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Executive Order Busting Unions 03-27-2025

March 28th, 2025 | Posted by admin in DOGE | Executive Orders | JOIN AFGE - (0 Comments)

Members,

The White House issued an executive order (https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/exclusions-from-federal-labor-management-relations-programs/ ) declaring many federal agencies as excluded from collective bargaining per an overly broad application of the national security exclusions of the federal service labor management relations statute, 5 USC 7103(b)(1). Most of the Social Security Administration is not listed in or affected by the new EO, except for the Office of Chief Information Officer. 

The related OPM guidance (https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/latest-memos/guidance-on-executive-order-exclusions-from-federal-labor-management-programs.pdf )  also issued also indicates that SSA (except OCIO) is not covered by the new EO. The OPM guidance further states that certain actions to change performance rules, abandon grievance procedures, etc. cannot be done until a CBA expires or is terminated in connection with the EO. As such, our CBA remains in force, and if it is violated, we will respond accordingly.

AFGE has emailed all members encouraging them to convert to eDues. Our locals should strongly consider doing so, especially given proposed legislation to eliminate payroll deduction. 

AFGE will be responding to this unprecedented attack on union and employee rights. Now more than ever, we need solidarity among ourselves here at SSA, and with our union siblings across AFGE and the rest of the civil service. We must remain vigilant and speak out to protect our rights and against the attacks on our siblings. Everyone needs to be active legislatively, in organizing our workplaces and our communities, and in rallying for our rights- to tell our story and to inform the public how these actions will impact their services and their lives.

In solidarity,

General Committee Spokesperson

AFGE Litigation updates 03/26/2025

March 26th, 2025 | Posted by admin in DOGE | TeleWork | Uncategorized - (0 Comments)

The AFGE General Committee wanted to provide a quick update.

1. National Telework Grievances: In response to the telework terminations, first in OCIO and then in the rest of the agency, the Union has filed an updated national union-management grievance to address the new facts (available upon request). We are seeking a decision within the contractual period of ten days, and will move the case ahead as expeditiously as possible. The original grievance is currently pending arbitration. We will consider the full situation after receipt of the agency’s decision in the updated case and will keep you updated. AFGE General Counsel’s Office is representing the General Committee in both matters. In the meantime, employees should be encouraged to keep records and logs of the costs they are incurring as a result of the return-to-office order as evidence for potential relief/damages, especially commuting costs, child care costs, etc. More soon.

2. EEO Issues: The Union asserts that the Agency’s closure of the Office of Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity (OCREO) is not compliant with applicable law, regulation, and contract provisions. We have raised the issues with the Agency to give them an attempt to cure the issues, which they haven’t. We are exploring all options to bring the Agency back into compliance should they not do so voluntarily. What we know at this time is that Sean Brune, Deputy Commissioner for Mission Support, has been designated as the Agency’s EEO Director, in an attempt to bring the agency into compliance with EEOC regs that require an EEO Director that reports to the Agency head. While that appears to check a box for the EEOC regs, as a practical matter, we do not believe that position (which oversees an already large component) will afford the time and attention necessary to effectively oversee the Agency’s EEO program. Additionally, we don’t know how much staff have been assigned EEO functions, whether they’re trained, etc. This is especially true for trained EEO counselors, for which we have sought information on whether there are any left after OCREO was closed and who they are. EEOC regs require that the Agency post the names, phone numbers, and addresses of its EEO counselors, unless the process is centralized, in which case a phone number and address are required. The Agency has only provided an anonymous email address: ssa.eeo@ssa.gov. Further, the Agency has not provided actual notice of who is overseeing the National Reasonable Accommodation Coordinator process, which still exists, and how many staff are assigned RA functions. Again, only an email address has been formally provided to the Union (^OMS Reasonable Accommodation). The Acting Commissioner has said that managers should be “permissive” and “use common sense” in approving RAs in the meantime.

As we explore options, it is critical that employees adversely impacted by the OCREO closure speak to their locals/councils, provide them with contact information and at least a summary of their situation, and permission to share that information with the General Committee and its agents. Some of the situations we are interested in are as follows: employees with discrimination allegations who needed to initiate an EEO counseling request but did not have an EEO counselor to contact; employees with pending EEO counseling requests and/or ADR mediation cases that became stuck because of the OCREO closure; unnecessary delays in the processing of EEO counseling requests due to OCREO closure; failure to initiate an investigation for an EEO complaint because of OCREO closure; failure to receive a timely Report of Investigation (ROI); agency requests for extensions of timeframes due to their inability to meet timeframes because of the OCREO closure. This is not an exhaustive list.

