Call center workers employed by Maximus have filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Labor calling for the Biden Administration to revise pay rates for tens of thousands of federally contracted customer service representatives who are earning unfairly low wages.

CWA members showed their support for Maximus workers during the 2019 Customer Service Week of Action.

The workers, who help Americans navigate access to Medicare and the Affordable Care Act marketplace, would earn about 22% more than their current pay if prior administrations had set their rates fairly and accurately. Workers doing similar jobs directly contracted by the Internal Revenue Service and Social Security Administration earn more than $50,000 per year, while the Maximus workers earn $30,000 or less.

The Biden administration recently raised all federally contracted employees' wages to a minimum of $15 per hour, which was only a first step, according to Jamie Brown, a Maximus employee in Mississippi. "We are organizing a union and need Biden’s support in our fight to truly close the pay gap," said Brown.

A new report by the National Employment Law Project (NELP) reveals that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has lobbied to suppress essential call center workers' wages for more than a decade and failed to keep workers safe on the job. The NELP report also found that Maximus opposed workers' efforts to organize with CWA as part of its attempts to stop pay hikes and improvements in working conditions.

Last week CWAers in District 9 participated in our union's first ever pilot training on Fighting for Gender Justice & Equity. This training is designed to provide the knowledge, tools, and skills needed to effectively prevent and combat gender-based harassment and discrimination in our workplaces, our union, and our communities.

Over 35 members from across CWA District 9 participated in this training. They had honest and critical discussions around broader systemic issues such as patriarchy and sexism, the intersection of various identities with gender in the context of harassment, and the role they play as union leaders in building a broader movement for gender justice and equity. Participants also gained valuable skills on bystander intervention and how to address the different ways gender-based mistreatment shows up in the workplace and the union.

CWA District 9 Vice President Frank Arce welcomed participants to the training and Maggie McCormack, the National Women's Committee representative for District 9 and President of Local 9588, helped facilitate the training.

The For the People Act ensures that eligible voters can participate in elections and reduces the role of large donations in political campaigns. Corporate lobbyists want to hold on to their power and keep things the way they are so they can keep calling the shots, so they are helping spread misinformation about the For the People Act.

The Brennan Center has published a great explainer debunking the most common myths about the For the People Act. Check it out at www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/people-act-separating-fact-fiction and if you are on Instagram, share this summary with your friends.

Still have questions? Join a tele-town hall with former Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr. and Congresswoman Nikema Williams (D-Ga.) tonight at 7 pm, ET. Learn more and sign up at www.mobilize.us/allonthelinega/event/391074.