Social Security Is Closing Office in Southeast Cleveland Due to Severe Staffing Shortages. 1,200 Other Offices Could Face Same Fate

April 15, 2024

Categories:SSA, The Insider

Due to chronic staffing and attrition issues, the Social Security Administration (SSA) recently announced it will be closing a field office in Southeast Cleveland, Ohio, a community that is 94% Black. 

Severe underfunding of SSA’s operating budget has caused SSA to reach its lowest staffing levels in 27 years. The 1,200 community-based Social Security field offices across the country could be facing a similar fate.  

“Most Americans do not have a choice to pay into the Social Security system through their paychecks, yet for the last decade, Congress has acted like it has been a choice to fund the program’s operating costs and staff the agency properly to meet public demand and delivery timely benefits and services,” said Jessica LaPointe, president of the National Council of SSA Field Operations Locals (AFGE Council 220). “Due to high turnover of staff due to inadequate pay, benefits, and out of control workloads, and Congress’ failure to fund the agency to replace staffing losses, improve working conditions, and offer a competitive pay and benefits package, it has been death by a thousand cuts.”  

LaPointe added that to get to where SSA needs to be in its operating costs to meet public demand, Congress will need to stop operating off of a false narrative that Social Security recipients are adding to the national debt and therefore, SSA is forced to compete with other Labor and Health and Human Services programs as part of the annual appropriations process.  

Social Security benefits and its operating costs, including staff salaries, are paid for by the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) through payroll deductions. Working families and retirees have already bought and paid for these benefits, therefore, timely access to the benefits and services should be awaiting them when workers are eligible to receive them.  

WIARA, AFGE are joining forces  

As Congress is starving SSA, the Wisconsin Alliance for Retired Americans (WIARA) and AFGE are joining forces to take a stand to save your earned benefits and improve your earned access.  

From March 28 through May 21, 2024, LaPointe, WIARA Executive Director Alex Brower, and WIARA President Ross Winklbauer are holding demonstrations at Social Security field offices around the state to spread awareness about the underfunding of SSAs operating costs, long service delays for earned benefits, and looming benefit cuts if Congress does not act in good faith.  

In Madison, the state’s capital city, the only Social Security community-based field office has faced similar staffing shortages and attrition problems as it lost more than 50% of its staff in the last few years. 

LaPointe has been invited to speak about this looming threat to American’s Social Safety net at several Wisconsin Alliance for Retired American events since last August, including to participate in a Town Hall panel discussion with Wisconsin Congressman Mark Pocan. 

WIARA leadership worked hard to mobilize different unions to join AFGE at the demonstrations throughout the state. Unions in attendance so far have been USW, AFSCME, CWA, Teamsters, AFT, UAW, NEA, and AFGE. The demonstrations have been a true act of social unionism surrounding an issue of grave concern and importance that effects almost every American, especially retirees. Social Security is an earned benefit that was promised to be there for us from when we become eligible and entitled at retirement age or disabled until death. It is earned income security.  

“Retirees and working families have paid for Social Security benefits and services throughout their working lives and are now applying to access them at record numbers as baby boomers have been reaching their retirement age a rate of 12,000 a week since 2011 and will continue to do so until at least 2033,” LaPointe added. “Yet, Congress has failed to meet this growing demand for earned benefits by responding with a 20% slash in Social Security operating allowance over the last decade.”  

This summer, the members of the AFGE SSA General Committee and AFGE Council 220 are planning to partner with community partners all across the country and hold demonstrations and request Congressional Town Halls like AFGE is doing with WIARA to hold lawmakers accountable for their voting on Social Security and continue to spread mass public awareness on the dire situation at SSA and how it is affecting retirees, working families and their communities.  

Say no to the Fiscal Commission 

Underfunding SSAs operating costs and failing to address benefit solvency is something avoidable and preventable. In less than 10 years Social Security Trust Fund actuaries have calculated that only 77% of benefits will be paid out to existing beneficiaries. To address this, the House of Representatives is attempting to pass a bill that may attempt to raise the retirement age through a “Fiscal Commission.”  

A better approach would be to raise the annual earnings contribution cap through Congressman Larson’s Social Security 2100 Act or Senator Warren and Sanders’ Social Security Expansion Act.  

“Asking seniors to work into their 70s and 80s to qualify for their earned Social Security benefits instead of asking the wealthy to pay their fair share into the program is wrong for working families and the middle class,” LaPointe said. 

Join us 

Social Security is the people’s program paid for by the people, for the people, and the people need to take a stand to save it. Join a demonstration near you. Stay connected at AFGEC220.org and facebook.com/AFGECouncil220 and through affiliate locals to find out more.