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17 thoughts on “Mayor’s call center workers form union”
Or just get rid of it and do it all via the app – use AI to automate the traffic controlling of requests into the right departments mailbox.
Have the phone number answered by AI so people can still call…
Sure! Everybody loves dealing with AI when they call a business with a problem???
Would be nice if they ever actually did anything when citizens put in requests. They don’t do anything and just close your request with no notes or anything. I literally had someone dumping of tires in a lot in my neighborhood and they closed my request immediately and didn’t do anything.
Thats not how it works Corey. The MAC reps do not close requests. The departments do that. These are the people who get your request to the appropriate department. What happens after that is out of their hands.
Taylor, can you do some reporting on how many calls they received about the vagrant camp in Fountain Square, over what timeframe, and what action was taken?
Wow I wished I got 15 holidays instead of the 6 my job provides me plus 22 vacation days.
Work harder and get a better job
In my experience requests logged through the app get closed with no resolution. I have better luck when I call and escalate via a person, but over the years the wait times have grown and it’s clear they are understaffed.
Also repeat offenders should have consequences; it’s a full time job trying to get violations resolved in this city!
I’m seeing a lot of criticism for the MAC for not resolving issues, but they have little ability to actually do anything. Those generally fall to other departments to resolve the issues.
I would also say that there could be some increased efficiency through automation, but we have also all been on calls with bots and never actually getting a resolution to our answer until we actually speak to someone. Automate the most common questions (which they may already be doing), then just get to people quickly for the rest to figure out how to resolve things.
I dont think the comments about lack of getting requests completed are intended for the call center. It has to be the responsible departments. I do think one of the mayors soldiers should be put to manage the incompetence of the executing departments. That incompetence is on the ultimate captain.
Those of you reading thoughts know it falls on the big guy.
For 3 years ive asked for tall grass on Pine, between Bates and E Maryland to be mowed. It now extends over the road and has turnd ino weeds and homeless hang outs.
Eliminate MAC through no falt of the call center.
The recent push by Mayor’s Action Center (MAC) employees to unionize and demand a jump from roughly $18 an hour to $25 an hour is understandable on the surface. Their role is not insignificant—they handle complaints, service requests, and community concerns that connect residents to city departments. But before the public accepts the narrative that these employees are underpaid and undervalued, we must look at the entire compensation picture and the real costs of what is being asked. Not just that they are the lowest paid since there will always be a lowest paid.
We need to a look at the full accounting of their compensation. An $18 hourly wage translates to nearly $37,500 per year. But wages are only one part of compensation. The City of Indianapolis provides one of the most generous benefit packages available for frontline employees in any industry:
Health, Dental, and Vision Coverage: Employer contributions to insurance premiums often add $8,000–$12,000 per year in hidden value. The city even offers access to a wellness clinic at little or no cost.
Retirement Security: Employees are automatically enrolled in the Public Employees’ Retirement Fund (PERF) a pension that provides guaranteed income for life. On top of that, the city contributes around 11–12% of salary annually (worth $4,000–$4,500 a year) into retirement funds, plus employees have access to a 457 deferred compensation plan. Few private employers offer anything close and the more they make the higher it goes.
Paid Time Off: New hires receive 22 paid days off per year, plus 15 paid holidays, the equivalent of nearly 7 full workweeks off annually, compared to the private-sector norm of 2–3 weeks. That’s a cash value of another $5,000–$6,000 annually.
Job Stability and Flexibility: Unlike most customer service roles, MAC employees enjoy remote work options, predictable weekday schedules, and civil service protections that shield them from sudden layoffs.
When the total package is calculated, a “$18 an hour job” quickly amounts to a total compensation value closer to $60,000–$65,000 annually a figure that already exceeds many private-sector roles requiring or exceeding similar skills.
Once the MAC employees unionize, another cost enters the picture: union dues. Workers will pay into the union but make no mistake those costs are ultimately borne by the public as wages and benefits increase to cover them. Every dollar allocated to satisfy a small bargaining unit is a dollar taken away from other essential services: police, fire, public works, and the community programs that keep Indianapolis running.
And history tells us unionization doesn’t guarantee quick results. Negotiations often drag on for years, with threats of work stoppages and disruptions hanging over taxpayers’ heads. Meanwhile, the union collects dues from employees, money that might otherwise have stayed in their own paychecks.
We should also recognize that MAC employees already work fewer days per year than their private-sector counterparts. With 244 actual workdays, minus holidays and PTO, they have a balanced schedule most service-sector workers would envy. And unlike private call center employees who often work nights, weekends, or rotating shifts, city workers enjoy stable hours, reliable benefits, and unmatched job security.
In the private market, a call center employee making $18 an hour would rarely, if ever, see a pension, 37 paid days off, comprehensive health insurance, and the right to work from home. These are significant advantages funded by taxpayers.
MAC employees are valuable, but so are police officers, paramedics, sanitation workers, and countless other city employees who compete for the same limited tax dollars. Fairness requires that we look beyond hourly wages and recognize the full compensation already being provided.
The question is not whether $18 an hour is enough on paper. The real question is: how much more should Indianapolis taxpayers be asked to pay for a job that already carries $60,000+ in total value, plus stability and benefits most private-sector workers can only dream of? And a service that could easily be contracted out for much less money, and more hours of coverage.
Before union demands drive costs higher, and funnel taxpayer dollars into union dues, residents deserve to see the full ledger.
Bingo!
Its interesting. Businesses that treat their employees well don’t have to deal with unions.
This is just what we need. 😳
What does this employment group do to justify $25/hour?
Hi Elisa,
I think before too many years we are going to learn that 18$ per hour is not going to support humans in the US.
Also, this talent provided by the call center is only to pass on requests. Nobody should blame them. They do their job.
They wont need a union if the M in MAC, paid them. This is the new cost of living. And it will get worse as more manufacturing is brought back here and more 18$ jobs to to AI.
Im saddened and mo ed out of the US last week because of what leadership has done to me.
$18 an hour is not a livable wage, regardless of private or public sector employment. The whole community benefits when employees have enough purchasing power to fuel the local economy.