[nfbwatlk] Fw: Many Social Security Recipients could Face Lock-Out in Seattle Area

[Ivan Weich]

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: "Weich, Ivan" <Ivan.Weich at ssa.gov>
To: "'IEWeich at yahoo.com'" <IEWeich at yahoo.com>
Sent: Thursday, August 25, 2011 1:51 PM
Subject: FW: Many Social Security Recipients could Face Lock-Out in Seattle Area


 
 
From:stevekofahl at aol.com [mailto:stevekofahl at aol.com] 
Sent: Thursday, August 25, 2011 1:31 PM
To: Rstern at wslc.org; antonio_bo at msn.com; KCummings at wslc.org; dgroves at wslc.org; witold1 at attglobal.net; fredphoto at aol.com; afgedana at aol.com; marsh-jn at msn.com; Afge224 at yahoo.com; KELSOC at afge.org; DAVISL at afge.org; SWANKG at afge.org; JAsaul at aol.com; Cornell, Susan; Novakoski, Laura J.; Kitchin-Kofahl, Carolyn; Roark, Timothy; ja_bolin at comcast.net; Rivers, Ana; Weich, Ivan; Riegel, Cindy; afgeoertel at aol.com; Hornick, Jill
Cc: stevekofahl at aol.com
Subject: Fwd: Many Social Security Recipients could Face Lock-Out in Seattle Area
 
Friends,
 
Please feel free to post and distribute widely.  Thanks!
 
Steve
 
-----Original Message-----
From: Christina Erling <ERLINC at afge.org>
To: Christina Erling <ERLINC at afge.org>
Sent: Thu, Aug 25, 2011 10:52 am
Subject: Many Social Security Recipients could Face Lock-Out in Seattle Area
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
Contact:               
Steve Kofahl
425-275-8770
stevekoafahl at aol.com     
 
Christina Erling
202-639-6491
 
Many Social Security Recipients could Face Lock-Out
Face-to-face service from the SSA could become a thing of the past in Seattle area
                                                                                     
(WASHINGTON)  -- The Social Security Administration recently signed an occupancy agreement that would move employees from two existing field offices in the Seattle area to Seattle’s Jackson Federal Building in spring 2012.  
 
“The problem is that this Level 4 security building houses high-risk law enforcement and security agencies, so valid federal or state identification is required to gain entry,” explained Steve Kofahl, president of AFGE Local 3937. “Moving the field offices to this building severely impacts the local communities they served and will severely hamper the ability of recipients to have face-to-face service with an SSA representative.  There is no onsite parking, commercial parking in the area is very expensive, and there are very few handicapped parking spaces available around the building.”
 
The move also violates the GSA/SSA Space Allocation Standard public access criteria, and the Department of Justice Vulnerability Assessment recommendation that high risk and low risk agencies should not be co-located in federal buildings. This advice was issued after the Oklahoma City Murrah Building bombing.  
 
Community and labor organizations, led by the 35-member Social Security Works Washington Coalition that includes American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 3937, are leading a campaign to reverse the decision. Many community leaders have pledged their support and said they are appalled that SSA would deny anyone access to face-to-face service. 
 
“Many individuals needing Social Security services, especially homeless or low-income individuals, lack such identification and thus would not be able to gain entry,” Congressman Jim McDermott said in a June 20 letter to SSA Commissioner Michael J. Astrue. “Without entry, they might not be served.  This would be unacceptable.” 
 
The Puget Sound Alliance for Retired Americans’ July issue of the Retiree Advocatecriticized the decision, and urged its readers to call and send e-mail messages to Astrue and to SSA regional Commissioner Stanley C. Friendship. 
 
The Washington State Labor Council (WSLC) Executive Board approved an AFGE Local 3937 resolution on August 10, opposing these field office closures and supporting a continuing robust field office structure.  It calls for resisting cuts in SSA administrative funding to achieve deficit reduction, approval of the President’s budget request for fiscal year 2012 to maintain adequate funding and staffing, and legislation to take the agency’s administrative funding off-budget since the Trust Funds that are growing each year and fund operations are themselves off-budget.
 
“This move to the Jackson Federal building in no way helps the agency serve the public better.  In fact, it severely hampers the ability of Social Security recipients to talk to claims representatives, get their questions answered, and feel at ease with the retirement and disability process.  AFGE and our partners are urging the agency to reverse this decision and to take into consideration what is in the best interests of the American public,” concluded Kofahl.
 
The Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness, and the offices of Congressman McDermott and Senators’ Cantwell and Murray, have joined Social Security Works Washington representatives in this fight.
 
AFGE Local 3937 represents approximately 1500 Agency employees in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.
 
 
 
Christina M. Erling
Communications Specialist
American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO
202-639-6491
202-341-0482 cell
 
Follow us on Twitter @AFGENational