The first episode of AFGE’s new series, The Activist, highlighting our union members who have stepped up to help make a difference in the lives of their colleagues and our government.
Jessica LaPointe is president of the AFGE SSA Council 220, as well as vice president and office steward of Local 1346 in Madison, Wisconsin. She was hired as a bilingual claims specialist at the Social Security Administration. She processes disability and retirement claims and ensures proper payments to beneficiaries. She also helps the Spanish-speaking community with their questions. She is assigned to a lot of bilingual caseloads.
“I really enjoy helping the community, especially the Spanish-speaking community, because my degree is in Spanish and I enjoy helping people who need help,” she said. “I enjoy helping the most vulnerable of our population stabilize their income. That’s very meaningful to me and it feels like a purposeful career.”
Since joining AFGE 11 years ago and became active in the union a few years after. She has held several positions in her local, including Women and Fair Practices Coordinator and Legislative and Political Coordinator.
To Jessica, being a union activist is her calling.
“Within the agency I love doing the agency work, but my true passion is working within the union to better the lives of my coworkers and fellow brothers and sisters,” she explained. “It makes me feel like it’s a job well done at the end of the day when I’m able to do that work.”
Listen to Jessica talk about how she got involved in the union and her AFGE journey.
AFGE is urging members of Congress to reject legislation introduced last week that would undercut earned benefits for our nation’s military veterans, strip workplace rights and protections from thousands of psychologists at the Department of Veterans Affairs, and push more veterans outside the VA for their health care.
AFGE Council 220 President Jessica LaPointe traveled from Wisconsin last week and delivered a stark message on Capitol Hill about the future of the Social Security Administration.
The House Armed Services Committee approved an amendment to the fiscal 2027 National Defense Authorization Act that would restore collective bargaining rights at the Department of Defense, while also rejecting an amendment that would have lifted the longstanding moratorium on privatizing federal jobs through OMB Circular A-76.
