July 24, 2019

Van Hollen, Cardin Lead Full Democratic Caucus in Urging Social Security Administrator to Respect Employees and Their Unions

“We are writing to express our dismay that the Social Security Administration (SSA) refuses to bargain in good faith with union representatives.”

U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (Both D-Md.) Tuesday led a letter signed by all 47 members of the Democratic caucus, urging Social Security Commissioner Andrew Saul to uphold the commitments he made at his confirmation hearing to work transparently and cooperatively when it comes to SSA employees and unions. The letter comes in the wake of repeated one-sided actions by SSA against employees of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) and other unions. SSA headquarters are located in Woodlawn, Md. 

“In its negotiations with this union’s representatives, we are concerned that SSA has insisted on extreme terms similar in substance to President Trump’s Executive Orders 13836, 13837, and 13839, which the unions are challenging.  It is apparent that SSA’s conduct on this matter constitutes a deliberate attempt to reach an impasse,” the Senators wrote. A stalemate would force negotiations into the anti-worker Federal Service Impasses Panel (FSIP).

The Senators “urge SSA to return to the bargaining table with IFPTE immediately and negotiate in good faith.”

The full letter can be found here. 

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