After a series of complaints from Rev freelance workers, the transcription company updates its Terms and Service. Workers said they were assigned to transcribe videos depicting abuse and violence without prior warnings.
A transcriber said both corporate law meetings and dangerous police recordings are both under the “legal” category.
Workers brought up the issue right after the company cut their minimum pay from ¢45/minute transcribes to ¢30. In response, Rev said they were increasing the wage for whoever will handle more “difficult” files.
Most Revvers are in the service are caring for elderly parents or multiple sclerosis with a growing need for cash.
However, more than a dozen anonymous transcribers say the recent pay cut makes it hard to stay in the platform.
While most days were mostly filled with basic stuff, like meetings and presentations, even podcasts. But sometimes, they would stumble on disturbing, overwhelming content without the expertise to handle them.
Recordings are often unclear of its content with only its title and submitter on the list. Many don’t even label them right or at all, leaving the workers in the dark.
Some Revvers will take their time to listen and label the recordings accordingly if it becomes too explicit.
The transcription website claims the website doesn’t allow offensive content and “doesn’t require anyone to work on specific projects.” Evidence suggests otherwise.
Rev freelance workers complained about transcribing graphic surgery videos, domestic violence, porn, and 911 calls within the past month.
At times, the Rev freelance transcribers would be halfway into the videos when the contents shift to something darker. Some would stop working after one video a day because of it.
Stopping a job after the grace period would receive lower scores in evaluations and lose their corresponding rate.
In an anonymous letter, one of the workers said at least half of the videos in their queues don’t have subjects assigned.
Despite its flaws and dangerous regulations, some Revvers claim they don’t want to halt the websites’ operations. One claimed they only want to “thrive along with them.”
Rev Wages, a Summary
With the flat rate of $1/minute, the transcription service serves prominent names like Amazon and Microsoft. Rev freelance workers can set their own hours from home and get paid every week.
Algorithms variably set the pay rate to each rate transcription. Workers choose which videos to transcribe with a one-hour grace period when they can withdraw from transcribing without penalty.
Many Revvers were able to meet their state’s minimum wages, but the new payment structure makes this close to impossible.
Despite any circumstance, slower and less experienced typists learn much less than skilled transcribers at US$15+/hr. Said better typists need to be good at language skills like grammar and accuracy.
Making ¢ one as an independent contractor is legal, meaning no employment and labor law protections apply to them. This is similar to the notion of allowing minors, especially those under 16, to work 40 hours a week.
Nevertheless, Rev freelance transcribers now have to be over 18 to work on their website. Reports claim this doesn’t fix any of the indicated problems, especially with the company renaming its independent contractors, Revvers.
Prior to their announcement on November 26, the American transcription service website had no age requirement for the job.
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