Time is of the essence. Please seek out this information and report it up through appropriate union channels.

3. Ongoing Reorganizational Issues: Approximately 2,700 SSA employees took the VSIP. We don’t yet know how that was spread across components, but will find out. The GC will be negotiating over VERA and VSIP very soon, so please share adverse impact issues with your councils. We also have finally received confirmation as to which components have been deemed as “mission critical” by the Agency, which are as follows:  

Operations (DCO):

*Field Offices (FO);

*Teleservice Centers (TSC);

*Program Service Centers (PSC);

*Workload Support Units (WSU);

*Office of Central Operations (OCO);

*DCO Disability Processing Unit (DPU)/Disability Processing Branch (DPB) & Special Disability Unit (SDU);

*DCO Area Director & FO; and

*Other DCO Positions: Public Affairs Specialist (PAS), Area Systems Coordinator (ASC), Area Work Incentive Coordinator (AWIC)

Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS)

Office of Hearings Operations (DCHO):

*Hearings Offices; and

*National Service Delivery organization except Front Office and Administrative Staff

• Office of Quality Review (OQR) field sites

• Office of Appellate Operations (OAO)

• Office of the General Counsel (OGC): Office of Program Litigation (OPL)

• Identified Reemployed Annuitants (RA) (At-will Re-Employed Annuitants who receive an annuity from the Civil Service Retirement Fund)

• Employees on Intermittent work schedules (INT)

 The Agency “has not identified any other units as mission critical. The Agency has not compiled a list of non-mission critical units.” The Union is pushing for that list.

More soon.

AFGE GENERAL COMMITTEE SPOKESPERSON

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RISE UP – FIGHT BACK — APRIL 5TH

March 24th, 2025 | Posted by admin in Uncategorized - (0 Comments)
Join the the Chicago Federation of Labor, Equality Illinois, Indivisible Chicago Alliance, Personal PAC, Sierra Club Illinois, and other supporters on April 5 to rally and march to protest Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and the Trump Administration’s catastrophic attacks on our nation and the world.

The rally and march, which will be held as part of the Hands Off national day of action, will urge local residents to rise up and fight back for what we believe in here in Chicago. This is intended to be a nonviolent, broad-based action bringing together people from many different causes and issue areas, as the attacks from Trump have impacted us all.

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TELEWORK UPDATES 03/13/2025

March 13th, 2025 | Posted by admin in Contract | Did you know? | DOGE | KNOW YOUR CONTRACT | TeleWork | Uncategorized - (0 Comments)

On Thursday, March 13, 2025 (12:15pm) the AFGE General Committee Spokesperson released a email to Union officials with a summary of the Morning Meeting with Acting Commissioner Dudek and the the leadership of the three (3) SSA Unions.

This is a summary of the discussions on RTO and Telework:

At the top of the meeting, I raised the recent telework terminations at OCIO, and stated that the terminations will induce attrition that will threaten systems stability and knowledge transfer of SSA’s aging and fragile systems. I reiterated that telework terminations for other SSA components, especially the frontlines (FO, TSC, WSU, OHO, OAO, OQR, etc.), would be inconsistent with the Administration’s exemptions from the hiring freeze EO, deferred resignations, and probationary terminations because telework elimination would cause catastrophic attrition at a time when we are already at the lowest staffing levels in 50 years serving more Americans than ever, and that such attrition would lead to service collapse.

In response, the Acting Commissioner stated that he would honor union contracts, and stated that the OCIO telework cuts are only temporary because there are time-limited projects that he believed were best served through in-person collaboration. I stated that the problem is that OCIO employees received an HRIC telling them that their telework was terminated, and that their supervisors served them with termination notices, which suggests that the cuts were not temporary. I also stated that, agencywide, management did not solicit their employees for new telework agreements as required by the contract every February and August, which does not create the appearance that the Agency is honoring the contract. Mr. Dudek reiterated that he would honor the contracts and that there he has no plan or intention to permanently eliminate telework. I stated that actions must be taken to correct the record. I will be following up with OLMER on this matter.

Mr. Dudek also reiterated his statement that he would adhere to the contracts in response to questions from the AALJ. This is an apparent change in position from the prior emails employees have received since January, and we will do everything to ensure that the Agency follows through.

