On January 29, 2025 via e-mail to AFGE General Committee SSA rescinded the January 23, 2025 directive that all employees return to their Official Duty Station 5 days per week.
Updates on Telework
January 30th, 2025 | Posted by in JOIN AFGE | TeleWork | Uncategorized - (0 Comments)AFGE Analysis of Executive Orders (EO)
January 23rd, 2025 | Posted by in Contract | Did you know? | Events | Executive Orders | KNOW YOUR CONTRACT | National Updates - (0 Comments)Trump 2.0 EO Breakdown
Schedule Political/Career (PC) Executive Order
Soundbites:
- “This action will transform the professional civil service into an army of political appointees loyal to Trump, not their mission.”
- “It dismantles the merit-based civil service, jeopardizing professionalism and impartiality.”
Key Details:
- Creates a hiring authority in the excepted service (Schedule PC) for policy-influencing decisions.
- Could make hundreds of thousands of non-partisan roles into at-will positions.
- Purports to remove due process protections and collective bargaining rights.
Legal Analysis:
Nothing in this Executive Order, as written, should abrogate existing collective bargaining agreements (CBAs), which remain in full force and effect. If agencies attempt to violate CBAs, unions should notify their Districts, Councils, and AFGE National. Members are encouraged to comply and grieve to ensure rights are upheld.
President Kelley:
“This order is a blatant attempt to corrupt the federal government by removing protections for workers, making them answerable only to one man.”
Return to Worksite Directive
Soundbites:
- “Telework isn’t new—over half of federal employees never worked remotely, even during the pandemic.”
- “Smart telework enhances productivity, recruitment, and retention. Rolling it back disrupts operations and progress.”
Key Details:
- Directive allows agencies discretion in implementation, with no specific timeline.
- Hybrid schedules negotiated in contracts remain binding.
Legal Analysis:
This directive does not, as written, violate collective bargaining agreements. Hybrid telework schedules detailed in CBAs remain legally binding. Should agencies implement policies contrary to CBAs, unions must notify their Districts, Councils, and AFGE National, comply, and grieve.
President Kelley:
“This directive undoes decades of workplace progress. Rather than regressing, we urge the administration to focus on improving government programs for the public.”
Federal Hiring Freeze Memorandum
Soundbites:
- “The federal workforce hasn’t grown since the 1970s, while the U.S. population has skyrocketed.”
- “Freezing hiring worsens workforce shortages and skills gaps, undermining vital services.”
Key Details:
- Freezes civilian hiring for up to 90 days, with exceptions for national security and public safety roles.
- Prohibits outsourcing to circumvent the freeze.
Legal Analysis:
The hiring freeze does not, on its face, abrogate CBAs. However, agencies’ implementation must align with negotiated agreements. If violations occur, unions should escalate to their Districts, Councils, and AFGE National, ensuring compliance and filing grievances as necessary.
President Kelley:
“This isn’t about efficiency—it’s about chaos and targeting patriotic Americans. These actions only harm the services the public relies on.”
Targeting DEI Programs
Soundbites:
- “Merit-based systems require fairness for all, ensuring opportunity regardless of background.”
- “Federal agencies have the lowest gender and racial pay gaps because hiring decisions are based on ability, not bias.”
Key Details:
- Ends all DEI initiatives and reviews federal employment practices for compliance with the EO.
- Risks undermining workplace equity and military readiness, as per defense leaders.
Legal Analysis:
The EO’s directive to review employment practices must comply with existing CBAs. If agencies attempt to implement changes that conflict with CBAs, unions should notify their Districts, Councils, and AFGE National, comply, and grieve to uphold the negotiated terms.
President Kelley:
“DEI programs promote fairness and build a workforce that mirrors America’s diversity. Their elimination jeopardizes progress and inclusivity.”
Lawsuit Against DOGE
Soundbites:
- “Fairness, accountability, and transparency—these are at the heart of our lawsuit.”
- “Federal employees aren’t the problem; they are the solution. Excluding them threatens good governance.”
