Labor Management Relations Program of the Social Security Administration

The structure, consultation and negotiation processes, and grievance and complaint handling procedures of the labor relations program of the Social Security Administration (SSA) were surveyed at Central Office Headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland. SSA has taken a reasonable and viable approach to handling labor-management relations. In contrast to many federal agencies where responsibility for labor-management relations is fragmented among several offices, SSA has established a central staff with overall responsibility for managing and coordinating the labor relations program. The exclusive bargaining agent for headquarters employees is local 1923 of the American Federation of Government Employees. Although many personnel matters are not negotiable, the union and management have negotiated agreements on incremental leave, overtime, employee appraisals, competitive selection procedures, grievance procedures, and arbitration procedures. During the year ended September 1976, 450 grievances were processed; nearly half of the cases were resolved before the final step in the procedure, and 24 grievances were referred to binding arbitration. Grievance issues involved performance appraisals, overtime, leave, and employee rights.