Washington DC – Workers at Maximus CMS call centers are organizing to form a union with CWA. Employees at two of Maximus’ largest call centers went on their first-ever strike on the anniversary of the Affordable Care Act in March to protest Maximus’s anti-union campaign and demand pay parity with other federal contractors. In May, workers at several sites staged a two-day strike to call for more affordable healthcare and higher wages. Maximus workers at other call center locations have similarly been organizing to demand changes in their workplaces.
“We need a living wage and affordable healthcare at Maximus,” said Anna Flemmings, a Maximus call center worker in Hattiesburg, Miss. “We need basic improvements to our working conditions for ourselves and our families because no one working for a multi-billion dollar corporation like Maximus should have to worry about how they’re going to make ends meet. It’s time for Maximus to put higher pay in the pockets of its front-line workers and start respecting our right to organize and collectively bargain so that we can support our families and communities in this time of crisis.”
Maximus has one of the largest federally-contracted workforces in the country under a contract with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Approximately 10,000 Maximus workers perform this work at ten call centers in eight states.
“Maximus workers will continue to fight for better jobs and better lives for their families by using all of the organizing tools. This includes striking when necessary to address problems in their workplaces,” said Sara Steffens, Secretary-Treasurer at CWA. “These workers have shown that they will take action to win justice. CWA members are proud to stand with these courageous workers.”
A solidarity fund has been set up to support workers at Maximus call centers throughout the organizing process.
