A Real Choice

To: Russell R. Macdonnell
From: Rapid Response Team members

We appreciate the support and flexibility RRMS Leadership has displayed thus far. We genuinely believe the measures RRMS Leadership has taken will inhibit the spread of infection in the office. We understand the essential role our Company will play as the United States becomes flooded with medical emergencies. We are motivated to meet the moment and provide life saving communications services to our subscribers.

We are also motivated to maximize our individual health and safety. Therefore, we are requesting an emergency furlough policy be instituted for the duration of the state Shelter at Home Order. We request a third way for vulnerable team members who would otherwise continue to work at RRMS as they have done and would continue. You mentioned each individual employee has a choice. Understand many are weighing the devastating effects of unemployment against the devastating, possibly lethal effects of contracting Covid19. Current RRMS attendance and disciplinary policies do not take into account this National emergency. We ask RRMS to adapt. We ask for a real choice.

Please appreciate that, although a minority, there are several RRMS employees who fall under the category of At Higher Risk of Severe Illness as enumerated on the CDC website: Older adults, people with HIV, people with asthma, pregnant women and people of any age who have serious underlying medical conditions. We ask RRMS to extend a furlough option to team members who report they are at higher risk of severe illness to their managers. We strongly believe only individual team members in consultation with their doctors are best able to assess whether or not they are in this category. We strongly believe that these team members immediately be allowed to adhere to the statewide Shelter at Home order to absolutely minimize their risk of infection. We ask that these team members be explicitly guaranteed continued employment at RRMS once the order is lifted.

We agree and available data shows most otherwise healthy individuals are likely to experience Covid19 and recover. Please acknowledge that RRMS team members are taking on a greater risk of catching the Virus by reporting to work for 40hours a week or more than they would following the Shelter at Home order. At RRMS our hardworking sanitation workers and Supervisors have had to take on additional duties and responsibilities to advance health and fight to prevent infection around the office. We understand the government has yet to announce the form in which the public is to expect financial support. We ask you to pledge that if the Federal government moves to generously subsidize struggling businesses, RRMS will take the lead in using federal funds to support RRMS Team members during the crisis and make available 80 hours of sick time and/or Paid Time Off.

As you sketched in the Memo on March 23rd, gains industry-wide are likely to stagnate if not stoop to losses. These losses do not reflect the quality of service RRMS provides or the demand for Security alarm services, but rather a temporary public health condition. Therefore, we do not believe RRMS is in terrible danger or going out of business or closing its doors permanently. However, many employees are in terrible danger of falling severely ill or dying, a loss that cannot be recovered or covered by a loan. To its credit, we are confident RRMS will survive the difficulties ahead.

We appeal to you today to consider our suggested policies. We ask in earnest and with the goal of minimizing hardship.

We appreciate your transparency and look forward to continued dialogue and negotiations in the future.

Respectfully,
RRMS Team