|
|
Post by redryder on Oct 11, 2013 11:12:57 GMT -5
Sme have asked why they were not essential but their status changed. I am not privy to the workings in Falls Church or the regional offices, but was in management for many years. I worked for ODAR when the last shutdown occurred and it is quite obvious why the plan was to keep the field office and judges working initially. The last time, all operations were cancelled. No hearings, no field office appointments. Without great amounts of overtime, no part of SSA could have caught up on the work that was not done. It's not like we ever have a time when we don't have applicants going through the process from initial application to effectuation. Having only the interviews in field offices and hearings at ODAR go on for a week seems reasonable. But after that, there are problems. The work begins to pile up and create additional delays in processing. Just in ODAR there are those cases that were not worked back from hearing, cases sitting in unwritten or with writers. Nothing being closed and sent to the next component for effectuation. It doesn't take much to foul up the case movement. The answer? Call everyone back and get the files moving through the pipelines again. With last year's sequestration and the current possible CR, we cannot expect any additional funds to pay for overtime to get the work moving again. Management-wise and service-wise, it is better to have us work even if our pay is delayed.
|
|
|
|
Post by bartleby on Oct 11, 2013 11:17:08 GMT -5
Actually the prohibition on working at home on Thursday or Friday has to do with the case movement and closing cases at the end of the week or month. I know it seems trivial as all cases get moved eventually, but that is what they (management) say.. If you are not in the Agency you would be amazed at the micromanagement that exist. There are a certain number of days for each case task, such as DWPC (decision writer PC), and they don't like to try to figure weekends, holidays, sick days or leave into the equation..
|
|
|
|
Post by tripper on Oct 11, 2013 15:15:35 GMT -5
I will reiterate my previous statements that I am glad to be back at work. In fact, if I had been given the option, I would have volunteered to work. My issues are two fold, one personal and the other on behalf of fellow employees. I'm a senior attorney. I like my job and am very grateful to have it and the perks. But beyond being an ssa employee, I am an attorney. One that was forced to sign a furlough document last week that explicitly advised that the performance of my job was nonessential and if I were to engage in doing my job I would be committing a crime under the antideficiency act. Now I am recalled and told to get back to doing my job. No one has provided any reasoning for why the job is now essential and I'm not committing the afore threatened crime. Unlike when I was kicked out of the building, I've been given no documentation on how I now meet the ADA's very clear definition of essential or any assurance that I'm protected from the ramifications of that law. Management merely forwarded a mass email that went out to everyone from the receptionists to the group supervisors that simply stated we were recalled. Theories abound (anger from the previously deemed essentials, work piled up, the proposed bill to pay furloughed workers that hasn't even passed the senate yet) but information on the real reason is so tightlipped that management can't even hold a meeting with us to give insight. Personally, I don't think expecting at least a few answers on the recall is too much to ask for an agency that so carefully documented sending me away. That's the crux of my personal beef. As to my problem with the way they have done it to others, its merely a sense of fairness. They didn't seem to have any qualms about telling the scts and others they weren't essential last week. And now they apparently have no concern for how these employees will pay for gas to get to work, childcare while they work or any other expenses that arise merely from coming to work without being paid. Sure they will eventually be paid. But daycare charges by the week and the exxon station here expects payment on receipt of fuel. I work with a married couple. Neither are attorneys and they have 2 small children. Last week one was essential and the other furloughed. This being crapland, they live more than 40 miles from the office. Last week, the furloughed one could at least stay home and avoid the daycare bills. He was even able to get an outside activity approval and take on a freelance project to help make ends meet. This week he had to drop the outside project, join his wife on an 80+ mile roundtrip daily and put the kids back in daycare. All the while they have no income at present and were greeted with a cold email that seemed to imply if they had a child get sick and they missed work they would be AWOL and subject to disciplinary action. Forgive me my sentimentality, but I just can't see the fairness in that. I have a crush on Funky. Right on. |
|
|
|
Post by privateatty on Oct 12, 2013 7:00:58 GMT -5
