Jun 5, 2020

Unions File Complaints Over Social Security's Failure To Implement Emergency Paid Leave

     From Government Executive:

Officials at three federal employee unions have filed formal complaints against the Social Security Administration for refusing to fully implement a law providing emergency paid sick leave to workers related to the coronavirus pandemic.

The American Federation of Government Employees and the National Treasury Employees Union both filed internal grievances this week accusing the agency of not complying with the sick leave law and refusing its collective bargaining obligations over the implementation of the new leave category. And the Association of Administrative Law Judges has filed an unfair labor practice complaint with the Federal Labor Relations Authority.

The Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act was signed into law in mid-March as part of Congress' first bill responding to the COVID-19 outbreak. It provides employees in both the public and private sectors with up to 80 hours of paid sick leave, as well as up to 10 weeks of paid leave at two-thirds of their regular pay for workers who have child and dependent care responsibilities due to school and daycare closures related to the pandemic.

This new benefit was to take effect April 1, and the Labor Department announced it would give employers a "non-enforcement period" until April 17 to allow employers to make changes to their payroll system to offer the leave. But to date, union officials said the Social Security Administration has dragged its feet.

The agency has faulted the Interior Business Center, which does payroll for Social Security and several other agencies, for being unable to implement the coding changes needed until July. ...

For its part, the Interior Business Center disputes Social Security Administration officials' laying of blame. ...

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

IBC made it abundantly clear that SSA mgmt is lying and is too incompetent or too lazy--or just don't care--to implement the temp fix while IBC codes the permanent one.

This is par for the course with the current SSA regime.

Anonymous said...

This just showed how the SSA has always been reluctant to follow rules. Even their own rules.

I used to travel a lot for hearings and requested reimbursements. The San Diego OHO knew travel reimbursements were legal. But for some reason, they would never honor the reimbursements. It is almost like they would not follow their own rules.

The SSA feels like they are apart from the regular U.S. government. This blatant mistreatment of employees is horrendous.

Starting to think Better Call Saul is trying to make every employees' job miserable so eventually they will privatize it.

Anonymous said...

@6:15 Or maybe just forcing people to retire or leave the agency to shrink the workforce but With all the teleworking there may very well be consolidation or closure of hearing offices in the not too distant future.

Anonymous said...

Maybe start a petition to have Saul resign.

Anonymous said...

Of course SSA is the only government agency that has not implemented this policy (law) This tells you everyhing you need to know about our organization. Never looking out for their people, only care about numbers.