100 signatures reached
To: Governor Jay Inslee and the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries.
Restore Timely Payments For Medical Interpreters in Washington State!!!
As Language Access Providers, we are medical interpreters/independent contractors who provide interpretation services for Injured workers who are Limited English Proficient (LEP), which includes a large portion of Washington State's Hispanic population. Still, we haven't been compensated for our services since June 17th, earlier this year, when the Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) arbitrarily decided not to renew interpretingWorks's contract, which was the company responsible for paying and distributing work appointments for interpreters.
L&I promised a smooth transition to the new company (SOSi) months before June 17th, yet we have been working for free since then. Because of this situation, we can't pay our bills, rent, and mortgages. As a result, many longtime language access providers have fallen into debt and have decided to look for another job, adding to the shortage of interpreters in our state. This will leave hundreds of Limited English-proficient-injured workers without critical interpretation services for their medical, rehab, and psychological appointments.
Medical interpreters are essential for our community. Injured workers and patients depend on high-quality interpretation services to understand and communicate with healthcare professionals and make the right decisions about their medical care based on correct diagnosis and treatment.
All these concerns have fallen on deaf ears, and it's time that the Department of Labor and Industries fixes this situation, affecting thousands of families and minorities in our state. We demand that L&I terminate SOSi's contract and bring back interpretingWorks, renewing their contract effective immediately, to ensure timely payments to Language Access Providers and preserve critical interpretation services for our injured workers in need.
Juan Bloise
WA INTERPRETERS
L&I promised a smooth transition to the new company (SOSi) months before June 17th, yet we have been working for free since then. Because of this situation, we can't pay our bills, rent, and mortgages. As a result, many longtime language access providers have fallen into debt and have decided to look for another job, adding to the shortage of interpreters in our state. This will leave hundreds of Limited English-proficient-injured workers without critical interpretation services for their medical, rehab, and psychological appointments.
Medical interpreters are essential for our community. Injured workers and patients depend on high-quality interpretation services to understand and communicate with healthcare professionals and make the right decisions about their medical care based on correct diagnosis and treatment.
All these concerns have fallen on deaf ears, and it's time that the Department of Labor and Industries fixes this situation, affecting thousands of families and minorities in our state. We demand that L&I terminate SOSi's contract and bring back interpretingWorks, renewing their contract effective immediately, to ensure timely payments to Language Access Providers and preserve critical interpretation services for our injured workers in need.
Juan Bloise
WA INTERPRETERS
Why is this important?
Please help us by signing this petition on behalf of Language Access Providers so that we can continue providing caring, professional interpretation services to those who need it most.