On Jan. 14, AFGE members from the Social Security Administration will be holding a national day of action to demand that the Trump administration lift the hiring freeze to fully staff the agency and to call on Congress to provide living wages for Social Security workers and fully fund the government. AFGE members will hold rallies in their communities and outside of Social Security offices across the country.
This day of action is the second national day of action coordinated by the AFGE Social Security General Committee in six months under the banner of its national campaign, Social Security Workers United. In August, Social Security Workers organized over 50 events across the country, from Littleton, N.H., San Francisco and everywhere in between.
Now, AFGE members across the country are dealing with the aftermath of our country’s longest government shutdown. For 43 days, federal workers across the country grappled with stress, sacrifice, and uncertainty.
At the Social Security Administration, it’s become clear that the long-term structural issues of understaffing, overwork, and low pay are still immense barriers to serving the millions of Americans who rely on and are entitled to Social Security. Additionally, the government is only funded through Jan. 30, making it imperative we stand up and speak out to avoid another shutdown.
“At Social Security, there has been no acknowledgement of the mental and financial stress [of the shutdown], and now they are piling on more work than any human being can handle,” said Pamela Ward, a customer service representative in Birmingham, Ala., and vice president of AFGE Local 2206. “There have been no breaks, no breathing room, and no concern for the public we serve.”
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has made clear statements and taken pointed action to undermine Social Security by maintaining a year-long hiring freeze and circulating a plan to reduce field office visits by 50% in 2026.
“We are being expected to do more with less; we’re seeing coworkers retire and quit,” said Jessica LaPointe, who is president of AFGE Council 220, representing SSA field office staff. “The American people are feeling the consequences of long wait times and more barriers to accessing their benefits.”
“We’ve never faced the kind of attacks on the job we’re experiencing now,“ said Rich Couture, president of AFGE Council 215, representing SSA hearings and appeals staff. “In the past few months, we’ve seen more chaos, increasing stress, oppressive workloads, and attacks on the benefits that Americans depend on us to deliver. That's why we’re shifting from defense to offense.”
Now more than ever, we, as AFGE members at Social Security, must organize to build our power to change our working conditions to better serve the public and take care of our families. We must keep up the pressure to ensure that the government is fully funded.
Pledge to take action or join an event on Jan. 14 at http://afge.org/jan14.
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