How did relay operator become one of the worst jobs in the U.S.?

If you've processed Internet Relay calls, you know this is true. Supervisors prowling the aisles or listening remotely to make sure operators don't hang up on fraudulent or obscene calls. All you wanted was to help the deaf community. Is this what you signed up for?

Aren't the obscene calls sexual harassment?

Yes. An employer has a duty to protect employees from sexual harassment by supervisors, co-workers and non-employees. Talk to a lawyer and talk to the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) about filing a charge of discrimination (sexual harassment is considered a type of discrimination).

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What other options do I have?

Poor working conditions at big companies usually only improve as a result of public pressure, litigation, or collective bargaining. If your call center has a state contract that requires that calls be processed in-state, you have some assurance your job won't be outsourced overseas. Communications Workers of America represents call center workers. Contact them for more information on organizing a union in your workplace.

How can I help?

Tell everyone you know about Relay abuse.

Use the FCC's online comment form and tell the FCC to save Relay for those who need it by requiring proof of need in order to use Internet Relay. If you have a dial-up Internet connection, you may be unable to link to the FCC's website. Click here for more options.

If you like, cut and paste from these sample comments:

Sample comments to FCC

I (work/worked) as a relay operator and know first-hand what a serious problem Relay abuse is. I am outraged by how the Internet Relay service for the deaf is being misused.

It is incredible to me that the FCC has stood by for three years and allowed this valuable service to be hijacked by overseas criminals who use it to rip off U.S. businesses and individuals. Equally incredible is the fact that the FCC — the agency responsible for decency in broadcasting — is paying Internet Relay providers to make obscene calls to children.

I can tell you that relay operators faced with such calls experience great distress. Yet there is no need for any of this.

There is a simple, obvious solution to this mess: The FCC must require proof of need in order to use Internet Relay similar to what states require before issuing handicapped license plates.

Legitimate relay users would submit a letter from a licensed health care professional saying they need the service. After verification, they would then be issued a username and password to log on to the Internet Relay websites.

I urge the FCC, in the strongest possible terms, to initiate such a program immediately.