Key Details:
- DOGE’s composition excludes federal employees’ voices, violating the Federal Advisory Committee Act.
- AFGE and partners demand fair representation and transparency in government decision-making.
Legal Analysis:
While this lawsuit focuses on transparency and accountability, it is also critical for agencies to honor CBAs. If DOGE-led initiatives infringe on CBA terms, unions should escalate issues to their Districts, Councils, and AFGE National, comply, and grieve.
President Kelley:
“This fight is about fairness and integrity. Federal employees’ voices are crucial to decisions affecting their work and public service.”
Reforming Federal Hiring
Soundbites:
- “Replacing objective criteria with vague ideals is a path to cronyism. Federal jobs should go to the most qualified, not the most connected.”
- “Merit-based hiring ensures federal employees serve the public, not political interests.”
Key Details:
- Proposes subjective hiring criteria tied to “American ideals” and “efficiency,” undermining the current merit-based system.
Legal Analysis:
This EO, as written, does not eliminate protections afforded under CBAs. Should agencies adopt hiring practices inconsistent with CBAs, unions must escalate issues to their Districts, Councils, and AFGE National, comply, and grieve to protect merit-based hiring systems.
President Kelley:
“The federal government already hires and promotes exclusively on the basis of merit. The results are clear: a diverse federal workforce that looks like the nation it serves, with the lowest gender and racial pay gaps in the country. We should all be proud of that.”
AFGE Pushes for 4.5% Pay Raise for Feds in 2025
December 29th, 2024 | Posted by in Budget | COLA | Did you know? | Political - (0 Comments)Source: AFGE Insider
AFGE is urging President Joe Biden to restore pay parity between civilian and military employees by increasing the 2025 pay raise for federal workers from 2% to 4.5%.
Biden has proposed a 2% pay raise for federal workers and 4.5% for military personnel. In a letter spearheaded by AFGE from the Federal Salary Council to Biden, the council urged the president to issue an executive order to give federal workers a 4.5% pay raise with 4% allocated as an across-the-board cost of living adjustment and 0.5% as locality pay supplements that vary by region.
“There is a long tradition of parity in pay adjustments for civilian and military employees of the federal government,” the council wrote in the Nov. 8 letter. “This tradition is rarely broken, and although your Fiscal 2025 Budget proposed just 2% for civilians and 4.5% for the military, we believe that using the occasion of the end-of-year executive order to revert back to this tradition is warranted. President Obama did so in 2016, and we ask that you do the same.”
AFGE President Everett Kelley and Public Policy Director Jacqueline Simon serve as the union’s two presidential appointees on the council, an advisory body that provides recommendations to the administration on the federal employee locality pay program.
AFGE is also working with Congress to push for higher pay.
In a Dec. 11 letter to Biden, a group of 27 Democratic lawmakers from the House and Senate urged the president to restore the bipartisan support for pay parity across the federal workforce.
“Although we understand this decision was made under the constraints put in place by the Fiscal Responsibility Act caps, we believe it is imperative you revise your budget to align military and civilian employee pay raises,” they wrote. “Specifically, we request you issue a revised alternative pay plan seeking a 4.5% pay increase for the entire federal workforce, including military and civilian employees alike.”
The lawmakers noted that both military and civilian employees work hard to keep us safe and provide critical services to the American people.
“Of the federal workforce, more than 2.2 million civilian employees work to ensure resources and services are provided to countless communities across America,” they added. “By aligning military and civilian pay raises for 2025, you will recognize the efforts of the entire federal workforce.”
Biden has until the end of December to finalize the pay raises.
AFGE Continues to Debunk Misconceptions About Federal Workers
December 29th, 2024 | Posted by in Did you know? | Labor History | National Updates | Political | Your Rights - (0 Comments)Source: AFGE Insider
Sen. Joni Ernst, Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy and other politicians have continued to make incorrect statements about the federal workforce. Their statements have eroded their own credibility and are just an attempt at tarnishing the reputations of civil servants to make it easier to fire them and contract out their jobs to for-profit corporations.
