A group of disabled workers is moving forward with a class-action lawsuit against the Social Security Administration alleging the federal agency discriminates against employees with disabilities by denying or limiting promotions.
An office of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Aug. 25 affirmed a 2008 decision by an EEOC administrative judge that certified the case as a class action, attorneys for the plaintiffs said Monday. The lawsuit seeks compensatory and other damages as well as changes in policies and procedures that will improve career opportunities for disabled employees, according attorneys for the plaintiffs.
The federal agency could not be reached late Monday for comment.
Aug 31, 2010
Disabled Employees Sue Social Security
From the Baltimore Sun:
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5 comments:
Another group at SSA that thinks they are owed a promotion.
Social security administration should consiider changing it's name if this article is true.
I suggeset:
the social destruction agency(sda)
The following COMMISSIONER’S BROADCAST just came out:
A Message to All SSA and DDS Employees
Subject: Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy Statement
Each year, we reaffirm our commitment to provide and maintain a work environment that promotes equal opportunity for all.
We have a proud legacy of recruiting, developing, and rewarding employees based on merit system principles. We remain fully committed to ensuring that every employment-related decision is based firmly on those principles. Every employee must be treated fairly without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, or parental status. We have zero tolerance for any form of discrimination, harassment, or reprisal.
I hope you continue to share my commitment in fostering a culture that values diversity, recognizes the importance of equal opportunity, and ensures that our workplace is free from discrimination and harassment.
To review detailed information on the agency’s EEO policies, visit the Office of Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity’s website at http://co.ba.ssa.gov/ocreo/.
Michael J. Astrue
Commissioner
Ah, I was wondering why he sent that email. I assumed it was a routine "I have the personality of cardboard" reminder.
About a year ago, there was a lady in SES training who developed an initiative within HR to hire more disabled employees. I'm a part-time member of the Employees with Disabilities Advisory Council here at headquarters, and at one of our meetings she gave a presentation on her initiative. It was the same story SSA always told: hey look, we hire disabled people, we are super! But there zero effort put in to making sure they had to opportunity to get past grade 5. I asked her about that specifically. She said she'd get back to me. I'm still waiting.
Hey, I'm not saying that all of them should be promoted, but when you work here for 30 years and grade 7 or 8 is the best you can do, something's up.
Oh, and as for that cheeseball initiative - after she moved on to her next SES project (don't get me started on how goofy I find the SES program to be) they promptly cut all the funding for her old one. There's one secretary in HR who maybe does some work on it sometimes. Oh, but hey, Astrue sent out an email, so it must be fine.
Thanks for posting this story, though. This should be good fodder for the next Advisory Council meeting. And this is all just in time for Disability Awareness Month!
Oh, we dealt with that stupid "hired the disabled" initiative in the field as well. I wouldn't have hired any of the folks I interviewed (referred by a local advocacy group). All had obvious psych issues, and with the stress of the CR and SR jobs, there was no way they'd make it.
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