Maximus, it’s time to stop union busting

Maximus CEO Bruce Caswell and VP of Operations David Harkess

It’s outrageous that in the lead up to the Medicare and ACA open enrollment periods, the busiest, most critical time for Americans to get their healthcare questions answered by Maximus workers, Maximus is choosing to spend time interfering with our fight for living wages, affordable healthcare and the right to form a union.

We demand that Maximus respect the right of its employees to organize for better working conditions without any interference.

To: Maximus CEO Bruce Caswell and VP of Operations David Harkess
From: [Your Name]

We are writing to you from across the country in support of Maximus workers who are fighting for a union, better wages, working conditions, and respect.

As you probably know, Maximus call center workers are grossly underpaid compared to some of their federal call center worker counterparts. For example, call center workers at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Social Security Administration (SSA) make an average of about $55,000.

Maximus workers are overworked. Maximus’s restrictive break policies make it hard to simply use the bathroom at work or even take a short break after they’ve experienced an abusive caller.

Unaffordable healthcare. Not enough sick leave. The list of what Maximus workers have said they’d like to see changed goes on and on. That’s why they are joining together to form a union.

However, instead of respecting the rights of your workers, Maximus cornering workers during paid time and urging them not to support the union. In one instance, a manager interrogated a worker about her union activity and even implied that her call center would move if employees formed a union. This anti-union campaign needs to end.

It’s outrageous that in the lead up to the Medicare and ACA open enrollment periods, the busiest, most critical time for Americans to get their healthcare questions answered by Maximus workers, Maximus is choosing to spend time interfering with our fight for living wages, affordable healthcare and the right to form a union.

We demand that Maximus respect the right of its employees to organize for better working conditions without any interference.