Please clear your calendar for Wednesday, April 6 at 12:00 noon. AFSCME Local 2401 will be hosting a rally/demonstration at Freedom Plaza (in front of the District's "City Hall", the John A. Wilson Building) to demand that District leaders review, update, and expand the current telework policies.
We need you to commit to being at this important rally by signing up here:
From the very start of the COVID pandemic, District employees stepped up and kept DC running. When the Mayor's Emergency Order shut down many DC Government buildings, we continued doing our jobs, efficiently and effectively, and kept many the functions of the District running smoothly for the DC residents we serve.
Teleworking did not negatively affect the performance of our work or the functioning of District agencies. In many cases, teleworking employees were proven to be more productive and efficient.
DCHR's response to our request for an updated telework/AWS policy was this: "The economic effects of COVID-19 cannot be ignored. As you are aware, the District government relies on revenue generated from businesses and workers operating within the District to fund government services, and this revenue is adversely impacted by remote work. While we are proud that the District government was able to endure the effects of the public health emergency without having to resort to furloughs or a reduction-in-force, a full expansion of telework as seen during the emergency would not be sustainable at this time."
Local 2401 respectfully submitted a petition signed by over 1,200 employees requesting DCHR review it's telework policy and look for ways to expand options for workers. Our petition was ignored by Mayor Bowser, and every DC Councilmember on the Committee for Labor and Workplace Development.
Teleworking is a quality of life issue. DC has some of the worst traffic and longest commuting times in the country, costing many workers hundreds of hours of wasted time each year. Gas prices are skyrocketing. Even small changes in telework policy by management that claims to care for the wellbeing of DC workers (union, non-union, management alike) would give some relief to the employees and their families.
Teleworking is progressive and should have been expanded prior to COVID. There is a mountain of scientific literature proving that telework options improve productivity and wellness, leading to better work and fewer sick days. Technology advances (Teams, Zoom, etc.) make telework interaction run seamlessly and in many cases, easier than old ways of in-person communication.
Members-please CAREFULLY read this response to President Enoch's request for EXPANDED telework.
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DCHR Letter Response to Enoch (002)6.
If you haven't heard already, retro pay has been issued to employees in Comp 1 and Comp 2 Bargaining Units (that includes 2401). This is retroactive pay that is due to employees due to Mayor Bowswer suspending the pay raise we were entitled to receive in 2020. If you are paid on Fridays, you should be able to look in Peoplesoft to see the retro pay that you will receive on 12/3/21. If you do not see retro pay listed on your pay stub, talk to someone in HR immediately!
This is why we have a union! In addition to fighting for pay increases for every year of our 2017-2020 contract, we had to CONTINUE the fight when the Mayor suspended our raise due to COVID in October 2020.
When talking to your coworkers, please point out that our contract raises, and the ability to FIGHT to make sure we get them, are ONLY possible because we have a union. UNIONS ARE THE ONLY WAY THE WORKING CLASS CAN STAND TOGETHER IN THE WORKPLACE AND HAVE AN EQUAL SEAT AT THE BARGAINING TABLE WITH MANAGEMENT. Tell them that the more members we have, the more powerful we can be! (FYI, the union is currently negotiating a new contract with the District) Increasing our membership is the best way to show Bowser and her team that we all are willing to fight for the pay and working conditions we deserve!
OVER 1100 people signed our petition to keep expanded telework for DC employees! Thank you to everyone who signed. The petition will stay open to gather even more signatures, as COVID numbers continue to rise in the DMV.
Mayor Bowser and the District Council have our petition which lays out our demands:
1. A change in DC Human Resources policy to include expanded (up to full time) telework options, to be determined by the needs of DC agencies individually.
2. Options for telework to be combined with compressed or alternative schedules.
3. A working group of both management and Union staff to develop and implement new telework options within the next six months.
WE KNOW that the District's goal of "getting back to normal" means to pretend the pandemic that is ravaging the world no longer exists, and that the threat of harm is gone because we are vaccinated. WE KNOW the real reason we are forced to work in crowded offices is purely financial and that DC workers are being forced to sacrifice their health because of pressure from downtown business lobbyists to keep us paying for food and parking (and parking tickets!). WE KNOW that COVID is more prevalent and more deadly in parts of DC that are primarily African-American and working class. WE KNOW that DC's infection rate is continues to climb. WE KNOW DC hospitals are near capacity with COVID patients. WE KNOW that thousands of us have worked from home during the pandemic without ANY disruption in services. WE KNOW that the schools continue to struggle as now children are getting infected in record numbers.
WE KNOW that Mayor Bowser and the Council can change this situation immediately...if they want to. Let's keep up the pressure to make them want to!!
From the beginning of the pandemic, medical and disease experts told us we needed three things to get past COVID and keep people healthy- getting a vaccine, wearing a mask, and social distancing, As the number of people getting and dying from the COVID Delta strain have started to shoot upward again, Mayor Bowser seems to be forgetting the key element of keeping people away from each other to prevent exposure. The Mayor held a press conference on Tuesday proclaiming that all District employees must be vaccinated or get weekly tests and wear masks in District buildings. NOT ONE WORD was uttered about social distancing, about the life-saving measure of keeping people separated to prevent contracting and spreading this deadly disease.
Experts say that a vaccine is not enough. Vaccinated people can still contract and spread COVID, including the more contagious Delta strain.
Forcing workers back to their offices (for no other reason than to please the business and restaurant lobbyists) and denying telework options in this time of continued crisis puts thousands of employees and their families at risk.
Tell Bowser vaccines and masks are not enough! Sign and share the petition and make sure it gets signed by everyone you think could be affected. https://www.change.org/dctelework
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