"They Need To Get More Employees Or Something"

The photograph is of a line outside the Social Security field office in Jersey City, NJ. The office did not open yesterday due to the weather. Here is a little of what the Jersey Journal wrote about the office closure:

When Asin Bashir, 25, called the toll-free information number engraved on the entrance door, he was transferred to an office in New Mexico. An employee at that office told him that to his knowledge, the Jersey City office was supposed to be open, Bashir said.

When a reporter called the same number several times, a recording played, announcing a 10-minute wait for service. Calls to the regional SSA press office in New York went unanswered.

Richard Turner, chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Albio Sires, said his office inquired about the closure, but couldn't get an answer. ...

Bashir, who came to replace an ID card he lost a few months ago, complained that even when the office is open, service is lousy.

"People can wait three to four hours to get a transaction done," he said. "They need to get more employees or something."

Update: The Jersey City office was not the only Social Security office in the area to be closed and locals are still upset, according to the Jersey Journal.

Further update: The area director has publicly apologized, saying that all Social Security offices in the state were closed. It looks like the area director made sure that employees knew the office was closed, but may have made no effort to notify the public.