Our Stories

Things need to change.  I want a union because I want to be proud of what I do, not ashamed of where I work. The exploitation of the employee as cheap labor must end!  We need to regain the power to shape the workplace we want to work in with pride.

We give people a voice- they cannot communicate without us. And I truly believe we need a voice in our union to be heard by management.

As an interpreter at LanguageLine Solutions, one of the things I love most about my job is being able to help people—especially the elderly—overcome language barriers and get their messages across clearly and respectfully. There’s something incredibly meaningful about being the voice that connects someone to critical services, medical care, or simply a sense of understanding and dignity.

But while we dedicate ourselves to supporting others, I believe it’s just as important that we, the interpreters, also have a voice. That’s why I support forming a union.

A union would give us the platform we need to advocate for fair treatment, better communication with management, and a say in the decisions that affect our daily work. It’s not about conflict—it’s about collaboration, respect, and ensuring that the people who carry out the mission of this company are heard and valued.
We deserve to feel secure, supported, and respected in the important work we do every day.
 

Interpreters are human beings, We have physical and emotional needs that companies would rather overlook in the name of profits. Their profits are soaring while we are shriveling away, hurting financially, socially, and emotionally. We are the ones that know the language and we’re the ones serving the community, and the company just keeps running us ragged and making extreme profits off of our knowledge. 

"It’s incredibly frustrating to have my work hours reduced by the company, especially when that decision directly impacts my financial stability. What adds to the frustration is that despite these cuts, the company often does not approve requests for paid time off. It feels like a lose-lose situation — I’m not getting the hours I need, and I’m also not allowed to use the time I’ve rightfully earned. It’s hard to feel valued or supported under these circumstances."

I have been working for LanguageLine Solutions for over a year. It has been relatively smooth sailing, but, with time, I started noticing and experiencing certain issues. 

First, the reduction of hours. It affected me personally. For the past 3 months I have been consistently getting scheduled for 1 unpaid day off per week due to overstaffing and low call volume. So far, I have missed 12 days (72 hours) of paid work and, to me, it's a significant amount of money. Unfortunately, the company hasn't provided us, interpreters, with a clear statement on the reasons that led to low call volume in the first place and the actions taken to prevent the issue from getting worse. Instead, we have been fed a generic response that thanks us for understanding and being flexible.

Second, the inability to change our schedule more than once a year (even if the initial attempt is unsuccessful) and the inability to switch between levels of interpretation and audio/video formats. I personally think it is inconsiderate to expect interpreters to adhere to a set schedule for a year when the economical situation in the country is changing on a daily basis. Interpreters obviously have to adjust by either increasing the amount of working hours or picking up a second (or third) job. The policy leaves no room for the interpreters to work around their issues forcing us to either quit or hope for the best.

Third, the lack of support and direct communication. When an issue is brought up, we typically receive a generic response instead of a clear answer. In some cases, the generic responses are not acceptable as they do not shed even a ray of light on the issue. People have expressed their frustration multiple times on Chatter and nothing has been done to fix it.

Overall, the three issues I mentioned above are only the tip of the iceberg and other issues that need to be addressed as well. I hope this union will be able to represent us, the interpreters, and leverage and negotiate on our behalf."

Hoping that the union will be the foundation to secure our jobs. A voice to be heard so LLS will honor us and treat us with respect that we’re also human beings with needs and obligations to care for our loved ones.

I support an interpreter union. 

We interpreters are the voice for those who can’t speak English fluently, connecting them to healthcare, justice, and opportunity. Yet we lack fair pay, stable hours, quality healthcare and other benefits. Without a union, we remain invisible and powerless. It’s time we stand together and demand what we deserve. The time to unionize is now.

I love the fact that my job helps people get the essential services they need and deserve. But I wish that with my job I will be able to earn access to those essential services, too. We know how much the company is being paid for the service we provide, and we know how much we’re being paid for providing it. We can see the difference between the two. 

The reason why I want to join a union is to give employees a voice. This way current and future employees don’t feel hopeless when trying to communicate with the company.

I started this fascinating work because I had a real passion for helping my Polish community, but after 8 years of feeling overworked, undervalued, underpaid, and unheard, I’m afraid this passion has been lost. I believe that through union, with my fellow interpreters, we can make our voices heard, improve our working conditions, and find a renewed passion for this essential, and often life-saving work. 

Together, we’re stronger. 

What I love the most about interpreting is the service we provide our communities and how we help get rid of language barriers. But it is growing extremely difficult to remain passionate about my profession when there are so many things in our workplace contributing to burnout. Abysmal pay, subpar healthcare benefits, and lack of paid time off are just some of the things that contribute to burnout and high turnover rates. Interpreters process an incredibly high amount of information every single day, at levels that deserve to be properly compensated and respected. I truly believe a union will help us achieve the fairness we deserve. 

I support the interpreters Union because we give voice to others every day, and the union will give us a voice of our own. We know the value of our voices and it's time to use them to advocate for ourselves.