December 2015 Unity

UNITY
• Witold Skwierczynski, President •
October
20152015
Vol. XXXVIII,
Vol.
XXXVIII,
No.
No.33
KT
N AT I O N AL C O U N C I L O F S S A F I E L D O F F I C E O P E R AT I O N S L O C AL S
AFGE Council 220 @
C
NVENTION
such as Social Security
Works, connections which
helped mobilize workers
The member Locals of AFGE
and Congress to action. David Sheagley was recognized
Council 220 met in Convention
from August 14-15, 2015 in Orlanfor his efforts with GNAT – the
do, FL. Present were 105 deleGrassroots National Action
gates representing 35 Locals.
Team, the AFGE initiative to stop
The Convention convened with
VISION 2025’s implementation.
President Skwierczynski
remarks by Council President
Witold Skwierczynski, who notthanked Eric Shulman for his
ed that the Council “honed our
effective lobbying which resulted
organizing and made great sucin increasing funding and staffing
cess, influenced Congress on ofin the last two fiscal years, and
fice closings, had bills introduced
the introduction of report lanon our issues, produced three
guage that both preserved beneDear Colleague letters, got more
fit verifications for the public, and
money for administrative expensmade it difficult for the Agency to
es, prevented office closings and
close offices. In fact, this work
stopped [the progression] of VIhas prevented SSA from closing
SION 2025.”
any offices since March 2014.
President Skwierczynski notThe Convention delegates
ed the efforts the Council made to
made recommendations on sevcreate alliances with third parties
eral topics, including: improvements to Training
for Union Representatives; needed
Legislative Action
and Budget concerns; continuing
support for AFGE’s
GNAT; issues at the
TSCs with electronic monitoring, leave
and increased workTop of page: President Skwierczynski
addresses the Delegates; Above: Executive loads; council publiOfficers are sworn in; Left: Patti McGowan, cations and outCouncil Attorney.
reach initiatives;
By Cari Watson
Council 220 Editor
telework implementation; ergonomics issues; potential
furloughs and shutdowns, veterans issues; up-coming 2016 Contract negotiations; as well as the
implementation of labormanagement forums for predecisional input at all levels.
Pending litigation was discussed, as were current Unfair
Labor Practice (ULP) issues.
President Skwierczynski
thanked Jackie Burke, Dana
Duggins and Jill Hornick, all
three of which were primarily responsible for organizing the Convention.
Three retiring Executive Officers were acknowledged and presented with farewell gifts in recognition of their service to the Council, including: Terry Duncan,
Council Treasurer; Steve Kofahl,
3rd VP and Assistant Chairperson
of the Legislative Action Committee; and Jim Campana, Council
220 2nd VP. President Skwierczynski, along with the rest of the
delegation, thanked them for their
long-time service.
“Steve has been a good friend
and an effective legislative leader,
See Convention, page 4
Representing over 29,000 SSA employees across the nation, Puerto Rico and Pacific Islands
UNITY
UNITY
is the bi-monthly print publication
of the National Council of SSA
Field Office Operations Locals,
organized under the American
Federation of Government
Employees (AFL-CIO):
AFGE Council 220
PO Box 47638,
Baltimore MD 21244-0638
Phone: 410.965.6707
Fax: 410.966.7151
Staff Reporters:
Daniel Adams, Ana Rivers,
Monique Buchanan,
Jim Campana, Warren Cohen,
Ryan Gurganious,
Shawn Halloran,
Lee Montgomery &
Suzanne Moseman
Editor: Cari Watson
Contents © 2015 by AFGE
Council 220. All rights reserved.
Articles herein (except reprints)
may be reprinted with credit to
the author & UNITY
by AFGE affiliates only.
Letters to the Editor and other
inquiries may be mailed to:
UNITY
c/o SSA 231 Waterfall Dr
Elkhart, IN 46516
or via e-mail to:
[email protected]
Please direct all name and
address corrections to your
Local Treasurer. If you are a
Field Office AFGE member and
do not receive UNITY
UNITY, ask
your Treasurer to make certain
that the Council block shows
“220” for your entry on the AFGE
National membership roster.
