AFGE Demands 20,000 Social Security Hires as Staffing Falls to 49,000
Updated
Updated · People's World · Aug 12
AFGE Demands 20,000 Social Security Hires as Staffing Falls to 49,000
1 articles · Updated · People's World · Aug 12
Summary
AFGE said Social Security needs 20,000 more workers, arguing severe understaffing has left offices closed, rural sites unstaffed and customers facing long waits for appointments, calls and disability decisions.
49,000 people were working at the agency in February 2026, down from more than 57,000 at the end of January 2025, according to figures cited by the Alliance for Retired Americans.
18 million cases were backlogged by March—6 million at processing centers and 12 million in field offices—as remaining staff were reassigned to answer customer-service calls.
9 rural Social Security offices are already completely unstaffed, workers said, while managers push more claims onto automated systems that union members say can make errors and limit human review.
$25 million is all a House appropriations panel added for the next fiscal year, far short of the agency's $14.9 billion request, deepening union fears that service cuts could fuel privatization efforts.