From Bloomberg News:
A Biden administration appointee has agreed to lock in hybrid work protections for tens of thousands of Social Security staff, part of a slew of organized labor efforts that complicate President-elect Donald Trump's efforts to reshape the federal workforce.
The American Federation of Government Employees, a union representing 42,000 Social Security Administration workers, reached an agreement with the agency last week that will protect telework until 2029 in an updated contract, according to a message to its members viewed by Bloomberg.
The new deal, signed by President Joe Biden’s just-departed SSA Commissioner Martin O’Malley, will let workers “maintain current levels of telework,” AFGE chapter president Rich Couture wrote. …
A US president "can't just set aside lawfully signed collective bargaining agreements, without the unions' agreement," Indiana University law professor Kenneth G. Dau-Schmidt said via email. "The US government has to live up to its agreements, too.
13 comments:
That's dirty.
"The US government has to live up to its agreements, too." LOL. Ask the Indigenous peoples how that worked out.
Would those 42,000 employees retain union representation if all of their positions were reclassified as Schedule F?
Yeah these executive orders and creative last minute contract negotiations are not going to save telework at SSA. It might buy workers some time, but executive orders can be reversed on day 1, and the new Administration will fast track legal cases like this to a friendly Supreme Court pushing for a unitary executive constitutional framework.
There are any number of Judicial or Legislative means to render this contract null and void. But I also doubt it will be priority in the first year...so its not a totally wasted effort.
No, trying to destroy the government by needlessly and deliberately making it an undesirable place to work is dirty. And poor management. Trying to prevent that from happening is good governance.
Of course, I’m unsurprised another Trumper wingnut can’t see the difference.
So I’m not an attorney but I know many of you are. What weight does this have? How does an executive order compare to a CBA? I know the CBA binds the agency from itself, but it doesn’t bind the executive branch does it? If Trump wants to order SSA employee back to the office, how would that work? Does this go to court, the FLRA impass board, etc? What, if anything, does this action by the agency and O’Malley do?
The one great thing OMalley did on his way out ! Nice job
SSA and AFGE just put a bullseye on telework and it’s employees. Republicans will control all chambers of the government next year and they want to phase out Social Security benefits according to Mike Lee with Elon Musk concurring. This contract will up in court and meanwhile Republicans will try to tear down this once proud agency.
AFGE was asleep at the switch last time Trump was President. Operations
telework was terminated by Commissioner Saul and Grace Kim, as soon as a new contract started which gave them power to do so.
That power is taken away with the new contract in 2024. I’m glad AFGE was on top of the issue this time.
I'm afraid that @11:55 is mostly wrong but correct about the bullseye. All of those employees will be reclassified as Schedule F or the SSA HQ will be relocated to a remote outpost north of the Arctic Circle.
Bloomberg ran a follow-up article on the outrage related to this contract. The chair of House Oversight is now pushing legislation to force return to offices, and a prominent Hedge Fund mamager (and donor) called this agreement 'untenable' on X. Bullseye now in place.
Don't forget the government promise of forty acres and mule.
@5:20 The Bloomberg article is behind a paywall, but here is a link The Hill's version: https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5020881-comer-show-up-act-federal-employees/
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