Court Interpreters Join Communications Workers of America

The San Francisco-based Bay Area Court Interpreters Association (BACI) this week voted to affiliate with the Newspaper Guild-Communications Workers of America, Northern California Media Workers Guild Local 39521. BACI will bring 200 foreign- and Sign-language interpreters into the TNG-CWA, making it one of the largest unionized interpreter groups in the country. The affiliation agreement was approved by over 90% of BACI's voting membership.

"Interpreters have realized that if we are to have any control over our profession, we must ally ourselves with the labor movement," said M. Paz Perry, Chair of BACI.

Interpreters in the California courts perform a constitutionally mandated service, providing interpretation in over 100 languages daily. In spite of the essential role played by interpreters, most of these language professionals are classified as independent contractors and therefore have few rights in the workplace. As a consequence, interpreters are generally
underpaid, an issue which last year pushed Bay Area interpreters to stage two walkouts which severely affected the courts in this multilingual region.

Court interpreters also work without benefits or job security, and are regularly subjected to conditions which undermine their ability to interpret accurately. BACI's affiliation with the TNG-CWA is aimed at addressing these issues which are common to countless workers currently
classified as independent contractors.

"Our affiliation with BACI is about being at the forefront of organizing the changing workforce," said Carl Hall, President of the NCMWG. "Our union's traditional concentration in communications and BACI's innovative approach to organizing will no doubt result in significant gains for interpreters and other workers classified as contractors."


###