{"id":11224,"date":"2018-07-23T01:12:57","date_gmt":"2018-07-23T01:12:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/07\/23\/ssa-violates-discipline-rules-after-employee-protests-union-crackdown\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T04:31:29","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T04:31:29","slug":"ssa-violates-discipline-rules-after-employee-protests-union-crackdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/management\/2018\/07\/23\/ssa-violates-discipline-rules-after-employee-protests-union-crackdown\/","title":{"rendered":"A fed\u2019s protest leads to discipline rule violations"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Social Security Administration has left one of its employees on administrative leave well past the limit established in U.S. Code after that employee wrote on agency office windows in Troy, New York, to protest recent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.federaltimes.com\/management\/2018\/07\/12\/unions-call-out-chaos-caused-by-trump-executive-orders\/\">union-targeting executive orders<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Adam Pelletier, an employee and union representative at the Troy office, was placed on administrative leave July 2 and told Federal Times that he has yet to receive any official notice on why or what the agency plans to do with him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. Code limits the amount of time a federal employee can be placed on administrative leave to 10 work days per calendar year, which expired for Pelletier July 16. An agency can place an employee on investigative leave for additional time after that in the case of a misconduct investigation, but the employee must receive written notice of such leave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pelletier joined SSA as a temporary employee in July 2012 and joined the American Federation of Government Employees shortly thereafter. He was then hired as a permanent employee one year later. He currently works as a claims representative and a grievance vice president for the local chapter of the union.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Late at night July 1, Pelletier wrote on the windows of the Troy, New York, SSA office building with washable window paint. Pelletier said it was an act of protest of moves the agency had made to remove the union from the offices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1199\" height=\"620\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Pelletier-window-tag1.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-31007\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Pelletier-window-tag1.jpg.jpg 1199w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Pelletier-window-tag1.jpg.jpg?resize=300,155 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Pelletier-window-tag1.jpg.jpg?resize=768,397 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Pelletier-window-tag1.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,530 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1199px) 100vw, 1199px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Social Security Administration employee Adam Pelletier chose to tag SSA office windows (with washable paint) in protest of union-targeting actions by the agency. (Adam Pelletier)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">President Donald Trump in late May signed a series of executive orders that called for the eviction of unions from government buildings and placed limitations on use of official time and union contract negotiations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AFGE officials said that after a July 9 government deadline to begin enacting the orders, employees at agencies including SSA have experienced \u201cchaos\u201d in trying to cope with the changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pelletier said he was motivated to write on the office windows after he saw an SSA official measuring the bulletin board used for union information in anticipation of the union\u2019s removal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The morning after tagging the windows, Pelletier told District Manager John Rainis that he tagged the windows, and that he intended to file a grievance if the message was taken down. The district manager then called the police, according to Pelletier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen they got there, I approached them. I indicated that it was me, and I explained to them why I did it. And they just took some notes and carried on with their day,\u201d said Pelletier. \u201cAbout an hour later the federal police showed up, my manager called me into his office and he essentially explained that I was being put out on administrative leave until further notice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Though Pelletier protested the request, his manager insisted that he would have to go on leave. Pelletier said he plans to file a grievance related to SSA\u2019s violation of administrative leave limitations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dwight Jenkins, a fellow claims representative in the Troy office, went into the office with Pelletier as a witness and note-taker. He confirmed that Pelletier was given neither a reason nor a timeline for his placement on administrative leave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to Pelletier, he has not received a single piece of written documentation about the administrative leave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey never told my why I was suspended, what I did. It\u2019s pretty clear to me that it was related to the window thing. They have not told me not to do it again. And they have not asked me for the keys to my building,\u201d said Pelletier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jenkins said that the next day the access codes to the building were changed, a standard policy when an employee leaves SSA either permanently or for an extended period of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI made the district manager, or the assistant district manager, give me an order not to let him in,\u201d said Jenkins. \u201cBecause I said, \u2018You know what, nobody has told us that he can\u2019t come in, nobody has told us anything, so if he comes through the door, I\u2019m letting him in.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to Pelletier, a federal police officer also told the assistant district manager that Pelletier could be a security risk because of his prior military experience with weaponry. Pelletier called the suggestion \u201cunfounded.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pelletier drove to a July 13 grievance presentation for an SSA employee he was representing as part of his union role and was only told at that time that he would not be allowed on SSA property or to meet with fellow employees in agency space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to AFGE 3343 Local President Pedro \u201cPete\u201d Aviles, there isn\u2019t much the union can do about Pelletier\u2019s case until agency leaders decide what they plan to do with him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019re all really in the dark,\u201d Aviles told Federal Times. \u201cHow can you plan a counter to something you have no idea what you\u2019re countering?