In what some are hailing as a win for workers, the Biden administration has told a call center operator with a history of contentious labor disputes that it will have to reapply for its current $7 billion federal contract — eight years ahead of schedule. Agency officials specifically noted the addition of a “labor harmony” requirement to the contract.
On May 16, the Department of Health and Human Services issued a request for proposals to rebid a 2022 call center contract with Maximus Inc. Maximus workers have struck six times since 2018 and accused the employer of various union-busting tactics. Under labor harmony — often also referred to as “labor peace” — employers negotiate with workers for a guarantee of no strikes, pickets or other labor disruptions.
