Below is a signed memorandum of an "Agreement in Principle" between the Social Security Administration and the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the union that represents more Social Security employees. Click on each page to view full size. This would be a big step forward for Commissioner Saul. Without this sort of agreement, he would have faced serious difficulties with Democrats in the House of Representatives.
19 comments:
I'm sort of surprised. The agreement makes telework strictly discretionary by the agency. Thought that might be a deal breaker taking away the guarantee.
Terrible deal. The union has sold out its members.
Incorrect. The union was bound by FSIP (impasse panel) rulings. Even Saul couldn't overrule that.
The union only cares about the union. Almost all id the changes were to union time and space. Typically union reps have to be in the office so they can sit and wait for someone to file a grievance over the thermostat. Because they don't telework much on union time they don't care about telework. This deal is about self preservation of the union not about what general employees care about
Not on every issue. Should have left it up to the employees to vote on
Federal workers should not be in a union, if they want a union work private sector. Dont use my tax dollars to support union greed.
9:07: Federal employees also pay taxes. Let's just assume they are using their own tax dollars for union activities. Your money is going to wars and to fight planned parenthood.
“Union greed”? Unions built the middle class in America post WWII. They are responsible for living wages, decent health insurance coverage for reasonable cost, tolerable work conditions, the 8hr./40hr. work week, paid leave, and the list goes on and on.
In recent years, anti-union people like you and alt-Right Republicans have successfully managed to denigrate unions in the eyes of working Americans that fewer now exist. The result of your actions is the greatest income inequality this nation has ever seen. The rich keep getting richer while the vast majority are barely able to make ends meet. So, more unions is directly correlated with a stable and prosperous middle class in America and less income inequality, while fewer unions result in the direct opposite.
Further, unions are just as necessary for public employees as they are in the private sector. Without unions, public employees are subjected to abusive treatment from management and left with no protection or recourse. Abusive treatment by public sector management is a huge problem, and it has increased ten fold during Trump’s union busting administration.
SSA-OHO is the poster child for such managerial abuse, to wit: unreasonable numerical production quotas placed on the processing of legal cases that require due process, and punishment ranging from denial of telework, Reprimands, and firing for those whom management deems do not measure up, and, of course, this is subjective and favoritism plays a huge role; and numerous other punitive management practices that have no basis in fact or reality. Instead of encouraging employee interaction and input, the punitive management methods being utilized do the direct opposite, i.e., create highly toxic work environments where most employees are unhappy. THIS IS NOT THE WAY YOU MANAGE A SUCCESSFUL WORKFORCE IN THE 21st CENTURY. TO THE CONTRARY, THESE MANAGEMENT METHODS ARE DRACONIAN AND TREAT EMPLOYEES WITHOUT HUMAN DIGNITY.
11:00 thanks for the old tired overused and pointless talking points of what the union did over 100 years ago, it is no longer relevant, and does not justify the continued existence of the union, simply for historical momentum.
If workers do not like the quotas, they can leave, I dare them to find such high pay, generous benefits and retirement in the public sector. They need to shut up and work or leave and get a job elsewhere.
11:00 loses all credibility with comments Like "Alt Right republicans" such tripe is a signal you can stop reading.
@9:07 talks about “Union Greed.” Ha! What about Senior Management Greed.” At the start of 2019, SSA had more than 1100 re-employed Annuitants, and 87% of these are earning full salaries and full Annuities with no offset. Many of these individuals are former Senior Managers, and they are allowed to work from home with reimbursed travel. They include former Senior Managers who were previously relieved of employee/labor management positions because of misconduct and draconian attitudes. So, you wish to discuss Union Greed? Let’s talk about Management Greed?
2:42 sounds like you are jealous you cant get the deal. Have the union hook you up.
Don't like unions? Then don't join one.
Like unions, keep them from being federally funded with taxpayer dollars. Want to put it up for a national vote and see if the union survives? What are the odds of that you think?
Good on you 11:00.
Workers fund unions, not tax payers. As union membership dwindles, so do wages. Having worked as both a union worker and a non-union worker, I know first hand the advantage of being a union worker. Don't like your union? Become an officer and help make decisions.
If a union rep is doing the business of the union, on Agency time, in an Agency office, on and Agency computer, using an Agency phone and getting paid for NOT doing the agency business of taking care of the tax paying population then they are federally funded.
The union should then pay the portion of the salary for the time the union rep is not doing Agency business, they should pay for machine and office space. Unions are last Century.
Anyone have a link to the agreement yet with the individual articles?
@10:29, "workers fund unions, not taxpayers"...the 125,000 hours of taxpayer paid work disagrees. If workers fund unions, why are union officials doing union tasks while being paid by SSA?
For all the union haters out there - you do realize that federal unions and official union time are mandated by federal law? We live in a democracy, and last I checked, if most people support unions (they do), Congress passes a law, and a president signs the law, that law should be followed. Instead, we have an administration that seeks to subvert the law through executive orders and bad faith bargaining.
Fact is that pretty much every Western, democratic country has unions. They serve a common good. I understand that some people may have little compassion for the average worker and would prefer that unions go away, or at least their ability to function be chipped away. Maybe those people would be happier living with other similar-minded individuals in countries that are anti-union, such as Russia or China. We know how great the workers have it in those countries!
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