Union says SSA’s failure to staff the office leaves Northwoods residents with a 3.5-hour window
RHINELANDER, Wis. — The Social Security field office in Rhinelander cut its public hours in half Oct. 26 after the Social Security Administration (SSA) let its staff drop to two full-time employees, according to the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Council 220 and AFGE Local 1346.
The office at 2023 Navajo St. now opens to the public at 9 a.m. and closes at 12:30 p.m. instead of 4 p.m. According to the union, there are just two full-time employees left: one works the front window and the other takes claims. Their coworkers left because of burnout and other pressures, and the two who remain are at risk of burning out too.
“Two people are doing the work of a seven-person office, and they are giving it everything they have. But this is not sustainable,” said Jessica LaPointe, president of AFGE Council 220. “When workers burn out and walk out the door, it’s the widow filing for survivor benefits and the worker waiting on a disability claim who ends up facing a locked door at 12:30 p.m. The people of the Northwoods paid into Social Security their whole working lives. They deserve more, not less.”
Rhinelander sits in Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District, home to 215,526 Social Security beneficiaries, more than any other district in the state. More than 176,000 are 65 or older, and more than 20,000 are disabled workers. The district covers nearly 19,000 square miles and has four field offices but the next closest, in Wausau, is about an hour away.
“This comes at a time when seniors’ needs should be a priority,” said Nancy Stencil, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Alliance for Retired Americans. “This reduction leaves seniors vulnerable to less resources, further travel time, and higher travel costs.”
The Union has warned about a staffing crisis for years. SSA has lost over 7,500 employees nationwide since January 2025, and the union does not know of plans to replace the approximately five employees who have left the Rhinelander office. The agency has posted no vacancies and offered no transfer incentives for the office that we are aware of.
AFGE Council 220 and Local 1346 are calling on SSA to fill the office’s vacancies, offer transfer incentives to bring experience employees to Rhinelander, and restore full public hours.
About AFGE Council 220
AFGE Council 220, the National SSA Field Operations Council, represents approximately 25,000 frontline Social Security Administration employees in field offices, teleservice centers, payment centers and workload support units nationwide through 34 affiliate locals.
