Freelance court interpreters consider unionizing
Ottawa-area freelance court interpreters, who provide an essential service in court cases involving non-English-speaking individuals, are continuing a work stoppage that began in February and are considering joining a union, according to this story from the Lawyers Weekly.
Those involved in the group action, with the backing of the Court Interpreters Association of Ontario, are now in dicussions with CWA Canada.
““We feel that our organization and our ability to create a strong voice speaking in one direction will be able to possibly generate some changes in their working conditions,” said David Bosveld, an organizing director with CWA Canada. While a traditional union model will not work for the interpreters, Bosveld said a similar model that CWA has used with CBC freelance writers could be applied. CWA could also offer training to improve the standards of the field, something that would benefit the court system too.
