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MaineHealth medical interpreters and supporters rally amid contract negotiations

MaineHealth interpreters and their supporters rallied outside Maine Medical Center in Portland Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. The interpreters are negotiating their first contract with the health system after voting to organize last year.
Ari Snider
/
Maine Public
MaineHealth interpreters and their supporters rallied outside Maine Medical Center in Portland Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. The interpreters are negotiating their first contract with the health system after voting to organize last year.

Newly-unionized medical interpreters and dozens of supporters rallied outside Maine Medical Center in Portland today, calling on MaineHealth management to meet their demands for a proposed labor contract.

The interpreters, who work with non-English speaking patients, voted last year to unionize with the Maine Service Employees Association.

French and Lingala interpreter Alex Bukasa said wages are a key issue on the bargaining table. But he said he's also concerned about the health system's reliance on interpreters who are brought in over the phone.

"Sometimes with phone interpretation, there are some mistakes and some issues," he said. "But we are the in-person interpreters, and it's the most effective way of interpretation for the safety of our patient."

As an in-person interpreter, Bukasa said he often has to help bridge cultural, as well as linguistic, gaps.

In a statement, a spokesperson for MaineHealth said it is "confident the parties can reach a fair and responsible agreement."