Member:
AFGE Editors
Association
2
Editor’s
Note
By Cari Watson
We’ve all seen that SSA is strong-arming the
public into online and third-party services — but you
may not be aware that SSA’s efforts are picking up speed.
Recently SSA amended POMS to support VISION 2025 and actually changed the “definition of ‘in-person’ to include the video/
kiosk channel.”
SSA KNOWS via third-party investigations that its cybersecurity is
woefully inadequate. SSA also knows from its own OIG investigations
that its online services allow fraud, produce missed entitlements, and
totally disadvantage vulnerable populations.
The Agency is espousing employee empowerment in its VISION
2025 plan, yet it unilaterally consolidated position descriptions without
Union pre-decisional input. SSA also continues to use a performance
appraisal system (PACS) that has been proven to be discriminatory.
To be sure, Social Security is steamrolling the American people
into bad service, while maneuvering to eliminate the jobs of the people
it employs. As a bargaining unit,
our strength is in our numbers.
We, the people who perform the
work, must continue to use our
numbers to advocate for positive,
common-sense change. If we don’t
… all the things we stand for —
primarily: quality, face-to-face live,
IN-PERSON government services
to the American people, and civil
of
de
tsi
line ou
The public forms a
r
fo
service with integrity— will fold.
g
itin
e, wa
the Elkhart, IN offic
To be sure, here now, is our
-face
in-person, face-to
.
15
4/
/1
09
generation’s test of solidarity.
customer service on
AFGE Council 220 Executive Committee
Witold Skwierczynski
Dana Duggins
Katrina Lopez
Jeremy Maske
Pam Baca
Michael B. Williams
Deb Fredericksen
Jill Hornick
Council President
Executive Vice President
First Vice President
Second Vice President
Third Vice President
TSC Vice President
Treasurer
Secretary
Vice Presidents by Region
Louetta Keene
Rich Kirchner
Kris Kramer
Peter J. Harris
Loni Schultz
Boston
New York
Philadelphia
Atlanta
Chicago
Ralph Dejuliis
Matthew Perlinger
Patrick Collins
Joan Florio
Steve Kofahl
Dallas
Kansas City
Denver
San Francisco
Seattle
Personal Assistants
Face
Hurtles
Face Hurtles
By Suzanne Moseman
Communications Coordinator
Local 3129
I
n many
ways, Personal Assistants (PAs) are the eyes, ears
and hands of the agency. They
read for blind employees, reach
and carry for the mobility impaired, and provide sign language interpretation for hearing
impaired staff. In some cases,
however, their assistance is not
needed for a full work shift, and
that’s where the improvisation
begins.
In the first place, they are
hired only for the PA jobs, with no
promise of future promotions, yet
they polish their resumes and do
all they can to make a good impression because common sense
tells them that there’s a future
with SSA when openings occur.
Secondly, every office has
jobs that were formerly done by
clerical staff. SSA has significantly reduced the number of
Developmental Clerks (DCs).
Many jobs formerly done by DCs
such as sorting faxes and mail,
doing some data entry, and helping out with any other such jobs
are now done by PAs. And that’s
the problem.
When does data entry become Service Representative or
Claims Representative
work? In some offices, a
PA staffs the Visitor Intake Computer. In other
offices, a Claims Rep is
assigned that task, because claims processing
is a CR job and only a CR has
the knowledge and experience to
assist in taking claims.
In some offices CR’s enter
data from paper representative
payee applications, in others the
PA’s have that duty.
All our offices are understaffed and managers are understandably happy to have an extra
pair of hands available for the
clerical work. But should PA’s be
doing work outside of their position description and beyond their
formal training? If SSA assigns
PA’s work that is higher graded
and takes at least 25% of their
work time to do that work, the PA
may be entitled to a grade increase.
PA’s often believe that the
more work they willingly take on
and perform well, the better their
chances for promotion. This is not
true, simply due to the nature of
the PA position. And the last thing
we want is to limit PA opportunities.
If a PA feels that they are engaged in performing uncompensated higher graded work, they
should contact their Local AFGE
representative for advice on possibly filing a back pay grievance.
If the work was temporary, the
employee may be eligible for
back pay for a higher graded detail. If the work assignment is permanent, the employee may wish
to file a classification appeal if
such work activities constituted at
least 25% of their work time.
PA’s should contact their local
Rep for information on how to
successfully jump the hurdles facing them should they wish to pursue a different career path.
Growth, Strength & Solidarity
Are you signed up for
AFGE Text Alerts?
Text AFGE to 225568
From your personal phone
and never from a government phone.
3
UNITY
FORWARD THINKING:
Union Forms
CONTRACT
Work
Group
Committee
In anticipation of up-coming
negotiations for a new contract
between SSA and AFGE Council
220, the Union established a
volunteer Contract Preparation
Workgroup in August 2015.
This workgroup will be
charged with reviewing litigation,
contract articles and case law, as
well as recommending changes
to articles.
The group is comprised of Union Officials from across the nation, and each member brings
particular areas of expertise to
the group such as EEO complaints or Health and Safety concerns.
The workgroup will function by
conference call.
Witold Skwierczynski, President of AFGE Council 220, said
his “expectation is that the first
conference call should take place
as quickly as possible as and no
later than the week after the convention.”
The Committee’s work should
be done by October 10, 2015,
which is right before a General
Committee meeting scheduled to
discuss the contract reopening.
Depending on the results of
the meeting, the workgroup may
stay in place to assist the Council
in proposal development.
There was a great deal of interest in the workgroup.
4
leader. The Council will miss him
a lot.”
Final business was the elecappraisal expert and longtime
tion of the Executive Committee.
Local President,” said President
Skwierczynski was re-elected
Skwierczynski.
as Council President, Jeremy
“Terry,” he added, “made my
Maske was elected to
job a lot easier. Her
the Position of 2nd VP
sound judgment
“It is good to see old
and Jill Hornick was
and pragmatism in
friends. It is good to
elected Secretary.
managing the
Elected by acclaget together, do
Council’s money
mation
were: Dana
will translate into
some business and
Duggins of L3172 as
her work as a newly
plan our future.”
EVP, Katrina Lopez
elected City Council
—President
of L3172 as 1st VP,
Member.”
Skwierczynski
Pam Baca of L1802
“Jim,” concluded
From Convention, page 1
President Skwierczynski, “was first
elected to this board in 1988, and
was made famous for his work
on FLSA, and for [his] years
reading suffer and permit reports,
which resulted in a multi-million
dollar settlement. He has been
our 2nd VP in charge of ULPS, a
respected
as 3rd VP, Michael
Williams of L3448 as
TSC VP, and Debbie Fredericksen of L3129 as Treasurer.
The officers were sworn in
and the convention adjourned.
The next National
Convention will be held in Las
Vegas in 2018.
In 2012, AFGE identified the urgent need for the
purposeful education, empowerment, and training of
the next generation of Union Leaders.
As such, The Young Organizing Unionist for the
Next Generation (YOUNG) movement—a group of
enthusiastic young Unionists (ie, under age 40) within
our federation—was founded at the 2012 National Convention.
Interested? Ask your Local to set up a YOUNG
Committee. Ryan Gurganious is the AFGE National
YOUNG Chair. He can be reached at
[email protected].
How can
you make a
difference?
Get Involved!
Members of
Y.O.U.N.G.
at the 2012
National
Convention
THE LEGISLATIVE JOURNAL:
Furlough Still Possible
if Congress Fails to Appropriate Requested Funds
By Witold Skwierczynski,
President AFGE Council 220
O
n November 2, 2015, President
Obama signed legislation that
“Please contact
will fund the government
your elected
through the end of FY 17. This
officials and ask
legislation also increased the debt limit
them to support
and shifted money from the retirement
the President’s
trust funds to the disability trust funds to
r
budget request fo
prevent a potential reduction in benefiu
yo
at
SSA, and th
ciary disability benefits in 2016.
can attest to the
The total budget passed on November
need as an SSA
2, 2015 will be allocated to government
888-907-8362.”
employee. Call 1- rczynski,
agencies pursuant to the congressional
— Witold Skwie
appropriations process. SSA, Department
Council 220
President AFGE
of Human Resources, Department of Labor, Department of Education and other
Agencies will compete for these appropriations. SSA’s ability to fund administrative expenses (i.e., employee salaries and benefits, rent for office space, travel, supplies, overtime, cost of
technology, etc.) is dependent upon how much SSA is appropriated by
Congress.
If Congress fails to appropriate the administrative funds requested by
President Obama, SSA may still be forced to furlough employees for 5 to
10 days in FY 16, eliminate or severely reduce overtime, and/or freeze
hiring.
As of this Unity’s press time Congress had not yet passed any of the
13 Appropriation bills. Please contact your Congressperson and your two Senators and ask them to
support the President’s budget request for
SSA. Call 1-888-907-8362 and follow the
prompts.
Tell the Congressional staffer who you
rs
e
b
m
e
M
w
reach that you work for SSA and can atRecruit Ne
test to the need for the $12.513 billion in
CTION —
A
E
K
A
T
appropriations
requested by the President.
—
s
e
v
ti
These monies are essential for SSA to propresenta
Call Your Re
vide proper service to the American people.
62
1-888-907-83
5
UNITY
From back page
PHOTO CREDIT: Google
Maps
month before the planned consolidation.
According to her facebook
page, Grisham waited 3 hours to
be seen at the office that normally
sees 500-600 visitors a day. She
found the overall conditions unacceptable. Grisham sent a letter
directly to SSA’s Acting Commissioner Carolyn Colvin. In the letter, dated July 28, 2015, Grisham
communicated her concern not
only about the poor level of service at the Albuquerque office, but
also about SSA’s plans to move
the FO from its existing location
and consolidate it with the Albuquerque TeleService Center
(TSC) located downtown.
Despite the union and the congressional concern, SSA moved
the office on August 2, 2015. Visitors now have to pay for parking,
which is a burdensome and unnecessary additional cost to many
no-income or low-income claimants. There exists NO disabled
drop-off zone at the new location,
nor is there disability public parking within a twoblock radius, as the location was initially designed
in 2001 as a TSC, not a
FO. Marrujo said that
when the TSC was built,
“we made sure it had no
parking near it due to the
Oklahoma City Bombing.”
Office space is so limited at the new location
that additional employees
cannot be added, nor can
reasonable accommodations be made. There is
simply no room.
SSA’s own reports on
employee parking were
inaccurate, and the agency has had to rent a near6
by parking garage to accommodate FO employees, which contradicts the agency’s “cost savings” justification for moving the
FO in the first place.
SSA’s apparent lack of outreach to the local community
about the move is also alarming. SSA alleges they contacted
30 media outlets and 80 thirdparty organizations, yet only ONE
of the 21 similar community organizations contacted by Grisham’s staff said they had even
heard of the move.
The agency re-routed all initial
claims to other offices after the
FO moved. Management put all
53 employees (including themselves) in the Front End Interviewing (FEI) area to call numbers to reduce wait times.
As such, wait times have been
minimal, with about 300-400 people checking in a day. This can
be attributed to the fact that:
many claimants don’t know
where the new location is, they
The Albuquerque, NM FO on
Cutler Ave consolidated with the
TSC on 500 Lead Ave on August
3, 2015. SSA had to retro-fit the
FO into the TSC, as well as lease
additional space for employee
parking.
Old Location
New Location
The new location is 2 blocks
from the nearest public transportation stop,
and has no
public parking.
PHOTO CREDIT: Stephanie Guzman | Albuquerque Business First
{Unacceptable}
can’t afford to travel there, they
can’t physically get to an office
designed to prevent access, and
the entire staff is calling numbers
at the expense of all other workloads.
The consolidated location also
has self-help PC’s, staffed with
trained personnel, to help claimants file online. These i-claims
are credited as successful submissions, and SSA uses these
statistics to justify continued reduction in staff, reduction in infrastructure, and poor personal customer service to the American
people.
