AFGE has reached an agreement with the Social Security Administration on a plan to return 45,000 employees represented by the union to physical worksites on March 30, although this date is subject to changes in pandemic conditions and further negotiations with agency components.
AFGE and SSA Jan. 19 signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) outlining the phased re-entry process and subsequent component-level meetings.
In November, the agency announced a plan to bring employees back to the office on Jan. 3, but that date was pushed back after SSA acknowledged that the plan was not properly negotiated with its unions.
“I want to thank everyone who participated in the bargaining process for all of their hard work and contributions to get us to this agreement,” said Rich Couture, chief negotiator for the union on the re-entry plans and president of AFGE Council 215, which represents Office of Hearing Operations employees.
“This agreement is only the first step, but we now have a path forward to begin reopening SSA offices and worksites in a manner that protects both the health and safety of employees and the public we serve,” Couture said.
Here are the highlights of the MOU:
1. Re-entry date is March 30, 2022. The agency will inform the employees if re-entry is postponed for any reason.
2. Component level meetings must begin by Feb. 1, 2022, and be complete by March 1, 2022. AFGE councils, which represent various groups of SSA employees, need to reach out to their agency component counterparts ASAP to get their meetings scheduled. The purpose of the meetings is to discuss component level issues, including re-entry safety concerns. AFGE SSA councils may request to bargain over issues not agreed upon during the component meetings. Anything not resolved through those meetings could be subject to a union bargaining demand.
3. Local management will complete the telework process prior to re-entry. The agency will inform employees when they can sign up for telework.
4. Our union and SSA will meet within 60 days to bargain over transit and parking subsidy increases to help with commuting costs.
5. Employees, contractors, and visitors to SSA facilities will be required to wear masks regardless of their vaccination status, except where prohibited by law.
6. The agency recognizes employees may need accommodation during and after the re-entry process. Reasonable accommodation requests will be expedited and won’t be denied to meet deadlines or entry dates.
7. If employees have COVID, they may use personal leave if they cannot work, or be allowed to telework temporarily if they are able to work and if portable work if available. They may also be granted weather and safety leave until they no longer have symptoms or COVID has been ruled out by a medical provider.
8. The agency allows a 15-minute grace period for employees entering the facility to go through safety protocols. Rare occurrences of tardiness of less than one hour are allowed to help employees adjust their commute.
“This agreement will save lives, help to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, give us the forum necessary to resolve component-specific issues prior to re-entry, and secures additional flexibilities and protections for employees that they would not otherwise have had,” Couture added.
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