AFGE LOCAL 3343

06/18/2026

Ghost offices are real. Iowa just proved it.

Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA) is celebrating the reopening of the Decorah Social Security office this week — closed for six months because DOGE gutted the workforce.

The same Rep. Hinson who called DOGE cuts “exactly what the federal government needs.”

While Decorah was dark, seniors drove 90+ minutes each way for in-person service. Nearest Iowa office: 1.5 hours. Nearest offices overall: out of state.

SSA has lost 8,000 employees since January 2025. Ghost offices don’t happen by accident. They happen by policy.

This is what “cutting waste” looks like from the inside.

The Trump administration pushed out 8,000 Social Security Administration employees and left several ‘ghost offices’ understaffed.

06/16/2026

SSA is seeing record negative leave balances agency-wide and their response is… to make it harder to get leave approved.

Not addressing the staffing crisis. Not restoring telework. Just tightening the screws.

Workers aren’t the problem. The conditions are.

06/13/2026

Last night we attended the Hudson Valley Area Labor Federation Labor Heroes Awards ceremony, where our own Amanda Bracco was presented the Norma Rae Award - named for the 1979 film about a textile worker who became a union organizer and rallied her coworkers against the odds.

Congratulations, Amanda - well earned!

06/11/2026

National Council of SSA Field Operations Locals President Jessica LaPointe said what needed to be said. Now Congress needs to act!

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Entire press conference can be found @: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1ChFv2DYQC/?mibextid=wwXIfr

06/11/2026

SSA staffing is at its lowest level in decades.

One field office worker per 4,000 beneficiaries.

Workers handling calls after 3 hours of training.

But the Commissioner says they have “the right amount of staff in the right places.”

The people calling our offices know otherwise.

SSA, much like the IRS, has temporarily reassigned many employees to mitigate staffing losses and address the agency's most urgent backlogs.

06/11/2026

On Thursday, July 2, 2026, District 3 will be hosting an America 250 Rally in Philadelphia. District 2 will be joining them along with Districts 4, 8, and 14. This rally is a celebration of our Nation’s birth and will highlight the accomplishments of Labor Unions and the contributions federal employes make to this country.

06/11/2026

06/10/2026

PEF Vice President Randi DiAntonio showed up and spoke out for SSA workers today in Albany.

That is union solidarity!✊💪