Union Pickets Outside Social Security Building

From the Birmingham [Alabama] News:

Government employee union members stood with picket signs outside the new $150 million Social Security Administration building Tuesday to protest what they described as unfair working conditions.

About 30 members were across the street of the campus-style center at Eighth Avenue North and 12th Street.

"It's a beautiful building, but it's not employee friendly," said Celestine Hood, executive vice president of American Federation of Government Employees, Local 2206.

Patti Patterson, a spokesperson for Social Security's Atlanta region, said the agency has reached out to to the union to discuss the concerns, adding that the agency's goal is to have a safe and equally accessible workplace for all employees.

Hood and Anthony Young, president of AFGE Local 2206, said a main concern is that the building is not accessible for people using manual wheelchairs. They also said there have been no fire or tornado evacuation plans given to employees since employees began moving into the building in February.

The two said building management has a list of rules that forbids practices allowed in the old building, such as having personal fans. The new facility replaced the building at 2001 12th Ave. North.

"Things we were doing for 34 years didn't come over here with us," Young said.

Hood and Young said they have been in negotiations with Social Security officials. They said they plan to picket until conditions are better for employees.

"We want the employees to be happy and right now they're not," Young said.