As we told you two weeks ago, the Social Security Board staff is in negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement, and they are asking for a package of salary increases and benefits. But, the Board of Directors was very un responsive to the initial proposal. In fact, their counter proposal conceded almost nothing. On Sunday we asked Doug Singh who chairs the board of Social security about it and he explained that the Board's position is tied to pensions - not for the workers, but for contributors:
Doug Singh, Chairman - Social Security Board
"I will tell you something that and they last said at the last negotiating time, that the board must consider and look positively at the ability of the organization to increase pension to pensioners. Ultimately, the Social Security fund are for the people who contribute."
Jules Vasquez
"Not for administrative bloat."
Doug Singh, Chairman - Social Security Board
"Not for administration bloats. And so whatever the staff get, will be a function of what the board can recommend for pensioners out there. So we are looking at the possibility of recommending a pension increase for pensioners this year hopefully. And I'll tell you, I have said this to the negotiating party and for management that really we are serious about this. Ultimately the board of directors is here to safeguard the fund and to look after the interest of the beneficiaries. The staff is there at the mercy of structure and ultimately we have to set priority where priority is supposed to be and we are going to look at pension benefits for pensioners and we are going to give that priority above any increases under the collective bargaining agreement. I will say here now and I think I am doing so in the best interest of negotiations, the board was presented at its last meeting with a proposal for an increase in pension or pension benefits under the employee pension program and it's substantial. My calculation it's about 16%. The board had set a signal clearly at the end of that meeting that it won't even consider that until it is first able to consider pension increase to pensioners. Secondly, it certainly would not be in those numbers. But there has not been any pension increases for pensioners. We are talking about people who have been in the system since 2002. That's the last time there has been an increase in pension. You know inflation has occurred during that period. It is unconscionable for us to not look at pension increases for pensioners at this point in time. I think what we need to look at is balance and fairness. Many of the benefits enjoyed by Social Security employees are benefits enjoyed under the public system, such as 4-5 weeks' vacation, vacation grants and things like that - that are enjoyed in the public system where salaries are generally lower. In Social Security, the salaries are generally higher than in the public system. Yet they enjoy the same benefits."
As Singh noted there have been no increase in pensions since 2002. The proposed increases in pensions for contributors does not include non contributory pensioners; there is no increase planned for them.
The current collective bargaining agreement ended at the beginning of 2014.
Email
Print