Appealing denial or termination of telecommuting arrangement

Appealing denial or termination of telecommuting arrangement

Per the current San Francisco City & County MOU:

ARTICLE II – EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS JULY 1, 2024 - JUNE 30, 2027 CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO AND SEIU LOCAL 1021 MOU CITYWIDE 35

CC. TELECOMMUTING 261. An employee who meets the Telecommuting Program eligibility criteria and program guidelines may apply to participate in the Telecommuting Program. Requests for participation in the Telecommuting Program shall be responded to within thirty (30) days. As described more fully in the Telecommuting Program materials, telecommuting is a cooperative arrangement subject to the telecommuting appeal process. Either a telecommuting employee or the City may end a telecommuting ...

Per the current San Francisco City & County MOU:

ARTICLE II – EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS JULY 1, 2024 - JUNE 30, 2027 CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO AND SEIU LOCAL 1021 MOU CITYWIDE 35

CC. TELECOMMUTING 261. An employee who meets the Telecommuting Program eligibility criteria and program guidelines may apply to participate in the Telecommuting Program. Requests for participation in the Telecommuting Program shall be responded to within thirty (30) days. As described more fully in the Telecommuting Program materials, telecommuting is a cooperative arrangement subject to the telecommuting appeal process. Either a telecommuting employee or the City may end a telecommuting arrangement at any time, however, telecommuting arrangements will not be denied or ended for an arbitrary or capricious reason. In the event a represented employee has a good faith belief that a telecommuting request is denied for an arbitrary or capricious reason, or that an existing telecommuting agreement was terminated for an arbitrary or capricious reason, the member may appeal the decision to the City’s Human Resources Director, whose decision shall be final and binding. Upon the request of the Union, the Labor Management Committee will agendize twice per fiscal year any disputes relating to changes to telecommuting arrangements or denials of telecommuting requests. At the meetings on which the issue is on the agenda, the City’s Human Resources Director will be in attendance. Neither the Telecommuting Program nor this Section are subject to the grievance and arbitration procedure of this Agreement.

You can find more information about the City's telecommute program here.

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Appeal denial or termination of telecommuting arrangement

If you have received a notice that your current telecommuting arrangement has been denied or terminated for arbitrary or capricious reasons, fill out this form and write an appeal explaining your reasoning.

Once submitted, your appeal will be recorded with SEIU 1021 staff representatives and sent straight to Director of Human Resources Carol Isen.

Do you have health and safety or workspace concerns related to your worksite? If so, please also complete this survey to help the union advocate for you and your coworkers.

 

Important Notes for Members

We are aware that some departments (DPH, DPA, and HSA) are already asking workers to fill out new telecommute applications in response to the mayor’s memo. We want to be absolutely clear:

  • No changes to your telecommute agreement should be made until the meet and confer process is complete.
  • However, if your department requires you to fill out a new application, do it—this protects you from losing your current arrangement or any at all.
  • After submitting it, we recommend you follow up with an email stating:

"I am complying with the instruction to complete a new telecommute application. However, I protest the premature implementation of the mayor's order before the City has fulfilled its obligation to meet and confer with my union."

For Workers Requesting Family Friendly Accommodations:

If you're applying under the Family Friendly Workplace Ordinance and your department denies your request or only approves it through April 27 (as stated in the mayor’s memo), please contact your union rep or shop steward.

We’re compiling a list of denials to share with DHR to hold departments accountable.

Compose your email

  • Invalid phone number

Email Tips +

It's important that you fill out the brackets in the letter with your personal details and list specific reasons why you believe your job duties can be done remotely. Please also articulate why you believe the denial is arbitrary and capricious.

If you have documentation and evidence to attach, consider uploading the files online to a place like Google Drive or Dropbox, then insert the link to the folder containing your files in the message below.