CFI :: Region 1 Strike Bulletin #15

(This message was first sent by email to some strikers. We thought it was worth printing for all to see. - Editor)

By Mary Lou Aranguren

I am writing to you now not as "the union rep" and not as a CFI rep. This message has not been vetted, edited or approved. This is just from me.

I started interpreting 16 years ago and worked as a freelancer with no increase in my pay for the first eight years. I worked in counties all over northern CA and the central valley. I worked in the private sector and in the courts. I came in as a new interpreter with great expectations and found that my "profession" was a mess.

I found that much like the people we interpret for, we were not respected or valued and that there was no opportunity for advancement. A lot has happened over the past nine years, since we had our walkouts to improve pay. And there has been much controversy. I would never claim that our efforts have be wholly successful or that we have not made mistakes. I respect my critics and the need to keep evolving and improving.

But the immediate question each interpreter has to answer for himself or herself is, where are we today- and what to we do now? We've been evolving and this strike is huge milestone in that evolution. This is bigger than any of us, and I am very moved that the vast majority of interpreters involved seem to understand that and are strong.

Independents, employees, opt outs, F status, A status, C status... scabs, strikers, picketers, non-picketers... hard workers, freeloaders, professionals, working class, mercenaries, do-gooders, friends, adversaries, competents, incompetents, private sector, public sector... Mexicans, Argentines, Panamanians, Cubans... registered, certified.... Spanish, Mandarin, Mandarin, Cantonese, Cambodian, Armenian (Eastern and Western), Russian, Farsi, Vietnamese, Romanian, Korean, Japanese, Sign Language... sell outs, malcontents, complainers, leaders, followers, individualists, cynics, idealists, spinners, posers, true believers, cogs, monkey wrenches....

How many different ways can we find to divide ourselves?

We are all interpreters and we have something in common: our profession. Whether it's an avocation, a job you love, or just the way you make a living, it is our shared profession.

We have achieved something remarkable over the past month. After years of changes and struggles where we've been in separate camps, where we've gotten lost in the polemic and been unable or unwilling to trust each other, where we've disagreed and had to choose, where we've given up ideals and accepted compromises-- after years of arguing, we have come- I hope not just briefly- to a place where we stand together.

I have watched this unprecedented unity in awe. It goes beyond what I thought was possible. It is palpable- because interpreters do understand that this is about establishing our future dynamic with the courts- and when I say "our" I mean all of us. And we feel the potential and the opportunity and the risk that staying united at such a difficult time represents.

Why has this been possible? Because regardless of our disagreements, we came to recognize that progress as a group, as a profession, and in our wages requires that we set aside our differences and deal with our common adversary: the Superior Courts of California which have consistently failed to appreciate our work and recognize our worth, historically, in any category and which have only conceded gains when we've forced the issue.

Our independent contractor colleagues deserve an incredible amount of credit because by and large they have respected the strike. This is something we asked of them but had no right to demand. And many of them have been very generous with their support, as difficult as that is financially and for some philosophically. We cannot control the actions of individuals, but there's no question that we should not flood the market with employees on the cheap during the strike, and we do not promote or condone that. This is about raising our value everywhere. But regardless of what we all think and say, there will inevitably be some flow in both directions; some contractors will work in the courts and some employees will work in the private sector. Beyond the strike (and there will be a beyond) independents will continue to have a place in the courts and F status employees will continue to work in the private sector, to some degree. That's how it should be.

The quickest way to stop the problem of too many interpreters in the private sector is to end the strike, and we all want the strike to end as soon as possible. And we know it it will happen soon- but we're not quite there yet. The more of you that have the courage to continue to stand united, the sooner it will end. This week is key- we can feel it- and we have good reason to say it.

There is no question in my mind, based on a multitude of signs and specific information, that the courts are reaching a crisis without us and that they need us and want us to come back. We have it on good authority, contrary to appearances, temporary coping mechanisms and what they say. They are at their breaking point and are holding on desperately hoping that we reach ours first. If enough of you return to work Monday—it will give them hope, and they will be able to hold out longer.

There are plenty of valid opinions to go around about timing, risk, what is feasible, whether we are worth more or less and whether the demands we are making are sound or reasonable. Our proposal would substantially raise wages now and over the next several years. Whatever the various perspectives on merit vs. seniority or on how we compare to other employees in the courts, our wage demands would raise the bar for all interpreters and our wage demands are well within the realm of what other employees with comparable jobs earn in the courts.

We have leverage on the basis of supply and demand. Colleges are not churning out certified interpreters as they are engineers, computer programmers and lawyers by the thousands. We work in a very specialized, unique and highly restricted labor market and our unity is powerful.

There is always room for doubt, and there are plenty of rumors and emails to start the ball rolling. It is tempting now to second guess what we're doing and to rationalize returning to work. My response to the debate is simply this: this strike has been so strong because, to the best of our ability, interpreters have been fully informed of the dynamics in bargaining and in the marketplace, and because we know the money is there and available to be applied to all our wages. The court's irrational refusal to substantially raise pay for employees and contractors or to recognize and address the shortage of interpreters statewide and in Los Angeles, has created a collective indignity that has united us.

There is also a valid, collective concern about how much longer this can go. Not all employees have been at our meetings, and most contractors have not participated in our meetings and discussions. I want to assure you, however, that CFI's leadership includes a large group of responsible, reasonable and capable thinkers who do discuss and debate the pros and cons and who are clear on this concept: we will not prolong this a day longer if we believe the battle is lost or that your sacrifice is not productive.

More than 90% of the interpreters are still out. Let's not unravel now. Let's not dive head first again into the polemic. We are here now and we have taken it this far (and again, by "we" I mean everyone who has respected the strike). We have taken on this challenge and many have sacrificed to get us this far. This is not the time to give up. We are out to win respect AND money. They are not the same but they often go together and in this case the money is the by product of respecting us enough to actually bargain with us. This will affect the baseline and overall compensation for all interpreters statewide. And the unity you've demonstrated thus far will carry us far into the future. If we win the strike—it will carry us even further.

I thank each and every one of you for sacrificing what you have and for respecting the strike. I sincerely hope you can hold on and we can stay united and win.

A Personal Message