I will reiterate my previous statements that I am glad to be back at work. In fact, if I had been given the option, I would have volunteered to work. My issues are two fold, one personal and the other on behalf of fellow employees. I'm a senior attorney. I like my job and am very grateful to have it and the perks. But beyond being an ssa employee, I am an attorney. One that was forced to sign a furlough document last week that explicitly advised that the performance of my job was nonessential and if I were to engage in doing my job I would be committing a crime under the antideficiency act. Now I am recalled and told to get back to doing my job. No one has provided any reasoning for why the job is now essential and I'm not committing the afore threatened crime. Unlike when I was kicked out of the building, I've been given no documentation on how I now meet the ADA's very clear definition of essential or any assurance that I'm protected from the ramifications of that law. Management merely forwarded a mass email that went out to everyone from the receptionists to the group supervisors that simply stated we were recalled. Theories abound (anger from the previously deemed essentials, work piled up, the proposed bill to pay furloughed workers that hasn't even passed the senate yet) but information on the real reason is so tightlipped that management can't even hold a meeting with us to give insight. Personally, I don't think expecting at least a few answers on the recall is too much to ask for an agency that so carefully documented sending me away. That's the crux of my personal beef. As to my problem with the way they have done it to others, its merely a sense of fairness. They didn't seem to have any qualms about telling the scts and others they weren't essential last week. And now they apparently have no concern for how these employees will pay for gas to get to work, childcare while they work or any other expenses that arise merely from coming to work without being paid. Sure they will eventually be paid. But daycare charges by the week and the exxon station here expects payment on receipt of fuel. I work with a married couple. Neither are attorneys and they have 2 small children. Last week one was essential and the other furloughed. This being crapland, they live more than 40 miles from the office. Last week, the furloughed one could at least stay home and avoid the daycare bills. He was even able to get an outside activity approval and take on a freelance project to help make ends meet. This week he had to drop the outside project, join his wife on an 80+ mile roundtrip daily and put the kids back in daycare. All the while they have no income at present and were greeted with a cold email that seemed to imply if they had a child get sick and they missed work they would be AWOL and subject to disciplinary action. Forgive me my sentimentality, but I just can't see the fairness in that. As I have posted in jest, management doesn't know what to do so they revert to impersonal impearative in an unsubstantiated fear of revolt. Implying AWOL as to the realities of illness and emergencies only highlights the fallacy of threats that have no teeth. "Why were you AWOL? Because my baby had to go to the Emergency Room!" |
|
|
|
Post by epic0ego on Oct 17, 2013 8:59:12 GMT -5
funkyodar: I work with a married couple. Neither are attorneys and they have 2 small children. Last week one was essential and the other furloughed. This being crapland, they live more than 40 miles from the office. Last week, the furloughed one could at least stay home and avoid the daycare bills. He was even able to get an outside activity approval and take on a freelance project to help make ends meet. This week he had to drop the outside project, join his wife on an 80+ mile roundtrip daily and put the kids back in daycare. All the while they have no income at present and were greeted with a cold email that seemed to imply if they had a child get sick and they missed work they would be AWOL and subject to disciplinary action.
It is in the big city as it is in crapland. The other part of the story that is not told is that it is not just federal workers. Indeed, more federal contractors were furloughed than federal workers because guess who oversees the contract work being performed? Federal workers will go approximately 6 weeks before seeing their first paycheck in as many days - contractors will never see those paychecks. That income is lost to them forever. Whole sections of the city (private companies) also shut down because there were no customers. Granted, Washington is a gov't town, but all major cities have federal agencies, buildings, national parks, etc. the last estimate I heard was $24 billion lost to this quarter's GDP. I won't even ask the simple question "why?" because that would be too controversial, apparently. I just hope the full extent of the unnecessary human suffering will be brought out into the opening so we can finally, finally break out of this vicious cycle.
|
|
|
|
Post by trekker on Oct 18, 2013 16:17:47 GMT -5
Not sure if today is counted as day one or day two of the post furlough follies but I got a call today from our local ODAR to schedule a hearing in January. Made sure to thank the clerk and welcome her back. Welcome back to all the insiders and thank you for your hard work -- even if I don't always like the results.
|
|
