SSA, AFGE reach new collective bargaining agreement after contentious saga

After more than a year of tense negotiations, the Social Security Administration and the American Federation of Government Employees have finally reached an agreement on a new, six-year contract.

The new collective bargaining agreement, which SSA management and AFGE representatives signed late last week, settles months of disagreements between the two parties and offers both some stability days before the injunction on the president’s May 2018 executive orders was lifted.

“The new contract reflects the agency’s priority on public service and will become effective on Oct. 27,” an SSA spokeswoman said in a statement to Federal News Network. “The agency thanks both the AFGE and Social Security negotiation teams for their many months of effort and success in reaching the new agreement.”

The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) in September brought AFGE representatives and SSA management together to begin discussing how the two parties would move forward after a June decision from the Federal Service Impasses Panel.