May 2024 President’s Message

Brothers and Sisters,

Institutional Grievance Update

Last month I shared that NTEU filed a comprehensive institutional grievance challenging the statistical validity of DWPI/SAAPI/NHCPI, and alleging ongoing violations of our contract and memorandums of understanding regarding the use of the AWT and consideration of factors beyond an employee’s control, as well as other laws, rules, and regulations. (You can find a full copy of the grievance on the website.) AFGE filed a similar institutional grievance on the Agency’s restricted use of the AWT.

I also mentioned last month that the Agency reached out to discuss possible mediation. Since then, we have agreed to engage in a joint mediation with AFGE; however, if we reach agreements, each union will have its own agreement. While our contract requires NTEU to pay for expenses related to mediation and/or arbitration, I asked the Agency to pay the expenses as a way of demonstrating its good faith intention to resolve the grievance issues at mediation. The Agency agreed. The mediation is scheduled for May 23, 2024, at SSA Headquarters.

Mediation will give us an opportunity to get a sense of the Agency’s position and explore the possibility of reaching a mutually acceptable resolution of the grievance. However, I do not intend to accept empty promises and hollow commitments, and the Agency knows this. I continue to voice frustration and concerns over the fact that we already have negotiated agreements in place and the Agency has blatantly violated them, which is why we are here today. I explained that I have little interest in reaching yet another agreement if the Agency simply sees it as a quick fix that will appease us for the moment, and then bring us back to square one when the Agency violates it and we have to go through the grievance process yet again. I explained…

In solidarity-
Christie Saunders, NTEU Chapter 224 President

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