Workers at Maximus, an IT services contractor that operates call centers for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, went on strike Monday and Tuesday of this week.
"We went on strike for a simple reason – a reason to demand better pay and affordable healthcare coverage. My family is hurting right now," said Yasming Johnson, who works at a call center in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, during a press call on Tuesday. "Everything is going up except for the pay."
Pickets took place in Hattiesburg and Bogalusa, La., both locations of Maximus call centers. Workers were also striking in Brownsville, Texas, Lawrence, Ky., Tampa, Fla. and Phoenix, Ariz., and over 100 participated in total.
The call centers aren't unionized but employees are working with the Communications Workers of America (CWA). Employees say that there isn't a union of Maximus workers already because of Maximus policies that discourage organizing.
There are about 10,000 Maximus agents working at 10 call centers spread over eight states, according to CWA. These employees handle calls about Medicare and the Affordable Care Act marketplace.
"It is shameful that we work for a federal contractor that grosses billions of dollars from the government… and it is also shameful that we help millions of Americans around the world and we don't have access to our own healthcare. We can't afford our own healthcare," said Johnson.
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