Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), along with 21 other members of Congress, have urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to scrutinize the application of Teleperformance/ZP Better Together for certification to provide Video Relay Service (VRS). This service ensures equal access to telecommunications for Deaf, Deaf-Blind, and Hard-of-Hearing individuals and is funded by the Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) Fund.
Felix Reyes, a VRS interpreter at Teleperformance, stated, “We’ve spent the last year organizing with our fellow interpreters to ensure VRS is the service that it needs to be, not a vehicle for corporate profits,” and emphasized the need for adequately trained interpreters with reasonable working conditions.
The congressional letter addressed concerns about Teleperformance’s service quality deterioration and suggested that implementing a labor rights accord with UNI could be a solution. This accord, already in place in multiple countries, aims to protect interpreters’ working conditions.
Tyler Turner, president of the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU), AFL-CIO, remarked, “We are organizing VRS interpreters at Teleperformance and Sorenson because workers need a voice… for themselves, and for the people they serve.” Turner expressed gratitude to the members of Congress for their support.
Concern over working conditions and wages impacting VRS quality was echoed by Claude Cummings Jr., president of the Communications Workers of America, who suggested that implementing UNI’s framework could improve service quality by leveraging worker insights.
In a related development, a letter from Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX) led FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez to agree to town halls with ASL interpreters, marking an unprecedented move by an FCC commissioner. OPEIU’s ASL Interpreters United includes interpreters at both Sorenson, owned by Ariel Investments and The Blackstone Group, and ZP Better Together, owned by Teleperformance.