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pelletier said that he is a bit disappointed that the national branch of the union has been largely uninvolved since his original conversation with them about his administrative leave placement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Aviles added that SSA Area Three Director Yolanda Pe\u00f1a-Benitez told him that they are awaiting police reports on the incident before issuing a decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to Jenkins, the agency generally hasn\u2019t responded to incidents that happen on an employee\u2019s own time. Both he and Pelletier have been arrested while attending political protests, and Jenkins said that he was applauded when he returned to the office afterward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Aviles, Jenkins and Pelletier all said that there is a strong sense that the agency intends to issue him a removal notice in the near future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pelletier noted that his actions exist in a gray space in terms of rule-breaking. New York State penal law defines graffiti as marking public or private property \u201cwith intent to damage such property.\u201d Pelletier said he used a paint intended to be easily washed off windows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt took almost no time for the cleaning people here that manage the building to clean up the windows,\u201d said Jenkins. \u201cIt\u2019s a big kerfuffle over really nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The building itself is not government-owned property, as the agency rents the space from a private owner. Pelletier said he has been unable to determine if his actions had any impact on the agency\u2019s lease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But, according to Jenkins, the agency\u2019s response to Pelletier\u2019s actions has caused upheaval at the office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s raising hell with people here in the office, because he\u2019s a well-loved individual, he\u2019s been very active on our behalf, he\u2019s excellent at his job,\u201d said Jenkins. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of turmoil over this, and nobody can really say anything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Aviles also said that Pelletier is seen as an \u201cexcellent employee\u201d and isn\u2019t perceived as a troublemaker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The office has since received a new district manager, who happened to be married to a current employee, for a six-month detail, therefore necessitating that the current employee be moved to another office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both Jenkins and Pelletier said that these changes indicate that the orders are potentially coming from the regional commissioner in New York City.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe ripples from that \u2014 losing our manager, losing one of our beloved technical experts \u2014 the ripples are continuing to move outward and affect people,\u201d said Jenkins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both AFGE National and SSA said that they could not comment on personnel and investigation matters.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>U.S. Code limits the time an agency employee can be placed on administrative leave, but the Social Security Administration has exceeded it for an employee following a nondestructive act protesting union crackdowns.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":31005,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":15,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[104,106,31,67,15,33],"tags":[],"coauthors":[2853],"class_list":["post-11224","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-acquisition-update","category-daily-brief","category-home","category-hr","category-management","category-newsletters"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"RUBZEH3LMRBTPFKD3BSH5PCR4U","arc_canonical_url":"\/management\/2018\/07\/23\/ssa-violates-discipline-rules-after-employee-protests-union-crackdown\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>A fed\u2019s protest leads to discipline rule violations - Federal Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"U.S. Code limits the time an agency employee can be placed on administrative leave, but the Social Security Administration has exceeded it for an employee following a nondestructive act protesting union crackdowns.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A fed\u2019s protest leads to discipline rule violations\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"U.S. Code limits the time an agency employee can be placed on administrative leave, but the Social Security Administration has exceeded it for an employee following a nondestructive act protesting union crackdowns.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/management\/2018\/07\/23\/ssa-violates-discipline-rules-after-employee-protests-union-crackdown\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Federal Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-07-23T01:12:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T04:31:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jessie Bur\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jessie Bur\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/management\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/23\\\/ssa-violates-discipline-rules-after-employee-protests-union-crackdown\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/management\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/23\\\/ssa-violates-discipline-rules-after-employee-protests-union-crackdown\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"A fed\u2019s protest leads to discipline rule violations\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2018-07-23T01:12:57+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T04:31:29+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/management\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/23\\\/ssa-violates-discipline-rules-after-employee-protests-union-crackdown\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 1245,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/management\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/23\\\/ssa-violates-discipline-rules-after-employee-protests-union-crackdown\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/Pelletier-window-tag2.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Acquisition and Management Update\",\n\t                \"Daily Brief\",\n\t                \"Home\",\n\t                \"HR\",\n\t                \"Inside the Agencies\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/management\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/23\\\/ssa-violates-discipline-rules-after-employee-protests-union-crackdown\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/management\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/23\\\/ssa-violates-discipline-rules-after-employee-protests-union-crackdown\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/management\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/23\\\/ssa-violates-discipline-rules-after-employee-protests-union-crackdown\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"A fed\u2019s protest leads to discipline rule violations - Federal Times\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/management\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/23\\\/ssa-violates-discipline-rules-after-employee-protests-union-crackdown\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/management\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/23\\\/ssa-violates-discipline-rules-after-employee-protests-union-crackdown\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/Pelletier-window-tag2.