Trans-Care is Unionizing!
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Better Pay
Our EMTs, Paramedics, and wheelchair van drivers are compensated at some of the lowest rates in the state compared to competitors at Seals, AMR, STAR, Heartland, and IEMS. We are seeking truly competitive pay that will retain current and incentivize new employees to join the Trans-Care team.
Medic pay starting at $37/hr
EMT pay starting at $26/hr
Wheelchair van driver pay at $20/hr
Better Benefits
Our current health care benefits hardly cover the medical services we ourselves are providing. Our 401k contributions do not truly prepare us for retirement. As it stands now, the average employee can NOT make a career at Trans-Care.
Transparent Administration
Despite recent, well-needed improvements to top-down communication, there is still much that can still be fixed. Changes to the corporate structure are happening all the time leading to confusion and anxieties about job security.
You're allowed to talk
The Ferrells are infamously anti-union. But our voices matter and deserve to be heard. Anticipate push-back from the corporate level but know your rights. MANAGEMENT CANNOT RETALIATE FOR UNION ACTIVITIES. They cannot threaten your job. They cannot play favorites when assigning trucks or runs. They cannot bar us from discussing these grievances with each other. If you've experienced anything that may constitute unlawful union-busting, contact unionizetranscare@gmail.com
What Exactly is a Union?
A union is an organization formed by workers who join together and use their strength to have a voice in the workplace. Through their union, workers have the ability to negotiate from a position of strength with employers over wages, benefits, job-training, and other work-related issues. Unions serve an important role making sure that management acts fairly and treats its workers with respect.
Unions are democratic organizations and its leaders are elcted by the membership.
Rejecting the Corporate Narrative
Management will say that pay raises "just aren't in the numbers right now." Where would the money come from? But we all know where the money is going. It's going to the Ferrells' yacht fund. Their quarter million dollar lifted trucks. Their multi-thousand dollar watch collection. The money is filling the Terre Haute garage with antique and collectible cars that sit idly. All while their employees share two bedroom apartments with five roommates.
We are asking for a fundamental re-balancing of the company's pay structure. One that allows for reasonable compensation for the employees that are actually out in the field doing the work that has made Trans-Care such an immensely profitable company.
There is no denying that the Ferrells have worked hard to build Trans-Care in to what it is now and that they deserve compensation for that. But perhaps one car is enough. Perhaps someone living 200 miles from the coast doesn't need a yacht. Its time to allow the rest of the employees an oppurtunity to thrive.
Other Concerns
Trans-Care currently lacks an incentive program for exceptional care. Nurses have DAISY Awards but no comparable system exists for us despite the extraordinary service we provide every day.
Overtime oppurtunities for our paramedics are severely lacking. Many of our medics who worked incredibly hard to get to where they are, still must take multiple jobs in order to sustain a modest income.
Trans-Care is no longer drawing the best workforce despite immense corporate growth. How could they with our compensation being what it is? Our quality is slipping, and so too our pride in our company.
Nepotism is baked in to the foundation of the company. Russell Ferrell will say he based hiring decisions off of who was "The best person for the job". That he does not play favorites if you are "family or friend". Yet his own son is currently running the company.
Continuing education oppurtunities give our staff the capacity to stay sharp. Many of our IFT crews are not exposed to emergent situations very frequently but are still expected to respond competently when such an situations happen. Expanded education will give us the tools we need to handle ourselves appropriately when out in the field.
As it stands, much of our equipment is in desperate need of refurbishment or replacement. Trucks that don't have air conditioning in 90 degree heat. Shock absorbers that are 200,000 miles past their prime. Capnography sensors that are unreliable. We don't even have thermometers on many trucks.
Join the Movement!
The best thing you can do is talk to your coworkers. Spread this page, respond with your own concerns. EMail unionizetranscare@gmail.com to confirm your involvement or express your dissent. When more than 50% of staff have reached out, we will have the oppurtunity to formally unionize through either IAEP or AFSCME.
Our Commitment to Honest Dialogue
We realize that what is being asked here is significant. In writing this, we're well aware that the majority of the staff here are not privvy to the financial minutae of the company at large. Trans-Care is a privately held company and does not need to disclose financial statements. The figures on this site are based on an understanding of average billing rates, industry standards, and personal observations made by staff.
We are open to dialogue and good-faith discussion. It is not our intent to harm Trans-Care. We want Trans-Care as a company, as well as it's employees to thrive. These ideas are not inherently oppositional to one another.