SSA management points to
the low wait times and i-filings as
a reflection of a successful transition, when in reality they are a
reflection of the agency manipulating statistics to suit its purpose
and calm congressional outrage.
The re-routing of claims ended
September 1, 2015, and with it
likely will come increased wait
times as FO staff resume their
previous duties.
“The congresswoman has
done a terrific job,” Marrujo said.
It appears, though, that the
Congresswoman’s efforts may be
too little, too late.
Council
220
CASE Files
Hawaii Article
By Shawn Halloran, Staff Writer
Executive Vice President
Local 3342
UNITED:
Local 1212 Fights Back
The State of Hawaii is often referred to as the “Paradise of the
Pacific.” Yet, for SSA employees in the Hawaiian Islands, Guam,
Saipan or American Samoa, the agency’s anti-union action has
made working there far from ideal.
For nearly a decade, the nine offices in this area have had no
active representation to protect the rights of employees. As a result, management routinely retaliated and discriminated against
workers, made changes with no notice to the union, and aggressively suppressed union activity.
Local 1212 President
Leading the anti-union charge were Kapolei Manager Sami
Theresa McMoore
Omari and Assistant Manager Anthony Tarrant. Eventually, The& her son, Kome.
resa McMoore, an SR in Kapolei, had decided this maltreatment
had gone on long enough. She began the process of organizing the
employees, and in April of 2013, was elected Local President of 1212. In 2012, Pres.
McMoore had been promoted to a claims representative after several years of glowing PACS
reviews as a SR. Within a month of her election as President, Ms. Omari and Mr. Tarrant
began their assault on her performance.
Over the next 2 years, Theresa faced insurmountable reprisal for her work on behalf of
employees. The Kapolei managers concocted reason after reason to justify their unfair treatment and deny her grade increases. Despite the retaliation, Pres. McMoore presses on.
Pres. McMoore is bolstered by the gains made and the progress still to come. Membership on the islands has increased and the local received an award for most growth at the 40th
National Convention held in August 2015.
Pres. McMoore says it is her job to “be the voice of many who are afraid to
speak up in fear of retaliation and losing their jobs”.
She is determined to make that
voice count.
Kapolei
that] who“[It is my hope
this article
ever is reading
of
will have a sense
u stand up
hope... that if yo
lieve in…
for what you be
be heard.”
Your Voice will
oore,
—Theresa McM 12.
cal 12
President of Lo
7
•
UNITY
NATION AL COUNC IL OF SSA FIE LD OFFICE OPER ATION S LOC ALS
•
American Federation of
Government Employees (AFL-CIO)
231 Waterfall Dr
Elkhart IN 46516
Please send change of address
to your Local Treasurer
2015 Convention
Personal Assistants
Y.O.U.N.G. Generation
Legislative Journal
Case Files: Local 1212
page 1
page 3
page 4
page 5
page 7
@rallypt4ssafge
RallyPoint
AFGEc220.org
AFGE.org
UNION & Congresswoman to SSA:
Albuquerque FO
Consolidates
With downtown TSC
on August 3, 2015—
Problems Ensue
SSA’s consolidation of the Albuquerque field office with the
local TSC on August 3, 2015 has
caused headaches to employees
and claimants alike. AFGE and
SSA attempted to negotiate an
agreement on the consolidation
but reached an Impasse in the
negotiations.
“We took the move to the IMPASSE panel, and we lost,” said
Local 4041 President Josie Marrujo. [The Federal Service Impasses Panel (FSIP) is an independent agency that is empowered to resolve union-
{UNACCEPTABLE}
management bargaining
disputes in the federal
government.] Marrujo
has been working with
area Congresswoman
Michelle Lujan Grisham to provide as
much relief to SSA employees and the public
as possible after the
move.
The congresswoman
initially brought attention
to the poor service proThey have moved the
vided at the Albuqueroffice into an office that
que, New Mexico office
doesn’t fit — not for parking,
with an undercover visit
staffing, or public use.
on Monday July 7, 2015, to
the FO’s former location on Cut—Josie Marrujo,
Local
4041 President
ler Ave, about one
See page 6