**Members of the press are encouraged to attend**
Join Us
The ASL Interpreters Union-OPEIU is inviting allied organizations, labor unions, worker coalitions, Deaf community groups, students, elected officials and others to join this rare opportunity to hear from both VRS interpreters and Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing people who use VRS every day. Please gather with us outside the FCC at 8:45 a.m. ET on Wed., Feb. 26 and show support for interpreters and Deaf community members. We ask attendees to wear blue.
When
Wed., Feb. 26
9 a.m. ET
Where
In front of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
45 L St NE, Washington, DC 20554
RSVP: https://actionnetwork.org/events/asliu-press-conference?source=direct_link&
Background
The ASL Interpreters Union–OPEIU will hold a press conference in front of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) at 9 a.m. ET on Wed., Feb. 26 with Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX.). Video Relay Service (VRS) interpreters and VRS users will be sharing their experiences with Video Relay Service, an essential service regulated by the FCC and funded by American consumers of telecommunications products. Rep. Greg Casar sent a letter to the FCC urging the agency to act on its duty to regulate VRS. In response, Commissioner Gomez has agreed to attend a first of its kind public forum for VRS interpreters and Deaf users to share their stories directly with FCC officials.
As a publicly managed program funded by all Americans with a phone, the FCC must hold Sorenson and ZP accountable for service quality issues and interpreter burnout in VRS.
VRS interpreters and Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing VRS users have been speaking out about the poor working conditions, low pay and inadequate service quality for years. Issues have demonstrably worsened at the two largest VRS providers: ZP Better Together and Sorenson Communications. Both ZP Better Together and Sorenson Communications are majority owned by private equity firms, which has significantly contributed to the adoption of an unsustainable model that prioritizes profit over interpreters and the Deaf clients they serve. VRS interpreters have been organizing to win their union with the ASL Interpreters Union–OPEIU at both Sorenson and ZP Better Together. Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing VRS users are an integral part of this organizing effort to improve both services and working conditions.
Congressman Casar represents Texas’ 35th congressional district, which extends from San Antonio to Austin. ZP Better Together is headquartered in Austin, Texas, and a considerable number of VRS interpreters reside in Congressman Casar’s district.