From Federal News Network (emphasis added):
The Social Security Administration remains on track to bring most of its employees back into the office on March 30, and plans to increase in-person service to the public, including walk-in service to customers without an appointment, starting in early April.
SSA leadership, however, anticipates higher than normal wait times for customers seeking assistance for at least the first month of the agency opening its doors to walk-in traffic.
SSA is looking to hire back retired employees on a temporary basis to assist with crowds expected to line up at its field offices once they accept walk-in customers. ...
The agency plans to hire retirees to work in field offices for up to 30 days, but may extend assignments depending on office needs.
Temporary hires will be paid at a GS-11 base rate of $74,074 a year, plus locality pay based on their location.
SSA retirees accepted for this work will also receive a dual compensation waiver, which will allow agency retirees to continue to draw their full monthly annuity and a full salary with no reduction.
The agency is also offering to cover travel expenses, including lodging and per diem costs, as needed, for SSA retirees who need to work further from home. ...
Eligible retirees must have retired from a non-bargaining unit position and under optional retirement to be eligible for this temporary work. ...
These temporary hires will help field office management oversee reception area operation and lines of visitors waiting for in-person service. SSA said this assignment may include working outside or in adjacent spaces to help manage “overflow lines.” ...
Christie Saunders, the president of the National Treasury Employees Union Chapter 224, said SSA has agreed to its employees to telework up to five days a week, at least through the end of a six-month evaluation period.
NTEU Chapter 224 represents attorneys and paralegals that work for SSA’s Office of Hearing Operations. ...
The American Federation of Government Employees Council 220, however, describes negotiations with SSA leadership that have been more contentious and less productive. ...
AFGE Council 220 Executive Vice President Bill Price said the agency, so far in meetings with the union, has “refused to agree to implement any of our proposed ideas” for a safe return to the office. ...
Yes, I'm sure retired employees will just be lining up to get rehired.
ReplyDeleteWhy would anyone who left that job come back?? Which is why they propose this.
ReplyDeleteThe positions are open for employees who retired from a non bargaining unit position, which means these positions are sweeteners for ex managers and supervisors who retired. The ex-managers will be unable to handle technical work. Many managers micromanage and assign work, and they are unable to process work. Even when SSA proposes a good idea, implementation is poor. This is a giveaway to friends and family, SSA managers want to have old friends to chat with while receiving a pension and pay.
Actually coming back as a rehired retiree can be quite lucrative when pension offset is waived. It is a shame that this is not being offered to retired rank and file. It can be done as long as the new appointment is non-bargaining unit.
ReplyDelete@9:27 am
ReplyDeleteI saw the same thing..."non-bargaining unit" retirees...that will be no help at all.
This agency just can't seem to get anything right.
Let’s be fair here. This is not some way of giving retired managers a nice little pay check. The number one obstacle to the field offices reopening has been the Union. Is it any surprise the agency isn’t opening this up to bargaining unit employees??
ReplyDeleteA retired Technical expert in our office was offered this deal back in February and is starting this month. So maybe they offered this to bargaining unit employees and not enough jumped at the bait.
ReplyDeleteBringing back retired managers to perform duties as Walmart Greeters? A genius move. How about hiring actual technicians that can process work?
ReplyDelete1144 am..
ReplyDeleteThe employees who get called back would not be in the bargaining unit anymore. They are retired employees. The offer is a giveaway to managers who are retired. I wholeheartedly disagree the union has been the main obstacle. The main obstacle in reopening is SSA management which is incompetent and sadistic. They are as effective at running the agency as Vladimir Putin is in managing the ridiculous war in Ukraine. They cannot do anything right and they are embarrassing themselves all the time.
It's not a surprise at all, it's just that the people coming back for the money can't help process the work so there's that issue. But hey, more management is exactly what the agency was in desperate need of anyway...so it's a win win for the government and the public!!!
ReplyDeleteThis would have been really helpful except non-bargaining means nobody who retired as a CS can coke back to help, which is desperately needed. I was on a cross-regional call with RC’s from our triad discussing current new hires and the attrition rate of failure rate in training. It is bad. With some exceptions we are getting people who can’t handle the position and are definitely not of the quality applicants used to be. Managers say they are hiring the best from their lists, but those hires are not nearly as competitive as the past. Couple that with the defections from RO and HQ staff to other agencies and leadership is starting to realize we are not competitive as an agency any more in recruitment and retaining talent. And training is hard, it’s a complicated job in the FO, but it’s not as hard as the real job and there is certainly a gap that isn’t going to be filled any time soon.
