200 Court Interpreters Hold Protest

The time for talk, in any language, was over for nearly 200 Los Angeles County court interpreters who walked off the job Monday for the first time ever.

Carrying signs and shouting rhyming slogans through microphones and bullhorns at the Criminal Courts Building downtown, the interpreters, who earn $210 a day, demanded a $50-a-day increase and better job protection.

Judges were forced to postpone some hearings requiring interpreters, said Jerriane Hayslett, a spokeswoman for Los Angeles County Superior Court, which coordinates interpreters for local courts.

Still, most trials and other court proceedings were unaffected because about 400 interpreters stayed on the job, Hayslett said.

On the picket line, interpreters proclaimed that the point of their one-day walkout was made.

“This is history,” said Uri Yaval, president of the California Federation of Interpreters, which staged the walkout, during which some attorneys, clerks and sheriff’s deputies expressed support on their way into court.

“The interpreters in Los Angeles used to be a very splintered group,” he said. “You tell me if they’re splintered now. We’re fed up with this situation. We had to either leave the profession or stand up for our rights.”

The interpreters, who together speak 80 of about 200 languages spoken in Los Angeles--including Spanish, Cantonese, Laotian, Ilacano and Hebrew--haven’t seen a raise in nearly seven years. They don’t get health, disability or dental insurance.

Last year, the interpreters stepped up negotiations with the Judicial Council of California, a public agency that allocates funds for the state’s 1,100 certified interpreters. They are seeking to receive the federal pay standard of $250.

Lynn Holton, a spokeswoman for the council, said the group supports the pay increase, but the state Assembly must approve any proposal to raise interpreters’ salaries.

Holton said two proposals are before an Assembly budget subcommittee.

One proposal would increase pay by about $10 a week, a sum that the interpreters say is unacceptable.

A second proposal would almost guarantee a $30-per-week increase for the interpreters, Holton said.

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Los Angeles interpreters earn a minimum of $180 per day, even if they don’t work a full day, Holton said. She said pay in Los Angeles is higher than for other state interpreters.

The job is crucial for attorneys, judges and juries who struggle to understand non-English-speaking victims, defendants and witnesses.

Interpreters don’t just talk their way into a job. The state requires two tests costing about $200 each. Only 7% of those who take it pass, federation members said.

“Most of us studied very hard to do this,” said Susane Suaya, a Spanish-speaking Hungarian who lives in Van Nuys. “We are an integral part of the court system, but we have no protection. They can fire us at any moment. We don’t have any grievance proceedings.”

Interpreters don’t get paid holidays, sick days or compensation days.

Stephanie Wohl, another Spanish interpreter, said times were hard when she gave birth to son Camilo two years ago because of medical expenses and an unpaid leave.

“I wasn’t sure of how I was going to make it,” said Wohl. “Of course I wanted to take some time off with my child. I never have enough saved to make up for days I miss. I’m still in debt.”

Wohl grabbed a sign and walked the line because she was fed up. She pumped her fist when the order was blasted on the bullhorn.

“Judicial Council, are you listening?” a woman shouted through the horn. “Can you hear us now? Seven years without a raise! We want it now!”