We believe that facts matter, and AFGE will continue to debunk these misconceptions as they come in.
Myth:
The federal government is too centralized in the Washington area, and relocating agencies around the country will make it more effective.
Fact:
Just 15% of our nation’s 2 million federal workers live in the Washington, D.C. metro area. The remaining 85% already live across the country, in all 50 states, in big cities and rural areas, on military installations and in our communities, and everywhere in-between.
Myth:
The bloated federal workforce is at an all-time high.
Fact:
Over the past 50 years, the number of federal workers has grown by roughly 6%. At the same time, the U.S. population has increased by 57%. The ratio of federal workers to national population has steadily decreased for the more than a half-century at this point. In 2024, the total federal workforce compensation of $293 billion amounted to just 4.3% of the federal budget. Meanwhile, federal contractors accounted for $759.2 billion, or 11.4%. If federal workers were paid equally to private sector workers, their pay would make up a 10% share of the budget.
Myth:
Federal workers are overpaid.
Fact:
Federal workers earn nearly 25% less than private sector and state and local workers who perform similar jobs.
Myth:
Federal workers don’t seem to understand or care who they work for.
Fact:
About 642,000 federal workers are veterans of the U.S. military. More than half (58%) of all federal workers hold jobs that directly support our troops (Army, Navy, Air Force, DoD), our veterans (VA), or our seniors (SSA, CMS). Federal workers know better than anyone who they work for – the American people – because they devote every single day to delivering vital public services that hundreds of millions of American rely on. They do not cater to any corporate contractor’s bottom line; they serve only their fellow American citizens.
Myth:
Federal workers have “fake jobs.”
Fact:
Federal workers perform essential work on behalf of everyone who calls this nation home. They’re the doctors and nurses who care for our veterans, the people who get Social Security benefits out on time, the corrections officers in federal prisons who protect us from dangerous criminals, the USDA inspectors who make sure our food supply is safe, the FEMA specialists who assist disaster survivors, the TSA screeners who protect the flying public, the border patrol agents who stop drug smugglers and human traffickers, and so much more.
Myth:
We only have 6% of our federal workforce actually going into work every single day.
Fact:
54% of federal workers hold jobs that require them to report in-person to their duty station every day… Among those whose jobs permit telework, 61.2% of working hours are spent in-person.
Myth:
Americans are being put on hold by bureaucrats who are phoning it in.
Fact:
Mischaracterizing telework as failing to show up for work is a deliberate attempt to demean and disparage federal workers and ultimately eliminate and/or outsource their jobs. Both private and public sector employers have found that hybrid telework arrangements improves employee engagement, recruitment and retention. Hybrid work arrangements actually reduce wait times and allow better service for citizens.
Myth:
Federal workers are low-skill workers who would be unqualified for private sector employment.
Fact:
Federal workers are both highly skilled and highly qualified. 66% of the federal workforce has a bachelor’s degree, compared to 43% of private sector workers, while 33% of federal workers have an advanced degree, compared to just 15% of private sector workers.
Myth:
98% federal bureaucrats are enrolled in a taxpayer-funded pension (compared to just 15% of private sector employees with access to a defined benefit pension plan). That locks federal employees into government employment & comes with a massive cost: nearly $1.2 trillion in unfunded liabilities for the main federal pension system. The cost of pensions is a key reason why most employers have moved away from them.
Fact:
While federal pay continues to lag far behind private sector pay, the average yearly pension for Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) retirees is just $25,000. As it stands, those benefits are no match for rising costs and exorbitant health care expenses that many seniors face. Yet, even as President-elect Trump, Elon Musk, and Ramaswamy plan to extend tax cuts and handouts to the wealthy, they are plotting to cut the key retirement benefits that federal workers have earned.