ReplyDeleteJust what we need , more supervisors and managers to pile on work . The pay for NY is $ 76,961 including locality, The agency should consider using retired CTE's , letting them work remotely on listings and back logs , while the young and healthy handle the front lines.
ReplyDeleteThis was asked of me back in February. It was from a different Area Director, but in the same region. They were only offering part-time for an office that had a spate of retirements which would be a 80-90 minute commute one-way. I immediately passed on the offer because I was not that desperate or bored, but it might be of interest to know that this is not something being considered for all major offices (one of which is less than 5 minutes from my home), and it may only be part-time.
ReplyDeleteDid anyone making comments read the memo? This is not technical work. This is something akin to crowd control. Using non-bargaining unit retirees probably means that SSA does not have to run this past the Union. I'm retired. Have no desire to work a full day, 5 days a week plus commuting even if it is only for 4-6 weeks. Might consider if it were at the office across the street from me but even then I doubt it.
ReplyDelete@ 10:07 pm
ReplyDeleteYes, we all read the memo which is why we’re all commenting that this is a stupid move by the agency.
"Higher than normal wait time for at least the first month?"
ReplyDeleteWith the limitations they are putting on the number of people who can be in the lobby at a time and with the number of people that will be out teleworking, they will be lucky if the "higher than normal wait time" goes away within a year of the pandemic being declared over. Which, it is looking like at minimum won't happen until the Republicans take the White House again.
At least they are keeping the lobby drop boxes in the offices that have them, so people that are just needing to drop stuff off without need of an interview can continue to do so.
As a SSI,who is gratefull that I have it, I totally trust the SSA!!
ReplyDeleteAgree - rehiring retired management employees for dual pay + pension is a giveaway deal for friends to hire friends. No wonder SSA's operational budget request was cut - this nonsense goes on all the time. It's not about public service for management - it's about self-service.
ReplyDeleteHere's a thought SSA. Maybe hire elderly outside of any prior affiliation. There are plenty of elderly who would like to work at the SSA on a part time temp basis. I see many hired at Wal-Mart and Home Depot. Why not the SSA?
ReplyDeleteBargaining unit employees cannot be in the lobby per their Contract. That’s why it has to be a non bargaining employee.
ReplyDelete@5:44
ReplyDeleteMaybe be there is a world of difference in hiring an older person for an unskilled or low-end semiskilled job at Walmart or Home Depot and training them to do a skilled, technical position? What are they going to do at SSA? Be a greeter?
Essentially, these rehires will be greeters. The agency has put out repeated solicitations to current non-bargaining employees to volunteer for FO details to perform crowd control duties in FO lobbies, etc. The agency didn't get any takers from current employees for this b.s. job. Thus, they have had to solicit retirees.
ReplyDeleteI am surprised that FO employees are not screaming bloody murder about this! How stupid and insensitive can Operations leadership be? SSA is willing to spend a lot of money for "professional greeters" when that money could be used to pay retired qualified technicians that can actually process the work and assist with answering phone calls and questions from the public. Waiting rooms are going to be overflowing because offices have been closed for a very long time. Having a greeter is not going to clear them out any faster. Go that extra mile to get rehired annuitants that can actually do the work - that would benefit everyone.
ReplyDeleteBut this is what you get when you have Operations leadership that has no field office experience: no empathy for the public or for the technicians and management who are trying to do their jobs.
As a retired T16 TE, I would go back to clean up the messes I know are there if I got that waiver. Nice chunk of money and can remodel my kitchen afterwards. Most of my retired friends would not do it though.
ReplyDeleteIt will take managerial skills to prioritize the types of people in the lines outside the offices when they open up. Even five years ago, in my old office, the opening line was long and supervisors were out helping people get sorted quickly. Different employees have different skills and the supervisors know who can solve what problem. At least there should be systems controls set for actions needed. Just a 30 day job.