The Federal Services Impasse Panel is a specialized third-party federal body created to arbitrate and resolve situations where negotiations between federal organizations and union representatives have reached a standstill.

Federal Services Impasse Panel

A May 2019 decision by the Federal Services Impasse Panel empowered Social Security Administration managers with the discretion to limit or even restrict telework for employees. This authority was granted to ensure that all necessary tasks were being completed efficiently and that service wait times remained at normal levels.

Discretionary Power Granted to SSA Managers Over Telework

The decision to end the Social Security Administration's telework policy was made following a negotiation with the American Federal Government Employee Union. The talks had stalled, requiring the intervention of the Federal Services Impasse Panel to serve as a third-party arbitrator.

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In October 2019, the Social Security Administration (SSA) announced the end of a six-year telework pilot program affecting about 12,000 employees. Although the decision was made in 2019, the official termination date was set for March 2020. Following the program's end, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the U.S. Congress to request a review of the SSA's telework policy, questioning if it should be reinstated as a measure to slow the virus's spread.

Social Security Administration's 2019 Telework Program Termination

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook

Negotiation Context of the SSA's 2019 Telework Decision

The Social Security Administration justified its decision to terminate the telework program by presenting evidence that the policy had led to a temporary increase in average wait times for individuals, which in turn created a backlog of work.

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