AFGE/SSA ShutDown MOU
December 20th, 2024 | Posted by in Did you know? | Political | Shutdown - (Comments Off on AFGE/SSA ShutDown MOU)The federal government shuts down when Congress fails to pass funding bills that allocate money to agencies so they can function. The current budget will expire at 11:59pm December 20, 2024. If a budget is not approved SSA will not have funds approved for payroll, and has historically required the essential employees to continue working. If the government goes into a shutdown your pay scheduled for January 3, 2025 will only cover hours worked from December 16-20, 2024. All subsequent pay will be delayed until a budget is approved.
The Attached Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between AFGE and SSA was updated in October 2023 to add the following language: #13 Management will consider excepted employees furlough request similarly to leave requests made under Article 31 of the National Agreement. Preapproved leave will normally be honored with a lapse occurs. Employees on preapproved leave may request to substitute furlough time for their leave.
Please see the full agreement below.
Dear Members,
In response to comments made by the president-elect threatening the SSA contract and telework agreement, AFGE National President Everett Kelley released the following statement:
“We support telework where it delivers for both the taxpayers and the workers who serve them. Telework and remote work are tools that have helped the federal government increase productivity and efficiency, maintain continuity of operations, and increase disaster preparedness. These policies also assist agencies across the government, including the Social Security Administration, in recruiting and retaining top talent.
“Rumors of widespread federal telework and remote work are simply untrue. More than half of federal employees cannot telework at all because of the nature of their jobs, only ten percent of federal workers are remote, and those who have a hybrid arrangement spend over sixty percent of working hours in the office.
“Collective bargaining agreements entered into by the federal government are binding and enforceable under the law. We trust the incoming administration will abide by their obligations to honor lawful union contracts. If they fail to do so, we will be prepared to enforce our rights.”
AFGE has also released a fact sheet dispelling many of the common myths related to telework and federal employees.
In Solidarity,
AFGE
Stay Ready!
December 11th, 2024 | Posted by in DATA UPDATE MONTH - January | Did you know? | National Updates | New Address | Political | Uncategorized - (0 Comments)The Trump Administration will waste no time dismantling the government and targeting AFGE for extinction. We can’t afford to waste a moment preparing ourselves to survive and thrive in this hostile environment. Here is one step you can take now to keep updated.
Update Your Contact Information
- Update your contact information at www.afge.org/update so we can get you the latest information and alerts when it matters most. Sign up for text alerts: text AFGE to 59129
TELEWORK UPDATES
December 7th, 2024 | Posted by in Did you know? | TeleWork | Uncategorized - (1 Comments)Contractual improvements secured to the AFGE-SSA Telework Article 41!
The Union recently negotiated improved protections to this Article. These changes became effective on November 27, 2024, with the approval of the agency head, Martin O’Malley. Here are the highlights we will soon see incorporated into the contractual language:
- The current number of telework days, eligible positions, and percentages of employees permitted to telework will remain effective through the duration of our current contract, October 25, 2029.
- Although management retains sole discretion to change, reduce, or suspend telework for operational needs, the new language specifies that any such changes will be temporary.
- Episodic telework improvements:
- Requests can be made at any time for personal circumstances.
- The language for denials of episodic telework was strengthened to specify the basis of “bona fide operational needs.”
- Management agreed to provide an employee with a specific reason, in writing on the Telework Program Request and Agreement, whenever an episodic telework request is denied.
- The option to split a workday between the ADS and the ODS can now be made by employees. If the request is denied, the employee may request an explanation to which management must respond.
- Section 11 in this Article was eliminated, to reduce the possibility that the Agency could legally make significant changes while the contract remains in effect.
While these improved contractual protections for bargaining unit employees are welcomed, we will need to remain vigilant to confront any threats of nullification through legislative or executive branches.
Every bargaining unit employee needs to be vigilant to take action against threats to the Social Security Administration and other domestic programs that benefit the American public in addition to attacks on the protections and benefits afforded to Social Security employees and other federal employees.
One of the earliest actions that may impact the Union, is a statutory change that will prohibit agencies from deducting Union dues from paychecks. The local is preparing to roll out a secure, electronic dues payment alternative. Find out more at our next local membership meeting on December 11 at 6:00pm below.
