Virtual forum for ASL Interpreters to share their experience of deteriorating working conditions in the VRS industry to follow April 30 at 8:30 pm ET

Register to attend Zoom events below

On April 22 at 8:30 pm ET, the ASL Interpreters Union–OPEIU (ASLIU) and U.S. Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX) will host a first-of-its-kind public forum for users of Video Relay Service (VRS), featuring Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner Anna M. Gomez. VRS users will share their experiences and concerns with VRS, an essential service regulated by the FCC and funded by American consumers of telecommunications products.

The VRS user forum will be followed by a forum for ASL Interpreters to share their experience of deteriorating working conditions in the VRS industry on April 30 at 8:30 pm ET. Members of the media are encouraged to attend both events:

Register here for April 22 VRS User Town Hall: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/MnaahlBaRhe_WIBKpLofsw#/registration

Register here for April 30 VRS Interpreter Town Hall: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/yY-g3uANTSOlFBC0Vl2elw#/registration

Shop with confidence - find your price range, check rates, and more. Active or retired members of participating unions and their eligible family members receive exclusive benefits after closing through the Union Plus® Mortgage program, with financing from Wells Fargo.

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In response to President Trump’s recent executive orders – including the gutting of collective bargaining rights for more than three-quarters of all federal workers – the AFL-CIO and many of its affiliate unions, including OPEIU, are mobilizing! This Saturday, April 5, union members will be participating in hundreds of Hands Off events throughout the country.

All OPEIU local unions are encouraged to participate in these grassroots events being held nationwide to stand up against the unprecedented billionaire-backed attacks working people are facing. We encourage you to share with your members information about a Hands Off event in your area.

CLICK HERE TO FIND AN APRIL 5 EVENT NEAR YOU

In solidarity,
Team OPEIU

Shop with confidence - find your price range, check rates, and more. Active or retired members of participating unions and their eligible family members receive exclusive benefits after closing through the Union Plus® Mortgage program, with financing from Wells Fargo.

Get Started

Disclaimer:
Union Plus® is a registered trademark of Union Privilege.

Wells Fargo Home Mortgage has a services agreement with Union Privilege in which Union Privilege receives a financial benefit for providing agreed-upon services. Wells Fargo Home Mortgage encourages you to shop around to ensure you receive the services and loan terms that fit your home financing needs.

Information is accurate as of the date provided and is subject to change without notice. Wells Fargo Home Mortgage is a division of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. © 2024 Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. NMLSR ID 399801

OPEIU President Tyler Turner issued the following statement on the Trump administration’s executive order eliminating collective bargaining and union rights from federal workers:

President Trump’s March 27 order to throw out collective bargaining requirements for more than 30 federal agencies, under the guise of “national security,” is an egregious attack on federal workers and the labor movement at large.

The order’s intent is obvious: silence workers, force obedience and strip federal unions of the resources needed to fight back against this illegal and unjust action.

OPEIU stands alongside our union siblings across the country in the fight against the Trump administration’s blatant attempts at union busting. We call on Congress to take the action necessary to stymie this unilateral undermining of workers’ rights in both the public and private sectors.

Washington, DC — Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and 21 other members of Congress called on the Federal Communications Commission to closely scrutinize Teleperformance/ZP Better Together’s application for certification to provide Video Relay Service, an essential program that ensures Deaf, Deaf-Blind and Hard-of-Hearing people have equal access to telecommunications services. VRS is funded through the Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) Fund, which all Americans pay into through their phone bills.

“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,” said Felix Reyes, a Teleperformance VRS interpreter from New York City. “The Deaf, Deaf-Blind and Hard-of-Hearing communities deserve interpreters who are adequately trained, have reasonable breaks and meaningful professional development opportunities, including from working with Deaf interpreters. We applaud Rep. Schakowsky and her colleagues for calling on the FCC to hold them accountable.”