Message from Richard Couture, Chairperson of General Committee:

This morning, the arbitrator issued her decision sustaining the Union's national telework grievance, stating that "temporarily" does not and cannot mean "indefinite", that any temporary suspensions or reductions must be time-limited and specific to conditions, and ordering a return to our past telework levels.

This is a positive step forward for SSA workers, who have had to pay thousands in commuting and child care costs at a time when most AFGE bargaining unit employees aren't making a living wage.

While SSA may appeal this decision to the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA), the Union encourages the Agency to implement the award and reinstate our successful telework program.

AFGE bargaining unit employees have proven for three decades, and especially since our March 2022 re-entry after COVID, that telework is to the benefit of the public by boosting productivity, recruitment and retention, and morale.

Telework was, and remains, essential to preventing attrition at a time when SSA needs every employee it can hold onto; a point on which even the Government Accountability Office (GAO) agrees as stated in a recent report. Put another way, telework is in the public interest, the Agency's interest, and the employees' interests. 

MESSAGE from Jessica LaPointe, C-220 President:

We are pleased to inform you that an arbitrator has issued a decision sustaining our telework grievance in full.  The arbitrator has ordered the Agency to:

• Restore telework to pre-March 16, 2025 levels (status quo ante)
• Cease and desist from further violations of Article 41 of the National Agreement
• Post notice of the violation at all workplaces for thirty days and electronically disseminate it by email to all bargaining unit employees

This outcome belongs to every member who endured the past year, every long commute, every rearranged childcare plan, every added expense, while continuing to serve the public with professionalism and dedication.

Beyond the legal obligation, the case for restoring telework has never been stronger, and we are calling on Agency leadership to do the right thing for this workforce, the public we serve, and SSA's own future. The Government Accountability Office confirmed this January that telework did not cause SSA's service challenges and that the loss of telework threatens the Agency's ability to recruit and retain the skilled workers it needs. The data is clear:

• Telework aligns with how the public wants to be served, approximately 96% of field office work is portable, and teleservice center, workload support unit, and field office support unit work is 100% portable
• Telework saves workers and the Agency real money, real money that is not discretionary for workers who do not yet earn a living wage 
• In-person service and field office operations do not suffer under a voluntary hybrid work model, they are strengthened by it. Productivity is enhanced when employees can focus on portable work free from in-office distractions, in-person coverage remains fully intact on rotationally required in-person days, and continuity of service to the public is maintained and protected when an office must temporarily close for inclement weather or other health or safety reasons
• Telework works, for productivity, for recruitment and retention, for cost savings, for continuity of service, and for meeting the public where they want to be served