http://blog.aflcio.org/2010/06/23/social-security-must-pay-100000-damages-for-violating-workers-rights/
(also posted June 24)
Social Security Must Pay
$100,000 Damages for
Violating Worker’s
Rights
by
James Parks,
Jun 23, 2010
Saying the Social
Security Administration
(SSA) flagrantly
violated its contract
with
AFGE
and “trampled upon the
rights” of a 14-year
worker, an independent
arbitrator has ordered
the agency to pay her
back wages with interest
along with $100,000 in
compensatory and
punitive damages.
Magnolia Littles, a
member of AFGE Local
3291 in Little Rock, Ark.,
was suspended for 90
days after a benefits
payment she had approved
turned out to be
fraudulent. Patti
McGowan, an attorney
with AFGE, said the
arbitrator found there
was no substantial
evidence that Littles—who
has a spotless record at
SSA—was negligent in her
duties. The arbitrator
found that SSA violated
her rights by, among
other things, not
informing Littles she
had a right to have a
union representative
present at her
disciplinary meeting.
The agency also
discriminated against
her because of her race,
the arbitrator said. Of
the four employees who
processed the fraudulent
benefit payment, two
African Americans,
including Littles,
received suspensions. A
Latina was fired
outright, but the lone
white employee in the
group was not
disciplined at all.
“The strong language
used by the arbitrator
admonishing the agency
illustrates the
unabashed ferocity in
which employees are
treated under the
current SSA leadership,”
McGowan said.
This [awarding of
punitive damages] is a
first for an SSA local
in arbitration. The
unprecedented sums of
damages awarded to our
member should serve as a
wake-up call. We won’t
let these blatant
injustices to our
members stand.