Letter to Bruce Caswell, President and Chief Executive Officer of Maximus Inc. - Booker Leads Colleagues in Pressing Federal Government's Largest Call Center Contractor on Workplace Safety Efforts During Coronavirus Pandemic

Letter

Dear Mr. Caswell:
We write to express our concern that Maximus, the largest call center contractor for the federal
government, has not taken the necessary steps to protect its workforce from Coronavirus.
Between 2008 and 2018, Maximus received nearly $2 billion in government contracts to
administer health care services and cash-benefit programs. Yet, while Maximus's call center
employees work with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and state governments across the country to mitigate the
impact of the COVID-19 outbreak and to relay CDC guidance to concerned callers, they are
themselves asked to work in an environment that fails to adhere to CDC guidance.
Specifically, we are concerned by recent reports that Maximus held a training for 70 employees
in a facility that was not large enough to allow for social distancing. Allegedly, attendees were
provided a single bottle of sanitizer to share, and were asked to sanitize their workstations
themselves. Outside the training, Maximus call center employees have reportedly been asked to
work in close proximity to one another, at times even having to share desks and equipment.
The working environment has led to the closure of several of their call centers for suspected or
confirmed coronavirus outbreaks. In light of these closures, it is even more concerning that
Maximus has yet to create a telework infrastructure to allow all workers to perform their jobs
safely at home. Adding to our concern is Maximus's paid sick leave policy, which leaves
approval to management's discretion, and does not provide paid leave to many workers when a
worksite is closed due to a COVID-19 outbreak. We are also concerned that, at some of its call
centers, Maximus has implemented premium pay that is contingent on working a minimum
number of hours each week. Accessing that pay increase may create a financial incentive for
workers to come to work while sick--thus increasing the risk of workplace transmission.
The concerns raised in this letter reflect the concerns of many Maximus employees. We
understand that the call centers that Maximus operates are critical to the health and safety of
millions of American families. It is equally critical that the health and safety of Maximus's call
Company communication to employees in Phoenix on April 8, 2020. On file at CWA.
center employees remain paramount.
We ask that you provide a written response to the concerns raised in this letter, and to the
questions listed below, no later than May 20.
* Will senior leadership at Maximus agree to meet with the workers' organizing committee
to address concerns around workplace safety?
* What steps has Maximus taken to ensure its workers are able to maintain social
distancing while at work?
* What is the timeline for Maximus creating a telework infrastructure to allow its workers
to work remotely?
* Will Maximus provide premium pay to all of its workers, not just those who meet the
threshold of hours worked?