Addressing union claims with facts
As we navigate through ongoing discussions about unionization, it's crucial that you have access to accurate and transparent information. Recently, several claims have been made about our workplace practices and policies. We believe it's important to address these claims directly, so you can have a clear picture of the situation.
There’s just no truth to the claim that most Maximus employees are unhappy or poorly treated. Here’s a factual breakdown of some of the other key issues that the union has raised:
Claim: Maximus workers staged the largest federal call center strike in history.
FACT: The last “strike” at Maximus lasted less than 3 hours and the union catered it with a BBQ lunch and paid many attendees to show up. It's also important to clarify that Maximus has never experienced a service interruption – not from the pandemic, weather events, or labor demonstrations. The demonstrations that have occurred have seen only a small number of Maximus employees and have not impacted our service quality or availability, as confirmed by the performance metrics required by CMS. Many of the non-employee participants have, in fact, been CWA members from other companies that are paid and brought in to join the event.
For example, over the last four demonstrations at one location, only four Maximus employees have attended all of the events and only 0.62% of all CCO staff have participated. This shows an almost universal disinterest by our staff to form or join a union.
Claim: The NLRB is investigating multiple unfair labor practice charges against Maximus.
FACT: Filing legal claims against a company is a very common union tactic during a corporate campaign. It makes a company look like it’s breaking the law! But let’s dig into the facts.
Starting around 2019, the CWA began filing legal charges, called Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) charges, against Maximus. But they lost. So, they tried again. And lost. Again and again, they tried to win a charge against Maximus, again and again they lost. They lost 10 times in a row. Finally, the CWA decided on a “hit and run” tactic: They would file a ULP charge but keep the facts really fuzzy and apparently never pursue the claim. That’s what’s been happening since about 2022: A ULP charge is filed and just its there with zero progress. Why do we think that? The average amount of time to investigate a ULP is 7 to 14 weeks. Maximus has ULP’s going back over two years. Yes, ULP’s have been filed against Maximus but it is equally true that Maximus has never been found liable on any ULP charge. Not a single one.
Claim: Maximus call center workers have repeatedly gone on strike due to poor working conditions.
FACT: Our internal surveys, conducted independently by PricewaterhouseCoopers, show a different picture: 76% of our employees, including those at call centers, would recommend Maximus as a great place to work, and 86% plan to stay with the company for another 12 months. The survey responses and feedback from employees do not support the narrative that Maximus has poor working conditions.
Additionally, every year, we publish an Employee Engagement and Company Culture report on our website. These reports outline our Global Employee Engagement Survey results, our culture of feedback, our commitment to learning and development, and other initiatives.
Claim: Staff only get six minutes a day to use the bathroom.
FACT: Maximus offers flexible break and leave options to accommodate the needs of its employees. In addition to their 15-minute breaks and meal period, employees and their managers partner together for any potential scheduling accommodations that are needed based on the employee’s circumstances. All employees have the flexibility to request a bathroom break at any time during their shift.
We hope this information helps clarify some of the misconceptions that have been circulating. We are committed to maintaining an open and honest dialogue. If you have any questions or need further information, please do not hesitate to reach out. We value your hard work and dedication and are here to support you every step of the way.