The Social Security Administration struck a recent deal with its unions to return employees to the office by the close of March.

Each functions are in talks to negotiate the finer points of that office reentry, but officers say SSA leadership isn’t supplying considerably ground on essential elements of office environment reentry, these kinds of as telework, or originally opening SSA subject workplaces on an appointment-only basis.

The American Federation of Government Workforce Community Council 220, which signifies about 23,000 SSA workers, explained company management is pursuing a “ business as usual” reentry prepare that would absolutely reopen fields offices to walk-in assistance.

Angela Digeronimo, vice president of AFGE Area Council 220, said that SSA’s concentrate on entirely reopening discipline workplaces to the general public raises well being and basic safety worries, and would make the agency’s workforce fewer successful than its latest telework posture, or a hybrid involving telework and in-business office function.

Digeronimo reported the union held its to start with conference with SSA’s Deputy Commissioner of Operations Grace Kim on Jan. 31, but the meeting did not address the union’s prime health and safety worries with office environment reentry.

“We weren’t seriously talking about meat-and-potato problems. What we want to chat about is overall health and basic safety, how are persons heading to go again into the offices and be secure, and also preserve the community risk-free, especially in the field places of work,” Digeronimo claimed in an job interview.

Digeronimo said the union is looking for clarification on how staff members functioning in teleservice centers will socially length themselves from coworkers when they all return to the business, and whether or not they will will need to use masks all day when answering phone calls.

AFGE Council 220 is also requesting SSA area places of work to begin with open up on an appointment-only foundation, to protect against overcrowding and protect the elderly and disabled inhabitants that SSA serves.

SSA field workplaces have been mostly closed to the general public, or open by appointment for “dire-needs” only, because March 2020.

“We recognize the doors have to have to be open, but we are putting ahead some progressive ideas…