On Thursday, March 13, 2025 (3:55pm) the Agency released the following notice to AFGE General committee Spokesperson:

Dear Mr. Couture,
This is informational notice that in accordance with Article 41, Section 5.C. of the 2019 SSA/AFGE National Agreement, the Social Security Administration is suspending telework effective March 16, 2025, for all AFGE bargaining unit employees with the exception of employees in the Office of Hearings Operations, and the Office of Financial Policy and Program Integrity. All effected AFGE employees must return to work in-person at their respective duty stations on a full-time basis unless excused due to a disability, qualifying medical condition, or other compelling reason certified by the agency head and the employee’s supervisor.

Eddie Taylor
Associate Commissioner
Office of Labor-Management and Employe Relations

On Thursday, March 13, 2025 (4:01 pm) the Agency released the following notice to SSA Bargaining Unit

From: ^Human Resources Internal Communications <Human.Resources.Internal.Communications@ssa.gov>
Sent: Thursday, March 13, 2025 4:01 PM
Subject: Bargaining Unit Employees – Return to In-Person Work

A Message to All Employees

Subject:  Bargaining Unit Employees – Return to In-Person Work

On Monday, January 20, 2025, President Trump issued a Presidential Memorandum (PM) requiring all employees to return to work in-person full time.  This message serves as your official notice that your telework agreement will be suspended effective March 16, 2025, with all employees expected to return to work in-person full time on March 17, 2025. 

*AFGE’s position that the Agency is in violation of the AFGE/SSA Negotiated Agreement.

*AFGE is in consultation with our Legal team for guidance on an effective response/litigation plan.

*Employees should return to work as directed.

*AFGE will continue to update as information becomes available.

*We urge all employees including friends and family to contact the legislative representative with your concerns.

SSA Response 03/03/2025 12:14 pm

March 3rd, 2025 | Posted by admin in Did you know? | DOGE | Uncategorized - (0 Comments)

From: Couture, Richard <

To: MEMBERS

Sent: Monday, March 3, 2025 at 12:14:51 PM CST

Subject: RE: SSA Guidance on What Did You Do Last Week? Part II Email

Good afternoon,

The Agency has confirmed that they are maintaining their current position with respect to their mandate that employees respond to the OPM email. Employees should comply as best as possible under the circumstances, consistent with AFGE guidance, as noted below.

We will be preparing and filing litigation. More soon.

Rich

From: Couture, Richard
Sent: Monday, March 3, 2025 10:41 AM
TO: MEMBERS
Subject: FW: SSA Guidance on What Did You Do Last Week? Part II Email
Importance: High

Good morning,

Please see below. Unless and until the Agency reconsiders, employees should prepare replies to the OPM email and cc their supervisors, per the Agency’s order, though hold on sending until later today, just in case there is a change in position. Should it become necessary to send before the end of their shift, employees should do so. AFGE provided guidance on preparing emails under order from agencies to private email over the weekend.

Employees should also prepare impact statements and other evidence to share up the Union ladder to locals and up to councils, covering both last week’s email as well as today’s email, and any subsequent weekly emails. We will be collecting this information to further support bargaining and litigation.

We will be preparing additional guidance and information to share soon.

Rich

AFGE Guidance 03/03/2025 10:41am

March 3rd, 2025 | Posted by admin in Did you know? | DOGE - (0 Comments)

From: Couture, Richard <Richard.Couture@ssa.gov>
Sent: Monday, March 3, 2025 10:41 AM
Subject: FW: SSA Guidance on What Did You Do Last Week? Part II Email
Importance: High

Good morning,

Please see below. Unless and until the Agency reconsiders, employees should prepare replies to the OPM email and cc their supervisors, per the Agency’s order, though hold on sending until later today, just in case there is a change in position. Should it become necessary to send before the end of their shift, employees should do so. AFGE provided guidance on preparing emails under order from agencies to private email over the weekend.

Employees should also prepare impact statements and other evidence to share up the Union ladder to locals and up to councils, covering both last week’s email as well as today’s email, and any subsequent weekly emails. We will be collecting this information to further support bargaining and litigation.

We will be preparing additional guidance and information to share soon.

