Comer highlights bill challenging work from home deal for federal employees

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: The Hill

12/03/24 7:23 PM ET


Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) on Tuesday highlighted a bill he previously introduced that challenges a deal for hybrid work protections of federal employees. “THOUSANDS of federal employees just landed a work from home deal ahead of @realDonaldTrump taking office,” Comer said in a post on the social platform X. “This is why I introduced the SHOW UP Act. Our government needs to show up for the people it serves.”

Comer, the House Oversight and Accountability Committee chair, introduced the SHOW UP Act in February 2023, which passed in the House.

The bill intends to require federal agencies to reinstate their 2019 telework policies, after many agencies and offices across the country transitioned to virtual, work-from-home opportunities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Last week, a Biden administration appointee reportedly agreed to lock in hybrid work protections as President-elect Trump and his administration prepare to take over early next year.

The protections target tens of thousands of Social Security staff and are part of several efforts in anticipation of Trump’s plan to reshape America’s workforce, Bloomberg first reported. The outlet noted that the American Federation of Government Employees, a union representing more than 40,000 employees, reached an agreement with the Social Security Administration (SSA) last week. It will protect hybrid and telework until 2029.

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5020881-comer-show-up-act-federal-employees/

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They have to understand that AFGE, NTEU, and other unions that cover feds, have negotiated this type of thing over many years.

And for those in the D.C. metro area, with the expensive office space cost (including GSA leased buildings), "teleworking" (including "hoteling" ) was saving the government money by reducing the number of facilities required (and reducing traffic in the area).

[choie]

1. Making people miserable is the point.

This from someone whose colleagues in congress are out on recess more days than they are in session.

[HereForTheParty]

7. Cutting headcount is probably behind it as well

When employees are forced to come back to the office, some will quit. This isn't necessarily seen as a bad thing by employers.

[Evolve Dammit]

2. It makes total sense to work remote for some jobs. Many employers recognize that. They save $ and productivity is same,

or even better. To ignore the savings in fuel, parking, leased space etc., etc.is just foolish. But then this, like all GOP proposals, is largely punitive. God forbid a worker can be happier, save some $ and maybe give their dog a pat now and then. If a child is sick, the parent can attend to needs and it won't hurt productivity one iota.
I like it better to avoid "office bullshit" most of which is quite UN-productive. Endless "meetings", nasty gossip and disease transmission by people who constantly come in sick for fear of losing their job?

[Callie1979]

3. Well, our local SS office has been kinda lame since "work from home" started.

Not that they were great to begin with. Having a few people in my family who have had to deal with them. People ARE there, but not fully staffed on site like in the past. Calling on the phone takes forever to get a response & depending on who you get you can get two different answers! Most of the people I know have finally gotten issues resolved but when you're dealing with health issues or death benefits you dont want to keep getting put off. Front-facing jobs shouldn't be partially staffed. OTOH, if you're doing other jobs an office shouldn't really matter
Hopefully its gotten better recently but more of us are getting older every day so the workload is only going to increase.

[maxrandb]

4. "Some people say" BS is destroying America

Oh, some people I know say the Social Security office is "lame"

Your post reads like a Truth Social rambling.

I had dealings with SSA recently. Logged into my account, scheduled a time for someone to call me, and voilla, someone called me when scheduled and took care of my issues.

Same with my state DMV. People love to bitch about the DMV, but most of my dealings with them have been great.

If enough people say "the economy sucks", people tend to believe it. Next time you hear that, ask; "what's the economy"? I guarantee you will see smoke coming out of their ears as they try to define "the economy".

I am retired now, but the last few years I worked as a "lazy" federal employee, most of it was telework.

You can't imagine how much more productive I was when I didn't have to waste precious time listening to Karen come to my cubicle and complain about "lazy people at the DMV", how "trans kid were ruining pee-wee soccer", or "how back in her day, people worked harder".

Just like the "some people say" stuff, Karen was also full of crap.

The thing I miss the least about work, is all the MAGAt pieces of shit, hanging out in the smoking area complaining that they were they ONLY non-lazy workers.

[Callie1979]

5. My wife is hardly "some people say". I know her experience. Glad yours was fine

But when the online system doesn't show she even EXISTS thats a damn problem when you're trying to determine benefits. And for whatever reason it took awhile to resolve. She was told on the phone "we dont know what to do". Thats why she had to go to the office. Its not like she'd never been in the system before; she's been paying for 50yrs. And I said MY local office. I didnt make blanket statement.

[maxrandb]

6. That's the point I was making

I mean no offense to you, or your spouse, but her bad experience with the SSA is hers, just as my good experience is mine. Neither are reflective, or definitive of the SSA as a whole, especially since the SSA is the sole reason that 10's of millions of seniors, like my mom, have been able to live their twilight with a little bit of grace and dignity.

My problem is not with you, it's with people projecting their experience onto entire organizations and groups through the "some say" canard.

A person posts a story about a teenager at Mcdonald's that can't make change, and the meme becomes "teenagers today can't do math".

I would love to show them my daughter's Public High School Differential Equations textbook. I barely got through Algebra II and Trigonometry in my high school, and it was a private Catholic school.

Bottom line is, my kids were more challenged and took more demanding courses than I ever did, but if you listen to the "some say" crap, you'd think every young person today couldn't make change for a dollar if you spotted them 4 quarters.