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2018-07-23T01:12:57+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T04:31:29+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"U.S. Code limits the time an agency employee can be placed on administrative leave, but the Social Security Administration has exceeded it for an employee following a nondestructive act protesting union crackdowns.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/management\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/23\\\/ssa-violates-discipline-rules-after-employee-protests-union-crackdown\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/management\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/23\\\/ssa-violates-discipline-rules-after-employee-protests-union-crackdown\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/management\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/23\\\/ssa-violates-discipline-rules-after-employee-protests-union-crackdown\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/Pelletier-window-tag2.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/Pelletier-window-tag2.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/management\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/23\\\/ssa-violates-discipline-rules-after-employee-protests-union-crackdown\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Inside the Agencies\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/management\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"management\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"A fed\u2019s protest leads to discipline rule violations\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Federal Times\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Federal Times\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Federal Times\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/federal-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/federal-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Federal Times\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"A fed\u2019s protest leads to discipline rule violations - Federal Times","description":"U.S. Code limits the time an agency employee can be placed on administrative leave, but the Social Security Administration has exceeded it for an employee following a nondestructive act protesting union crackdowns.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"A fed\u2019s protest leads to discipline rule violations","og_description":"U.S. Code limits the time an agency employee can be placed on administrative leave, but the Social Security Administration has exceeded it for an employee following a nondestructive act protesting union crackdowns.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/management\/2018\/07\/23\/ssa-violates-discipline-rules-after-employee-protests-union-crackdown\/","og_site_name":"Federal Times","article_published_time":"2018-07-23T01:12:57+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T04:31:29+00:00","author":"Jessie Bur","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Jessie Bur","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/management\/2018\/07\/23\/ssa-violates-discipline-rules-after-employee-protests-union-crackdown\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/management\/2018\/07\/23\/ssa-violates-discipline-rules-after-employee-protests-union-crackdown\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"A fed\u2019s protest leads to discipline rule violations","datePublished":"2018-07-23T01:12:57+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T04:31:29+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/management\/2018\/07\/23\/ssa-violates-discipline-rules-after-employee-protests-union-crackdown\/"},"wordCount":1245,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/management\/2018\/07\/23\/ssa-violates-discipline-rules-after-employee-protests-union-crackdown\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Pelletier-window-tag2.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Acquisition and Management Update","Daily Brief","Home","HR","Inside the Agencies","Newsletters"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/management\/2018\/07\/23\/ssa-violates-discipline-rules-after-employee-protests-union-crackdown\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/management\/2018\/07\/23\/ssa-violates-discipline-rules-after-employee-protests-union-crackdown\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/management\/2018\/07\/23\/ssa-violates-discipline-rules-after-employee-protests-union-crackdown\/","name":"A fed\u2019s protest leads to discipline rule violations - Federal Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/management\/2018\/07\/23\/ssa-violates-discipline-rules-after-employee-protests-union-crackdown\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/management\/2018\/07\/23\/ssa-violates-discipline-rules-after-employee-protests-union-crackdown\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Pelletier-window-tag2.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2018-07-23T01:12:57+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T04:31:29+00:00","description":"U.S. Code limits the time an agency employee can be placed on administrative leave, but the Social Security Administration has exceeded it for an employee following a nondestructive act protesting union crackdowns.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/management\/2018\/07\/23\/ssa-violates-discipline-rules-after-employee-protests-union-crackdown\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/management\/2018\/07\/23\/ssa-violates-discipline-rules-after-employee-protests-union-crackdown\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/management\/2018\/07\/23\/ssa-violates-discipline-rules-after-employee-protests-union-crackdown\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Pelletier-window-tag2.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Pelletier-window-tag2.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/management\/2018\/07\/23\/ssa-violates-discipline-rules-after-employee-protests-union-crackdown\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Inside the Agencies","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/management\/","ad_zone":"management"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"A fed\u2019s protest leads to discipline rule violations"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/","name":"Federal Times","description":"Federal Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/#organization","name":"Federal Times","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/federal-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/federal-logo-white.png","caption":"Federal Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Federal Times","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Pelletier-window-tag2.jpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11224","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11224"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11224\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11229,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11224\/revisions\/11229"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31005"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11224"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11224"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11224"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=11224"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}