Rich

From: Couture, Richard
Sent: Monday, March 3, 2025 9:48 AM
To: Dudek, Leland C. <Leland.C.Dudek@ssa.gov>
Cc: Felix-Lawson, Florence <Florence.Felix-Lawson@ssa.gov>; Taylor, Eddie <Eddie.Taylor@ssa.gov>
Subject: FW: SSA Guidance on What Did You Do Last Week? Part II Email
Importance: High

Good morning, Acting Commissioner Dudek,

I am writing to request that the Agency reconsider its decision that mandates the entire SSA workforce respond to the OPM “What Did You Do Last Week” email today and on an ongoing weekly basis. First, this effort is largely duplicative, given that SSA maintains robust management information systems that track and monitor virtually all workloads performed by SSA employees, especially those components and positions represented by AFGE. Through the use of those systems, SSA management is able to see, in real time or near-real time, employee productivity and engage in performance discussions and performance management as they deem necessary. Information from those systems can be translated into reports by the Agency to the Administration explaining how SSA is meeting mission-critical service needs as well as advancing the Administration’s priorities. Indeed, several Cabinet departments are taking such an approach.

Second, this reporting requirement will impact and impede productivity individually and in the aggregate. While it may be asserted that replying to the emails should only take 15 minutes or so, each reply constitutes approximately 14,250 work hours spent on preparing and submitting the reply, or around 741,000 work hours per year, based on a 15-minute assumption for all 57,000 employees. That figure does not consider managers spending time reading those replies. This will be a drag on productivity, and disrupt employee concentration on getting their work done, which would also impact performance.

Third, the timing of the emails poses other practical problems that could cost the Agency and significantly impact employees. For example, OPM has sent the emails to employees after most employees (at least in Eastern time zone) have signed off for the weekend, giving them a short turnaround window to respond on Mondays. Many employees are on leave or not scheduled to work on Mondays due to alternate work schedules, which could put the Agency on the hook for additional compensation it likely does not have the budget for, such as overtime. This would obviously be disruptive for employees not scheduled to work on Mondays and their personal lives.

Further, the Agency’s requirement that employees be required to respond weekly carves out no exceptions for employees who are on leave or otherwise not on duty, especially for periods of a week or more, or are otherwise unable to respond for other reasons. Again, this could lead to compensation issues, but there are other matters such as whether the employee would be required to bring their agency laptops with them if traveling, whether they are even allowed to do so if out of the country, and the general disruption to their personal lives (especially situations such as illness, medical care, bereavement, etc.).

Finally, the mandate poses the risk of discipline and other actions that would impact employees and their employment if employees do not comply, or if replies are determined to be lacking (e.g., specificity, number of bullet points, etc.).

For these reasons and more, please reconsider the Agency’s decision to mandate these replies and instead have the Agency prepare weekly reports based upon agency MI data, similar to the steps being taken by other agencies. If the Agency insists upon maintaining this decision, AFGE wants to bargain over the impact and implementation of this decision, and that the Agency would need to cease and desist from taking further action until such time as it has met its duty to bargain under 5 USC 71 and Article 4 of the SSA-AFGE National Agreement. If the latter, please have your designee contact me to make necessary arrangements.

Thank you.

Rich Couture

Spokesperson

AFGE SSA General Committee

From: ^Human Resources Internal Communications <Human.Resources.Internal.Communications@ssa.gov>
Sent: Sunday, March 2, 2025 4:06 PM
Subject: SSA Guidance on What Did You Do Last Week? Part II EmailA Message to All SSA Employees

AFGE Guidance 03/02/2025

March 2nd, 2025 | Posted by admin in Did you know? | DOGE | National Updates - (0 Comments)

Dear Member,

Many of you have already received, or will soon receive, another email titled “What did you do last week Part II?” This email may come from a U.S. Office of Personnel Management (“OPM”) email address, hr@opm.gov, or from your agency directly. The email requests federal employees to respond with approximately five bullet points detailing their work over the past week. The email also may ask employees to report their weekly activities each Monday by 11:59pm ET. No explanation has been provided regarding how this information will be used or why it is being requested.

AFGE strongly believes that OPM lacks the authority to direct the assignment of work to agency employees in this manner. In the meantime, AFGE continues to advise all federal employees to seek guidance from their supervisor on whether and how to respond, including the type of information that may be disseminated to OPM.

