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FEMA Cancels Plans to Contract Sandy Relief Call Center in Maine

By Tracey E. Schelmetic
TMCnet Contributor

Last week, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced that it had tapped the call center outsourcing company NexxLinx of Georgia to set up a call center as part of the ongoing Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts.

A news statement sent out on Saturday, November 10 by NexxLinx, however, is suggesting the planned call center has been cancelled.

The company had planned to hire 400 people to work the call center, but now those positions are gone, and local area media are lamenting them, including Portland’s WCSH local NBC affiliate.

Nexxlinx, located in Georgia but has an office in Maine, has reportedly ceased the recruitment process and will be calling people who had already completed the early stages of hiring to tell them about the change in plans.

There is disappointment in the area over the cancellation, which would have brought 400 temporary, full-time positions to the area.  CareerCenter, Maine Job Bank, the University System and the Veterans Administration had been recruited to find NexxLinx find qualified candidates. Wages would have been $11.69 per hour, plus $3.71 additional for health and welfare, for a total of $15.40 per hour.

Supervisors would have earned from $18 to $20 per hour, according to the Department of Labor.

NexxLinx said FEMA cancelled the contract for the relief call center because they have enough resources to get through the demand of the recovery, according to local news radio website, WGAN. 

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