# Trade War Cuts Auto Worker's Week to Three Days

> Social Security ignores state payments that fill wage gaps for Michigan auto workers under Work Share.
- Title: Trade War Cuts Auto Worker's Week to Three Days | Shortify
- Summary: Social Security ignores state payments that fill wage gaps for Michigan auto workers under Work Share. Social Security withholds benefits from Michigan auto…
- Keywords: michigan, work share, social security, auto plant, trade war, wage gap, earnings test, retirement benefits, Trade, War, Cuts, Auto
- Source: 24/7 Wall St. — https://247wallst.com/personal-finance/social-security/2026/09/23/the-trade-war-cut-his-auto-plant-week-to-three-days-social-security-counted-his-wages-and-ignored-the-check-that-filled-the-gap
- Author: Gerelyn Terzo
- Published: 2026-09-23T10:03:16+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: michigan, work share, social security, auto plant, trade war, wage gap, earnings test, retirement benefits
## Michigan Auto Worker's Week
A 64-year-old auto worker in michigan opens two envelopes in one week: a payroll stub for three shifts and a state check covering two days his plant went dark.

> To him it looks like one paycheck split in two. To Social Security, only half of it exists.
## Trade War Impact
Cross-border tariff pressure has squeezed automakers and suppliers across michigan, with governor gretchen whitmer arguing tariffs hurt the state in a wall street journal opinion piece.
## Social Security Math
Social security counts only wages and net self-employment income, excluding unemployment compensation and work share benefits under the earnings test.
## Wage Gap Consequence
A worker earning $1,000 a week on five days drops to $600 with a three-day week, but social security sees $31,200 in wages instead of $42,224 received.
## Withholding Rule
Social security withholds $1 in benefits for every $2 earned above $24,480, causing part of the monthly check to be held back due to the wage line.
## State Payment Taxation
Work share checks are federally taxable, which can nudge more social security benefits into taxable territory, especially if a spouse is still working or a pension is in the mix.
## COLA Impact
The 2027 cost-of-living adjustment is tracking toward 3.3%, with two of the three q3 months in, affecting monthly benefits while social security sets a new earnings limit annually.
## Key takeaway

Social Security withholds benefits from Michigan auto workers whose reduced schedules are covered by state payments, as the earnings test only counts wages.