LEAVE RESTRICTION
As you all know, management in the 800# system is the most restrictive in terms of granting employee requests for leave. Management had been using extremely restrictive quotas of "up to" 10% allowed on leave on peak days and "up to" 15% on non-peak days. There was no bottom limit, only a leave ceiling, so supervisors could decide only to let 3% of staff go on leave on any given day, which they frequently did. These practices have been extremely destructive to 800# employees and their families, yet SSA claims on their website ("All in the SSA Family") that the agency is pro-family. The evidence shows otherwise.
The union won the arbitration challenging these management abuses in leave approval, and the arbitrator set aside the 10% and 15% maximum quotas, but we believe management is going to illegally continue to impose these restrictions on you and continue to improperly deny your legitimate requests for leave. The arbitrator upheld the contract language that says: "Normally, leave requested in advance will be granted except when conflicts of scheduling or undue interference with the work of the Administration would preclude it" and "The Employer will make every reasonable effort to allow the maximum number of employees to use leave". Council 220 recommends the following strategy
1) Request all the leave you want that you have the leave balance to support,
2) If leave is denied, make sure it is disapproved in writing on the leave slip. Don't let management give you back a leave slip saying that she can't accept it. Get the denial in writing.
ALL LEAVE REQUEST!! EVEN THOSE REQUESTING LEAVE BEFORE 9:00am
3) If your leave is disapproved, make a copy of the denied leave slip for your records, request to talk to your union representative about a "problem or potential grievance" (Article 3 Section 6A) and show them the leave slip. You have the right to meet with the union rep on duty time (not on lunch or break) pretty much when you request it - but certainly the same day.
4) Ask the union rep to do a data request to find out how many other employees were actually approved for leave for that day. REMEMBER, THE LEAVE CEILINGS WERE NEVER SUPPOSED TO APPLY TO EMPLOYEES ON EXTENDED MILITARY LEAVE OR WORKERS' COMPENSATION LEAVE, SICK LEAVE, SAME DAY REQUESTS FOR LEAVE OR FAMILY FRIENDLY LEAVE. THE LEAVE CEILINGS SHOULD NOT BE USED TO DENY YOUR LEAVE REQUESTS FOR THE NEXT 6 MONTHS AND YOU SHOULD NEVER BE DENIED A FUTURE REQUEST FOR SICK LEAVE FOR A MEDICAL/DENTAL APPOINTMENT BECAUSE IT IS A "FULL DAY".
5) Consider filing a grievance on any leave denial that seems unreasonable. The more employees that challenge this abuse of your right to annual leave, the more effective this challenge will be.
6) Your union rep should be coordinating these grievances with your Local and will be informing us at the national level.
You have no rights if you don't exercise them. Council 220 is preparing additional grievances on leave issues that affect you in the TSCs: excessive documentation and harassment for sick leave requests and excessive documentation to support same day leave requests. We will be sending out a survey in the next few weeks to get your feedback on the extent of these leave practices.
In Unity,
Charlie Estudillo, 1st Vice President AFGE Council 220
David Sheagley, RVP Chicago Region and Council 220 TSC Coordinator:
Charlie Estudillo, 1st Vice President AFGE Council 220
David Sheagley, RVP Chicago Region and Council 220 TSC Coordinator: