Social Security management has invited representatives of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), which is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to tour four Social Security field offices and to give recommendations for safety for those already working at the field offices. A representative of the labor union that represents most agency employees has written up a summary of the inspection of the Hamilton, OH field office.
The union rep asked management officials present on the day of inspection whether there was any plan to provide vaccination to Social Security employees prior to their return to work and received "no acceptable response" as he put it.
If, as promised, vaccines are freely available by sometime in May, I doubt it will be necessary for the Social Security Administration to provide vaccinations. I'd be more interested in the answer to a question that wasn't asked: Will Social Security require that its employees who deal with the public be vaccinated? I don't know whether there is legal authority for such a requirement. You'd hope that front line employees would have enough common sense to be vaccinated but there are a lot of vaccine skeptics in the country.
Does anyone know if there is a reason why the ALJ disposition data from SSA has not been updated since October?
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ReplyDeleteThe Union rep was correct in asking if SSA employees would be given vaccinations prior to returning to the office. No vaccinations, no return, until such time as vaccinations are available to everyone.
Also even after that there should be a waiting period to make sure the vaccinations are working before employees are ordered back to the office. Especially at-risk employees over age 60 or those who have other health issues. Perhaps these employees should be allowed continued 100% telework for a year or so.
At one time SSA indicated they would help employees get priority for vaccinations then nothing came of that. We should not be rushed back to the office before it's safe.
Pretty sure Biden won’t support reopening the offices until anyone who wants a vaccine can get one. I am thinking that offices will reopen after Labor Day at the earliest. Do any of you insiders have insight into MGMT’s current sentiment on this critical matter?
ReplyDeleteThe trend has been, for no logical reason, to make hearing offices nothing more than cubicle farms with offices essentially only for the administrative law judges. How illogical that seems given the pandemic and the inherent health risks involved by placing folks in such close proximity to one another. SSA needs new leadership at all levels to correct this problem and the many other problems that plague that agency.
ReplyDelete@6:54, you're describing a space standard created through standard agency processes long before COVID hit, but that may just be getting implemented in new construction during the pandemic or slightly before. That is simply an artifact of the time it takes for all space issues to move from planning to actual deployment. It has nothing to do with anyone at any level deciding to create a less safe environment during a pandemic. Nice try, though.
ReplyDelete@6:54. Sorry but you're wrong. The actual deployment could have been altered by those tasked with the implementation. Nice try, though.
ReplyDelete@10:05pm is right. The space issues first came up during Bush and continued with Obama. New requirements on eliminating leased space, reducing the footprint of the agency's real estate and reconfiguration of facilities. More than a decade old requirements. Maybe they don't make sense re: covid, but they've been i place a long long time and come into play as organizations renew leases, move, upgrade real estate.
ReplyDeleteHealthcare and long term care facilities given early access to the vaccine saw about a 70% vaccination rate for employees. I dont think SSA can demand employees take it. It is a personal health choice. One thing I have learned in more than 20 years of social service work is people have the right to fail.
ReplyDeleteThe vaccines are available through "emergency use authorization," it is my understanding that one of the things that makes "emergency use" different is that the legal authorization for use actually prohibits mandating individuals receive the vaccine because it is still considered experimental. Both SSA or any other employer who tries to mandate its use would run into problems because of that "experimental" status and the prohibition of mandated use. (And this is coming from someone who will take it when it is available to me).
ReplyDelete@7:33am You're missing the point. When the pandemic came about folks who had some work ethic or showed some initiative should have reconsidered the office models. Instead, the agency now has office models that are not conducive to maximizing employee health and safety.
ReplyDelete11:04 dont forget that in states that are "at will" they do not have to provide an employee with much information as to why they were released. They can simply say, we no longer need your position. I will not tell my employer if and when I get vaccinated, it is a personal healthcare decision, I dont tell them other health related items, they have no need to know on this at all.
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ReplyDeleteHow many essential SSA workers will die of COVID19 before the vaccine becomes available? Biden/Harris are soon opening the vaccinations to age 18-64, which means the system will be swamped for weeks or months. It makes no sense whatsoever to open to such a wide age range, the next group should be 60-64.
Given the circumstances SSA should start in office vaccinations immediately, as they used to do for the flu shot.
@8:27 AM, March 12, 2021. Biden/Harris are not "opening" the vaccine to anyone. Vaccine rollout is managed at the local level. The locality where I am has just opened to 55-65, ahead of schedule when demand at the 65+ tapered off, they had unfilled appointment availability (30-40% unfilled). We are scheduled to open to 45-55 come April 1, and if we stay on track 16-45 May 1.
ReplyDeleteVaccine rollout is local. Some are doing really well, others not so well. If your not happy about it, look to your local leaders and what they are doing about it.
@8:27 less than 1% given the averages. About the same as the rest of the country who go to work every single day.
ReplyDeleteActually it is around 2% mortality. That isn't the biggest concern. The biggest concern is surviving only to deal with permanent organ damage and cognitive decline.
DeleteHow are we a year into this and people still think surviving this is like surviving the flu where you come back 100%???? SMH, FML!
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/
@8:27 am SSA is so poorly run it would take years for them to coordinate administration of COVID vaccines for employees. So, don't count on it.
ReplyDelete@12:28. Yes, more than one medical expert has written about the potential long term effects of COVID19, including neurological, cardiac, and cognitive effects. That's why it's important to avoid getting the infection at all. It is not the flu. It is way more virulent. So, it is truly sad that folks still do not follow all the COVID related protocols (social distance, avoid crowds, wash hands regularly, etc.). And, with mutations of COVID19 on the rise, it is extremely important to get as many people vaccinated as soon as possible because it is not clear how effective the vaccines are vis a vis the COVID mutations.
ReplyDelete130 countries have not given the first vaccine shot yet. This is with us for several decades. Cant stay shut down forever.
ReplyDeleteThat is a completely ridiculous assertion. All that matters is the US and we will be at herd immunity by 2022. We can continue taking a cautious approach for the rest of 2021.
DeleteAlso, their will be more than enough supply to vaccinate the entire world by the end of 2022.
The pandemic will be a thing of the past by 2023.