If you received the email directly from your agency, you should comply consistent with the email, unless directed otherwise. If you received the email from OPM, you should comply if directed by your supervisor or other agency management in your chain of command, consistent with any guidance provided by your agency. If your agency has informed you that you should not respond, you should comply with that directive. Similarly, if you have not received any guidance from your agency, we reiterate our advice from last weekend that you should ask your supervisor whether you should respond and, if so, how. Until you receive a response or other agency directive to respond, we do not believe you have any obligation to respond to an email from OPM.

AFGE will continue to monitor the situation and provide further updates as necessary. Separate guidance for local leaders will be issued on Monday.

In solidarity,

Everett Kelley

AFGE National President

AFGE Suggestions

February 28th, 2025 | Posted by admin in Did you know? | DOGE - (0 Comments)

All employees should obtain a hard copy and/or electronic copy of:

From your e-7B FILE

*FY 2025 Mid term Discussion

From your e-OPF File

*1st SF-50 (showing start date of Federal Service)

*last SF-50 (probably shows COLA)

*Any SF-50 generated for an award

In addition, visit Employee Express and select the option to MAIL your W-2.

NOTE: you are allowed to email your own personal PII, (your name, address, ssn) to your personal email address. If a security pop up box comes up you must select that this is MY Personal Information.

AFGE Contact INFO:

call/text 833-575-1395

Message from AFGE/SSA General Committee 02/28/2025

February 28th, 2025 | Posted by admin in Did you know? | DOGE | Your Rights - (0 Comments)

The Union has submitted a bargaining demand (including a cease and desist) and information request in response to last night’s HRIC threatening massive reorganization, elimination of offices and positions, and reduction-in-force (RIFs). The Agency is offering several things in advance of any such actions, including voluntary early retirement (VERA), voluntary reassignment to mission critical positions, and voluntary separation incentive payments (VSIP). The HRIC email raises more questions than it answers, such as what offices/positions/functions are considered mandated by statute or mission critical, and which are not? What happens if there is a lapse in appropriations after March 14, 2025, which is also the deadline for employees to make decisions? We are working to get these answers and more ASAP so employees can make the most informed decisions possible.

In the meantime, employees should remember that the deadline is 3/14/2025, so there is not an immediate need to rush to make any decisions today, tomorrow, or next week. Employees should closely review the links provided in the emails regarding the eligibility and potential payback requirements of the options. For example, employees taking the VSIP would face repayment obligations and restrictions on federal hiring for five years:

An employee who receives a VSIP and later accepts employment for compensation with the Government of the United States within 5 years of the date of the separation on which the VSIP is based, including work under a personal services contract or other direct contract, must repay the entire amount of the VSIP to the agency that paid it – before the individual’s first day of reemployment.

Additionally, employees should use the GRB platform, linked in the HRIC, to review their retirement options, as well as their potential severance pay that they could possibly receive in the event of a RIF. You can find the severance pay calculator at the bottom of the retirement estimate page. Severance pay could be as high as a full year’s salary, depending on length of service, pay rate, and other factors as set by statute. Of course, none of this should be considered financial guidance, and we strongly encourage that you consult financial/retirement advisors for assistance as necessary before making decisions.

We continue to face uncertain, stressful times. AFGE is resolute in defending our workforce, our offices, and our ability to carry out our mission to serve the public. More soon.

SSA DISMANTLES EEO DEPARTMENT

February 26th, 2025 | Posted by admin in Did you know? | DOGE - (0 Comments)

SSA Press Release

Tuesday, February 25, 2025
For Immediate Release

Mark Hinkle, Press Officer
press.office@ssa.gov

Social Security Dissolves Duplicative Office
Action is Another Step to Enhance Operations

The Social Security Administration today announced the closing of a component within the agency, the Office of Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity. Employees in this office will be put on administrative leave effective today.

“Our focus is supporting President Trump’s priorities, which include streamlining functions and prioritizing essential work,” said Lee Dudek, Acting Commissioner of Social Security. “Terminating the Office of Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity, and reassigning statutory responsibilities performed by this office, advances the President’s goal to make all of government more efficient in serving the American public.”

SSA will transfer responsibility for processing Equal Employment Opportunity complaints, reasonable accommodation requests, and other statutorily required functions to other SSA components to ensure compliance with existing legal authorities.

To learn about other changes the agency has made, visit Social Security Eliminates Wasteful Department and Social Security Announces Change to Improve Agency Operations and Strengthen Protections.

Read Acting Commissioner Dudek’s statement on his commitment to transparency and protecting benefits and information.