A third-party arbitrator is ordering the Social Security Administration to restore telework for many of its employees, after the agency indefinitely suspended workplace flexibilities under the Trump administration.
The arbitrator, in an order signed on Wednesday, directed SSA to restore telework for employees represented by the American Federation of Government Employees. The ruling brings back telework to levels that had been in place before mid-March 2025. …
The arbitrator’s ruling won’t have an immediate impact on SSA’s workforce. An SSA spokesperson said in a statement that the agency “strongly disagrees with today’s flawed decision,” and will appeal it to the Federal Labor Relations Authority, which has a majority of Trump appointees. …
Mar 12, 2026
Arbitrator Orders Telework Restored But Don’t Expect It To Happen Anytime Soon
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Telework will be restored in the next Democratic administration. Elections have consequences.
Isn’t the FLRA nonfunctional until the rotting orange appoints more members?
The agency argued that “temporarily suspending” can be indefinite. This is obviously wrong, as the arbitrator found, but since the agency has the upper hand here (don’t have to grant telework while they appeal the decision), the win doesn’t really matter. Good luck to the agency with retaining anyone for any length of time.
Anyone who is asking questions (looking at you Congress) about the state of the agency really needs to get stats on retention. Not just hiring, but actual retention. I guarantee that stat will be pretty alarming.
When are you all going to realize that the SSA does not want to retain employees?
At the moment a majority of both chambers are nothing but happy to see SSA shrink and fail. Enjoy all the reaping, boomers who voted for this!
Yes, and when they cannot meet their hiring expectations, they’re going to wonder why.
Doesn't our "current" telework union contract just state that we have the right to telework buts it's up to component heads to determine how many days? So even if this isn't appealed (yea right) all the chiefs have to do is say zero days (as im sure Frank would tell them to).
No one's ever going to accept public facing jobs teleworking. And, like it or not, there is always someone looking for a job. Especially at federal pay levels
FYI - I am a Boomer and I most certainly did not votes for these clowns on steroids.
Around 40% of SSA employees aren’t even paid a livable wage. That includes most of the positions that SSA will be hiring for in the foreseeable future. So maybe we can get people who are desperate for a job, but we will not be getting the best and the brightest nor will we be getting a lot of good quality people who will stay for a long time. They will probably spend most of their time with SSA looking for a better paying job, and leave the second an opportunity comes along that is a little bit better in terms of pay or flexibilities.
@2:39 no. It says that existing levels of telework (as of 11/2025) had to be maintained through 2029
What’s more a slap in the face is that unlike HUD arbitration award, there is no “pay back” for cost of making us RTO in SSA arbitration award.
So they could just keep delaying it with appeals and other things and ultimately do nothing to make up for it in the end even if we do win all appeals.
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