AFGE LOCAL 3343

09/02/2026

09/01/2026

Every SSA employee says the same thing: we don’t have enough staff. Every SSA employee, that is, except the one at the top.

Home News MarketWatch Social Security union says it needs $3 billion and another 20,000 workers to fix long wait times and 'ghost offices' Social Security union says it needs $3 billion and another 20,000 workers to fix long wait times and 'ghost offices' Provided by Dow Jones Aug 21, 2026, 7:03:00....

08/29/2026

CONGRESS, DO YOUR DAMN JOB.

SSA employees have been stretched to the breaking point.

📉 Staffing gutted
📞 Questionable Call wait times
🏢 Offices struggling to stay open
🚫 Telework stripped away
💼 Workloads continuing to pile up
💰 A PAY DECREASE COMING FOR FY 2027

👴 Millions of Americans depending on us

We are being asked to do more with less while dealing with understaffing, increased workloads, and declining working conditions.
And now we're expected to take a pay cut while Congress watches.

We don't need another press release.
We don't need another study.
We need Congress to ACT.
Stop the war on Americas workforce.

Fund Social Security.
Staff Social Security.
Pay federal employees fairly.
Protect the workers who deliver the services Americans depend on.

08/29/2026

Whatever the administration calls it — “fiscal responsibility” — the effect is the same as the hiring freezes, RIFs, and DOGE-era cuts that came before it: shrink the federal workforce by attrition instead of through a direct fight. SSA is already stretched thin. A real-terms pay cut makes it even harder to keep experienced Claims Specialists and Technical Experts, and every person who leaves adds to the load on everyone who stays.

Congress still has a chance to fix this through the FY2027 appropriations bill. So far, House Republicans have voted down Democratic efforts to reverse the freeze and restore workplace protections. That needs to change

The alternative pay plan that the White House issued this week carves out exceptions to give larger raises to federal law enforcement and military personnel.

08/21/2026

Matt Zames, former JPMorgan Chase COO, starts Monday as an unpaid advisor at SSA headquarters in Baltimore. His office placard is already up.

Zames isn’t just an old JPMorgan colleague of Commissioner Bisignano. The two were named co-COOs of JPMorgan Chase together in 2012. Now Zames is back at his side, brought in to “modernize” the agency that pays benefits to more than 70 million Americans.

Watch for the language. Bring in a Wall Street guy and you get a Wall Street playbook: a new “framework” for how the agency runs, and “right-sizing” the workforce that actually answers the phones and processes the claims.

We’ve heard this script before. It rarely means more staff or better service. It usually means fewer of us doing more with less.

He’s coming in as a special government employee. That status caps his time at 130 days and doesn’t require full-time work. He can roll out his framework, right-size the workforce, and walk away with no lasting accountability to the workers or the public who depend on this agency.

Frontline SSA employees have been telling management for years what modernization actually requires: staffing, working IT systems, and time to serve the public right. We didn’t need a former bank COO flown in to tell us that.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/trump-admin-taps-former-jpmorgan-chase-exec-matt-zames-to-advise-social-security-agency/ar-AA2aE6HT

08/21/2026

National Council of SSA Field Operations Locals is calling on Congress to restore $3 billion in SSA funding and add 20,000 workers. SSA’s administrative budget has fallen from 1.2% to 0.86% of benefit outlays. Private insurers spend roughly 20% of benefit outlays on administration.

SSA is chronically underfunded to serve 75 million Americans. Local 3343 stands with Council 220. Fund SSA.


https://www.marketwatch.com/story/ghost-offices-and-long-wait-times-social-security-workers-demand-3-billion-and-20-000-hires-ac975af0?fbclid=IwdGRjcAT1ggNwZG9mAWZkaWQWUM7X7_w8V4d5PA9N054DojDc4cDjv2V4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR4y9dW8Mws1PhBzPwDu04PDzzVDwiUKHRhcNvTuCQOHD2zwRPRqKkqOJ2FxFA_aem_WyRYzRLM_yIWCVD4M6mHLA

08/19/2026

A few days ago we posted this. Then it happened here.

An employee at one of our Capital District offices quit. No two weeks notice needed. Just an empty desk.

This is what we warned about. It’s not hypothetical. It’s happening in real time, right here in the Capital Region.

Leadership had the chance to ask Congress for the funding to fully backfill all of the staffing losses. They didn’t. They won’t. The people left behind absorb the caseload.

More will follow.

Call your representative. Today. Tomorrow and the next day.Tell them Social Security field offices are losing staff faster than they can be replaced, and the people who pay for it are the ones who need help the most.

Find your rep’s number at house.gov or call the Capitol switchboards: (202) 224-3121.

08/16/2026

Social Security turns 91 today. For nearly a century, Americans have been able to age with dignity.

This anniversary is a call to action: protect Social Security from ruthless attacks, ensure every senior can access benefits, & strengthen the program for future generations.

08/15/2026

Not in NY yet, but it’s getting closer. Want to see how this administration treating employees in 🇵🇷 ?

Give AFGE Local 2608 a like/follow

🚨 Appointment Scheduling Calendar & Workload Management EXPANSION — AUGUST 29, 2026

ASC/WLM is expanding, bringing changes to how work is scheduled and assigned.

Employees should watch for unfair workloads, unrealistic performance expectations, increased monitoring, skill/availability issues, system errors, and work assignments that could negatively impact them.

📌 Document problems. Report system issues. Know your rights. Contact your union representative early.

Stay informed. Stay united. Union Strong. 💪💙💛