From a summary of an interview conducted by National Public Radio:
... At the Social Security Administration office in Tulsa, Okla., the first order of business yesterday was a staff meeting. Forty people, four times the number the government recommends should be in one place at one time, crammed into the meeting room to be told their office would be closed to the public but not to employees. Ralph de Jullis works there. He's also an official with the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents some Social Security workers.
RALPH DE JULLIS: Most of our offices are more than 10 people. We don't social distance because we can't. We're in cubicles. So we're all exposing each other. It would be safer for us to be at home to prevent the spread of the coronavirus because if we're here and we all get sick, we're not going to be able to do the work. ...
The Social Security Administration announced late Monday it was closing field offices ...
DE JULLIS: But the people who are over 60 were told, oh, yeah, we don't agree with the CDC guidance. Unless you have one of the other serious medical conditions, you can't telework. They're just making it up as they go along. ...
Tony Reardon, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, is calling on the Trump administration to close all federal offices with more than 50 people. Reardon says the government should also allow federal employees to take special leave, called weather and safety leave, if they're low on paid sick leave.
TONY REARDON: You have employees who don't have a great deal of leave. They don't feel well. And if they are not provided weather and safety leave, they still have to provide for their families. They still have to earn a paycheck. So you know what they do? They go to work, and that really puts all the other employees in their workplace at risk. ...
7 comments:
As of late yesterday PM (after 5 pm), everyone is TW-ing except ALJs who have scheduled hearings and skeleton crews. ALJs must arrive no earlier than 15 minutes before the first scheduled hearings and leave immediately after the last held/postponed hearing. Skeleton crew this AM was the HOD and 4 staff members for 8 ALJs to assist with hearings (only open and close recording and/or call parties). They are not present during the hearing 'cause they must run to another ALJ to assist and even cover the calls, etc. In-person interpreters canceled for this and next month (and there will be no in-person interpreters in the future either).
The issue in the last paragraph is always contentious with employees and management. Some employees horde there sick days in the event of an emergency others use them as extra days off throughout the year. When a real emergency occurs those that have sick leave can continue to get paid without worry. Those with no leave beg and plead for assistance.
To be far all government employees are lucky to have work that is as secure as it is right now, with so many other employees facing layoffs. But every time we begin to discuss the use of Weather and Safety leave for those that are out of leave, out come those employees who stockpiled their leave too complain. They say that the employees without leave saved are essentially getting free time off and being rewarded for bad behavior.
My suggestion to all employees is to find a balance between hording your leave and taking a few days off here an there and making them count, ala Ferris Bueller's Day Off. And to be content with your job security and have compassion that the Agencies gives to those less frugal than yourself the means to continue to provide for their loved ones. Though it may seem unfair, life is not fair, and their gain is no loss to you.
SAVE FERRIS
Not everyone with a low leave balance is a bad employee. I had a healthy leave balance and then I had a child. I took several weeks off at birth and when he has been sick through the years. We also try to family vacation and time during the holidays. I have see my fair share of earn and burners, but not everyone with a low balance is one. I still go into the office everyday because my child’s daycare is not closed. I say give everyone admin leave now. Stop trying to decide who should and who shouldn’t get the virus.
Well, given the antiquated IT stuff at hearing offices, the system will most likely break down with so many people working at home. It was not created to handle such large scale teleworking. And the IT people are not exactly great.
Today I teleworked for the first time in 4 months. Everyone in our section got an Email from a manager stating that we must adhere to listed break and lunch times, and that we should work harder than ever during this crisis, and that employees would be "held accountable"
Accountability, that comes from straight from Saul. I think it eats at him that SSA had to restore telework. after he had put so much effort into cutting last fall, despite.the pleas of employees.
Managers under Saul seem more worried that employees will slack off because they are teleworking, than they are about employees well being: , employees who are already stressed out and just trying to do their best day one day at a time during this crisis.
@1047 AM I wouldn't call it hoarding leave if one doesn't get sick often, doesn't have health issues and is able to save a good amount of one's leave. From a good friend in HR--there are those who plan for the future and save sick (and annual leave up to carryover amounts), using leave judiciously. Then there are some who use sick leave as soon as they earn it to the point they work 30+ years for the govt and retire with exactly 0 hours of sick leave. Those are the bulk of federal employees. Of course there are some who save leave but have health issues, babies, etc and so don't look as if they are that good at saving leave. They may only have 1-200 hours of sick leave but just took off a couple of months when they have a baby/surgery/etc 3 years ago so have actually saved just about every possible hour of leave.
I am retired now for over 8 yrs. under CSRS. I conscientiously saved my sick leave. From 1979 to May 1991 I did not use a day of sick leave. I retired with 2966 hours that were added into my retirement comp. Yes, I have been told I'm sick (pun not intended) for doing this, but I'm not worried abt that.
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