We will host our meeting once more on Zoom. You will need to RSVP to this invitation from the NCTA website, while logged-in or by providing your email address. After you confirm your attendance, you will receive an email with the Zoom details just prior to the meeting. Please RSVP by Friday, February 25th, 6:30 pm US Pacific time, to receive the Zoom invitation! No EXCEPTIONS!

AGENDA:

– Welcome and NCTA business
– Featured Speakers – AB2257 and the PRO Act with Lorena Ortiz Schneider and Shamus Sayed
– Q&A
– Virtual networking
– Closing

Lorena Ortiz Schneider and Shamus Sayed will be back, two years after speaking about the Californian assembly bill AB5 at the February 2020 General Meeting. This time, they will educate us about AB2257, the law that superseded AB5 in California, and the new PRO Act that is being proposed at the federal level.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:

Lorena Ortiz Schneider earned her MA from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey in Translation and Conference Interpreting, is an ATA-certified Spanish>English translator, an ATA credentialed interpreter, and a California state-certified administrative hearing interpreter.

She has worked for the U.S. Department of State as a liaison and seminar interpreter, as a conference interpreter for private industry, and as a community interpreter in legal, medical, mental health, and workers’ compensation settings.

Lorena is a director on the ATA board and advocated with the California Workers’ Compensation Interpreters Association (CWCIA) to improve working conditions and pay for interpreters in working in the field with the largest source of assignments for medical interpreters in the state.

She interfaced with government agencies and state lawmakers, in particular with the heads of the Division of Workers’ Compensation/Department of Industrial Relations (DWC/DIR) around adding language to the labor code allowing for interpreting in medical treatment settings to be finally be remunerated, in 2013,  on the interpreter fee schedule, 2013-2018, and  on regulation compliance violations 2015 – 2019.

Lorena acts as a consultant helping colleagues understand the complex worker’s compensation system of reimbursements, set up their businesses to successfully navigate the lien, SBR/IBR, and petition for costs systems for reimbursement.

She is the co-founder of Mission Collections, a niche business dedicated to helping interpreters in the work comp system get paid.

Lorena is the founder and chair of the CoPTICAmerica, an expansion of the Coalition of Practicing Translators and Interpreters of California. CoPTIC was formed to fix the mis-classification of interpreters imposed by AB 5, the “gig-economy law” that went into effect in 2020. Leading colleagues from around the country under the guidance of an experienced advocate, Lorena helped earn an exemption for freelance interpreters who were forced into employee status by AB 5. This win not only preserved the livelihoods and traditions of linguists in California but also the language access of those communities we serve.

Shamus Sayed:
Shamus Sayed is the Vice President of Interpreters Unlimited, Inc., a San Diego-based language service company offering interpretation and translation services. Over the years, IU has grown from a local provider to a recognized national company with 5 offices throughout the country.
In addition to his role with IU, Shamus is a former U.S Congressional Candidate, board member of the Association of Language Companies and Junior Achievement of San Diego.
When not working, Shamus enjoys spending his time with his wife and two fun and unpredictable sons. For more information, please visit <a href=“https://www.linkedin.com/in/shamussayed/”>https://www.linkedin.com/in/shamussayed/</a>

INSTRUCTIONS TO CONNECT – ZOOM

If you have never used Zoom before, here are a few tips:

1.) If you have RSVPd, you will receive a link to the meeting with meeting ID and password. You won’t be able to join without that link.

2a.) To join the meeting, simply click on the link (preferably a bit before the meeting starts). If you have never joined a Zoom meeting before, you will be prompted to download an app to your device. There are Zoom apps for desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones.

2b.) If you have joined a Zoom meeting before and have the Zoom app on your device, simply click on the link.

2c.) Alternatively, without installing anything, you can simply call in by phone (audio only) to the phone number given in the link. You’ll then be asked to enter the Zoom ID and password by typing on your phone.

3.) If you are joining a Zoom meeting, you do not need a Zoom account.

4.) Once you’ve connected to the meeting, follow the instructions of the meeting host.