Re: Union calls for immediate closure of Ironton SSA

[Guest guest]

This is good news that some of the unions are actually beginning to take a

stand. That it is the Gov Employee Union is even better.

Sharon

In a message dated 11/18/2010 3:16:22 P.M. Pacific Standard Time,

tigerpaw2c@... writes:

Union calls for immediate closure of Ironton SSA

Published 9:39am Tuesday, November 16, 2010

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_http://www.irontontribune.com/2010/11/16/union-calls-for-immediate-closure-

of-ironton-ssa/_

(http://www.irontontribune.com/2010/11/16/union-calls-for-immediate-closure-of-i\

ronton-ssa/)

The national union representing employees at the Social Security

Administration's Ironton office is demanding the facility be closed due to

black

mold problems, a request the government agency is denying at this time.

" I've asked and demanded they close the office. The employees are

experiencing respiratory problems and headaches among other symptoms because of

the

repeated exposure to the mold, " Sheagley, president of American

Federation of Government Employees Local 3448, said in prepared statement

released last week. " Around 100 people are in and out of that office every day

–

retirees, the disabled – and they are being exposed to black mold. This is

a dire public safety issue. "

The union, which represents about a dozen employees in the Ironton office,

claims in the release that the mold was first observed in the summer of

2009 and has since spread under and onto the seams of the vinyl wallpaper in

the office, with clear plastic tape covering it.

The union also says the mold has made nine of the office's 11 workers ill

at one time or another and that all of those have filed workers'

compensation claims.

Doug Nguyen, deputy regional communications director for the SSA, said the

agency has taken steps to address the issue but that it will remain open.

" We have no plans to close the office, " he said.

He also said that the GSA conducted another environmental inspection of

the building on Nov. 2, and the results have not come back as of yet.

" As soon as we get the final report, we'll go from there, " Nguyen said.

The Ironton SSA is currently in the process of building a new office on

the corner of Seventh and Vernon streets but it will not be completed until

mid 2011. In September, local and national SSA officials said the reason for

building a new office was due to an expired lease.

Wilkinson of the General Services Administration — the agency that ma

nages facility construction and acquisition for the SSA — said in an

e-mail last month that in January 2009, the SSA submitted a request for a

larger

space.

That floor layout follows a new standard configuration that SSA has

adopted for field offices.

Wilkinson said the agency was aware of the mold but that it was not a

factor in the decision to move.

" GSA is not privy to communications between SSA and the union. We are

aware, however, that SSA has had the Federal Occupational Health Service

conduct environmental inspections of the Third Street office in response to

complaints of mold, " he said.

" It is our understanding that SSA routinely sends copies of such reports

to the union's national office, which in turn distributes copies to local

offices of the union. "

The first of the inspections was made about a year ago Sept. 15, 2009.

Wilkinson went on to say that a more recent inspection made four

recommendations, which the GSA then addressed.

He explained the recommendations as " continue to seal areas of wallpaper

where suspect mold is visible; determine the extent of suspect mold

contamination within the office both beneath the perimeter wall wallpaper and

within perimeter wall cavities. Assure that recommendations made in the Sept.

2009 report are addressed. Assure that the relative humidity in the computer

room comply with SSA specifications. GSA will continue to monitor the

room's humidity levels and see that necessary corrections are made. "

As a result of the inspections, Wilkinson said that the GSA determined

that the mold situation was not serious enough to warn or inform the public.

The union representative disagrees, calling this a " threat to the

hundreds of people who go in and out of the contaminated office every week. "

" There's no enforceable standard when it comes to mold and air quality, "

said Sheagley.

Sheagley does say that what is defined as a " hazard " is unclear. He cites

Article 9, Section 4 of their 2005 contract as saying that an abatement

plan will be made if there is a hazard. " Both the Centers for Disease Control

(CDC) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have agreed that the

mold is unsafe and unhealthy but the hazard has yet to be confirmed, meaning

no abatement plan. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and

Health (NIOSH) is working with the Federal Occupational Health (FOH) agency to

do abatement, " the release stated.

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