WHEREAS:
Each day, an estimated 10,000 Americans apply for Social Security benefits; and
WHEREAS:
The workers of the Social Security Administration (SSA), members of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), ensure those Americans receive their benefits. However, they are doing so now under relentless attack by the Trump administration; and
WHEREAS:
Since the beginning of 2025, the administration and so-called “Department of Government Efficiency,” or DOGE, has slashed SSA’s workforce by nearly 7,000 employees. These cuts were instigated without a serious examination of SSA’s operational needs and carried out in an arbitrary manner by ignorant and inexperienced DOGE staffers; and
WHEREAS:
These cuts unsurprisingly have led to a customer service crisis at SSA with Americans spending hours waiting on the phone to speak to a representative or to be able to schedule an appointment at a field office; and
WHEREAS:
Staffing in SSA field offices was cut by 9% between March 2024 and August 2025; and
WHEREAS:
SSA staff now service three times more beneficiaries than six decades ago and administer the Supplemental Security Income program that did not exist when Social Security began; and
WHEREAS:
The administration has pulled field staff to deal with long phone wait times at the expense of in-person office visits, which is especially detrimental to disabled beneficiaries and children receiving survivor benefits; and
WHEREAS:
While updated technology is a vital need in Social Security offices, technology cannot replace trained SSA staff and should not be deployed recklessly simply to cut headcounts; and
WHEREAS:
The technology currently used in SSA offices has resulted in numerous problems, including double-booked appointments, compressed appointment times and inflexible communication systems that frustrate dedicated staff, leading to increased employee burnout; and
WHEREAS:
These staff reductions have led to delays in Americans receiving their Social Security benefits, essentially cutting their earned benefits through avoidable mismanagement and red tape; and
WHEREAS:
Many AFSCME members who similarly provide vital services directly to the public understand firsthand the frustrations of being overworked and understaffed that result from disinvestment in public service administrative agencies.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:
That the 1.4 million working and retiree members of AFSCME stand in solidarity with the tens of thousands of Social Security Administration workers, members of AFGE, who continue, in the face of devastating layoffs, to ensure millions of Americans receive their Social Security benefits every month; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:
That AFSCME calls on Congress to act to ensure that the Social Security Administration is fully staffed, that Social Security workers are paid a fair and living wage and that there are no more government shutdowns requiring SSA workers to be on the job without pay; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED:
That AFSCME will continue to work to elect candidates to office who will ensure that SSA is fully staffed so that the agency can deliver on the promise to provide Social Security benefits to millions of our fellow Americans.
SUBMITTED BY:
R. Sean Grayson, President and Delegate
David Kovacs, Recording Secretary
AFSCME Council 8
Ohio