Other important business matters are planned for our next local membership meeting on December 11, 2024 at 6:00pm CST. At that meeting, members have an opportunity to weigh in on our fiscal 2025 budget and a small increase in dues that will partially adjust for inflationary pressures. Bargaining Unit employees deserve a strong Union and a working budget and dues increase will help keep the organization ready to fight new and on-going attacks on our rights and benefits. To request materials for this meeting, email afge1395@afge1395.org with subject line “Membership Meeting Documents Request”.
AFGE Monthly Membership Meeting 12/11/2024 6pm Zoom Link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82128943665?pwd=Ylp4cjFNeXgrNk5iMnpXdDAwNWY3dz09
If you are not yet a member of the American Federation of Government Employees, we need you to join us! We know that we will need everyone’s support to protect ourselves and the customers we serve. We need your help at our monthly membership meetings and other activities we are planning. It’s easy to join! Just contact us via email or phone for details.
For our current members, we appreciate your support of federal workers, the public, and the larger labor force. Make sure AFGE has your most up-to-date contact information, so you can timely get the latest developments and news as well as action opportunities to show your support and effectuate positive change.
AFGE President Kelley Pushes Back Against Musk/Ramaswamy’s Plan to Cut 75% of Federal Workforce
December 6th, 2024 | Posted by in Budget | Did you know? | Political - (1 Comments)AFGE President Everett Kelley pushed back on the incoming administration’s plan to drastically cut the federal workforce and agencies without analyzing the impact they have on the American people.
Appearing on C-SPAN Nov. 22, Kelley responded to recent statements by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy that 75% of the federal workforce and agencies need to be cut in addition to the use of reduction in force and moving federal agencies outside Washington, D.C. The business duo, who have no previous experience in government, have been tasked by Trump to lead the newly created Department of Government Efficiency.
“First of all, when you say you want to cut them without further analyzing and see what our government really needs, I think is misguided,” Kelley said. “I welcome an opportunity to sit down and talk about how we can make the government more efficient. To think that you can take the federal employees inside of D.C. and send them out into the states to work, well guess what? Only 15% of federal employees work inside of D.C. They’re already dispersed throughout the United States. I just think that they need to educate themselves on what federal employees really do and where they are located.”
To make the government more efficient, Kelley pointed to Medicare, which has an opportunity to save $60 billion by combating fraud. Tax evasion also cost the government $1 trillion this year alone.
The AFGE president took issue with Musk and Ramaswamy calling federal workers “bureaucrats,” reminding them that these employees are Veteran Affairs doctors and nurses taking care of our country’s veterans, Transportation Security Officers who keep our skies safe, the meat inspectors who make sure the food we eat is safe, Bureau of Prisons correctional officers who protect their communities, Social Security Administration workers who cut checks to seniors, and the list goes on.
“It’s a little patronizing to even think about the possibility of cutting 75% of the federal workforce. I see it as a direct attack against veterans. I am a veteran myself. Of the workforce, about 642,000 of that workforce are veterans, so when you say you’re gonna cut 75%, that means it’s a direct attack on veterans and I am appalled by that,” Kelley added.
He also doesn’t think the new administration is trying to make the government more efficient. Rather, they want to drive away workers so they can give the jobs to contractors who are two to three times more expensive than federal employees.
As a federal contractor, Musk himself has benefited from taxpayers’ dollars.
“It’s not a matter of not their patriotism of people that I represent. It’s about the bottom line. It’s about making the dollar,” Kelley said.
Kelley has also appeared on CNN and wrote a letter to the editor to the Wall Street Journal combating the slash and burn philosophy of Musk and Ramaswamy.
WHAT HAS AFGE DONE FOR YOU LATELY?
December 3rd, 2024 | Posted by in Did you know? | Settlements | TeleWork - (0 Comments)Thousands of Federal Employees Land Work-From-Home Deal Ahead of Trump Term
(Bloomberg) — 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.
Full Article can be found here: Telework Saved
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