an that is far too big ofr that.
Flyfishfemme, you ask if this is good news? Well for operators, yes this is good news. Honestly, I cannot speak for any operators other than myself, especially Sprint/CSD employees, since I work for a different company. There are many reasons why ROs want to, and very damn well should, organize. As part of remaining transparent, we're asked to remain passive and hold no opinions of judgments about calls, which is humanly impossible when it comes to knowingly aiding in something such as credit card fraud or a group of teenage kids gathered around the phone laughing at you making you say terrible things about yourself. Bascially we're expected to be less than human, and in many ways we're treated just that way. I've seen countless operators fired for things such as strict attendance standards, and suspicions of unethical behavior. I'm not saying organizing a labor union would be the asbolute solution. This would be nothing more than a little employee protection, and another interest to tug on the FCC's shoulder. Will it effect anything? Probably not. Relay is a high turnover job. Simple fact is there is no real such things as tenure. A union could definetely help change that, but to what extent?
Now, of course there is a general feeling of adversity between relay operators and management. As if we're natural enemies. A union would only make that feeling worse. I, personally, have what I feel is a good relationship with my superiors. I'm not saying I can't be touched when it comes to doing wrong (which there is none I have done that I know of, and I do consider myself an exemplary employee), but I do think a good, healthy relationship and trust with my supervisor will help me more than a union. Some operators actually blame management for the waves and waves "non-traditional" calls that we see. They don't seem to realize a union will not solve this problem. The only way this is going to stop is if the FCC makes changes, and the FCC takes into consideration a lot of what deaf interest groups have to say. I have a lot to say on this, too, but that is getting off topic.
flyfishfemme said:
Got the info from Deafweekly:
A labor union hopes to organize employees at CSD’s Sioux Falls, S.D. telephone relay service in an effort to stop those who abuse the system, reported the Argus Leader.
I've heard several rumors of all major relay provider employees, not just Sprint, attempting to organize a labor union.
At issue are scammers who place fraudulent calls and those who make pornographic calls. Federal law requires operators to relay calls word-for-word.
It's far more than just scam calls and prank calls. It's about the strict policies, the strict disciplinary action of those who defy the law, and the ungodly high turnover rate.
Rozanne DuBois, local president of the Communications Workers of America, said unionizing would allow workers to pressure the Federal Communications Commission into changing its rules and allowing operators to warn potential fraud victims and end phone sex calls.
Like I said, it would just mean another interest group to tug on the arm of the FCC. It's not as simple as most operators would like it to believe where the FCC can magically snap their fingers and the problem would go away, and everyone has a happy ending.
CSD spokesman Rick Norris said most fraud comes from Internet-based calls, with a majority originating in Africa. “We should not be blaming the deaf community,” he said, “or the people who provide the service.”
Just another occassion of no one willing to take the blame. Who goes get blamed? A lot of relay operators get blamed for doing their job. Is that fair to us?
Is that a good news, relay operators??
Good news for us, ROs? Possibly yes.
If this job has taught me anything, its humility. Its taught me to stop putting myself first. To forget what I know and serve someone other than myself. What I hate about that is, I don't get to choose who that is. It could be an actual deaf user who I genuinely want to help, or it could be some Nigerian with poor English skills and a fervor to exploit the deaf community, or some teenage asshole who heard about relay from Howard Stern.
