Today's AFL-CIO
POLITICS
Labor Tribune
By Tim Rowden
April 1, 2025
Fred Redmond, national secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO, was in town Saturday, March 29, for a rally at the Gateway Arch, hosted by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and the AFL-CIO, protesting President Donald Trump’s attacks on the federal workforce, and his recent executive order stripping federal workers of their collective bargaining rights. Before the rally began, Redmond sat down for an interview with the Labor Tribune, discussing the administration’s actions, fighting back and why some union members voted for Trump. Following is an edited version of the interview.
Thousands laid off as Kennedy and Musk take aim at health agencies
Politico
By Sophie Gardner, Ruth Reader, Lauren Gardner and David Lim
April 1, 2025
An HHS letter to a labor union representing HHS workers said the cuts also hit the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the division of the CDC focused on worker safety. The letter said about 185 employees would be let go in just the Morgantown, West Virginia, location. According to a notice sent to NIOSH employees, the reduction in force will take effect on June 30. Management at the NIOSH National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory were also placed on administrative leave, according to a NIOSH employee.
UMWA’s Roberts: Trump Policies Could Harm Coal Miners, Exports
West Virginia Public Broadcasting
By Curtis Tate
April 1, 2025
The president of the United Mine Workers of America is criticizing Trump administration policies he says could negatively affect coal miners and coal exports. UMWA President Cecil Roberts said Trump’s proposed fees on international shipping and cuts to safety and health agencies threaten the competitiveness of coal and the health and safety of mine workers. “There is a perfect storm brewing in America’s coalfields that will have the effect of destroying thousands of coal miners’ jobs and significantly increase the risks those miners who are left will face to their health and safety on the job,” Roberts said in a statement Tuesday.
Major Job Cuts at NIOSH Pose Risks to Worker Safety, Critics Warn
U.S. News & World Report
By HealthDay
April 1, 2025
A major round of job cuts at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) could weaken efforts to protect American workers, according to federal health officials. About two-thirds of NIOSH staff -- roughly 875 people -- may lose their jobs as part of a larger restructuring ordered by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The move is part of a federal plan to cut 10,000 jobs across HHS this year.
NIOSH Faces Major Layoffs Amid HHS Restructuring, Slashing Two-Thirds of Workforce
Occupational Health & Safety
By Stasia DeMarco and David Kopf
April 1, 2025
The bulk of the cuts would affect NIOSH’s Pittsburgh and Spokane offices, with 200 NIOSH employees anticipated to be impacted, according to a notice sent to the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE). Also, NIOSH’s Morgantown, W. Va. office would loose 185 employees in the HHS restructuring, according to a Reduction in Force (RIF) notice sent to the AFGE Local 3430. The probable effective date for the layoffs would be June 30. “It’s been devastating,” Local 3430 President Cathy Tinney-Zara told WVRC MetroNews. “You don’t go into public health for no reason—you care about the public. We’re here for a mission, and it’s just being destroyed.”
Black lung researchers among hundreds laid off from federal health agency
Louisville Public Media
By Justin Hicks
April 1, 2025
Word came Monday evening that Laney and his staff would be laid off. According to an AFL-CIO representative, they’re part of a 900 employee “reduction in force” representing roughly two-thirds of the entire NIOSH workforce. Roughly 400 of them conducted research on mines.
HHS laying off 185 union workers at Morgantown NIOSH; total number higher
WV Metro News
By Mike Nolting
April 2, 2025
Nearly 200 union workers at the Morgantown NIOSH location have been notified they will be laid off as part of 10,000 job cuts in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Around 200 Pittsburgh area workers for federal safety agency laid off
WPXI
By Talia Kirkland
April 1, 2025
Locally, the federal government cut 200 union positions from the agency responsible for researching and preventing workplace injuries and outbreaks. Workers at the South Hills plant received notification via email; some were informed that their termination was effective immediately, while others had a few weeks’ notice.
400 Cincinnati-area health services jobs in jeopardy by Trump administration cuts
Cincinnati.com
By Patricia Gallagher Newberry
April 1, 2025
An unknown number of supervisors in the two local NIOSH laboratories learned around 5 a.m. Tuesday that they will be put on administrative leave at 5 p.m., according to Micah Niemeier-Walsh, vice president of Local 3840 of the American Federation of Government Employees. Additionally, 165 members of the union she leads learned they will lose their jobs under a reduction in force, with a “probable effective date” of June 30.
Mass layoffs are underway at the nation’s public health agencies
WDIO
By Carla K. Johnson
April 1, 2025
“Congress and citizens must join us in pushing back,” said Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees. “Our health, safety, and security depend on a strong, fully staffed public health system.”
Layoffs start at federal health agencies that deal with drugs, food, insurance and more
CBS News
By Staff
April 1, 2025
At the CDC, most employees haven't been unionized, but interest rose sharply this year as the Trump administration took steps to reduce the federal workforce. Roughly 2,000 CDC employees in Atlanta belonged to the American Federation of Government Employees local bargaining unit, with hundreds more who had petitioned to join this week being added.
2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court race; Susan Crawford defeats Brad Schimel
Yahoo! News
By FOX6 News Digital Team
April 1, 2025
"Wisconsin AFL-CIO President Stephanie Bloomingdale: 'Congratulations to Judge Susan Crawford for her victory and congratulations to the entire Wisconsin labor movement that proudly stood by her every step of the way.'"
Liberal wins Wisconsin Supreme Court election in setback for Trump, Musk
Reuters
By Reuters
April 1, 2025
Wisconsin voters elected Susan Crawford to the state Supreme Court on Tuesday, CNN and NBC projected, maintaining the court's 4-3 liberal majority in a setback for President Donald Trump and his billionaire ally Elon Musk, who had backed her conservative rival. The election was widely seen as an early referendum on Trump's presidency. The campaign easily became the most expensive judicial contest in U.S. history with more than $90 million spent by the candidates, the state parties and outside groups, according to a tally from New York University's Brennan Center.
Liberal Wins Wisconsin Court Race, Despite Musk’s Millions
The New York Times
By Reid J. Epstein
By April 1, 2025
Susan Crawford, the liberal candidate for a pivotal seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, overcame $25 million in spending from Elon Musk to defeat her conservative opponent, The Associated Press reported, in a totemic contest that became a critical test of the nation’s prevailing political winds. Judge Crawford, who serves in Dane County, handily defeated Judge Brad Schimel of Waukesha County, who ran on his loyalty to President Trump and was powered by record spending in the race from Mr. Musk, the president’s billionaire policy aide. The barrage of spending in the race may nearly double the previous record for a single judicial election. With roughly 70 percent of the vote counted on Tuesday evening, Judge Crawford held a double-digit lead.
Liberal projected to win Wisconsin Supreme Court race in blow to Trump
The Washington Post
By Patrick Marley
April 1, 2025
A liberal candidate for Wisconsin’s Supreme Court glided to victory Tuesday, the Associated Press projects, overcoming a flood of political cash from tech billionaire Elon Musk in a race seen as a referendum on him and President Donald Trump. Musk and groups affiliated with him invested more than $20 million in the race. The top Trump adviser and leader of Tesla and SpaceX handed out cash prizes to generate interest in the race. At a rally Sunday in Green Bay, Wisconsin, he cast the election as one that could chart the course of Western civilization because of what it could mean for Trump’s agenda.
Democratic-backed Susan Crawford wins Wisconsin Supreme Court seat, cementing liberal majority
AP
By Scott Bauer
April 1, 2025
The Democratic-backed candidate for Wisconsin Supreme Court defeated a challenger endorsed by President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk on Tuesday, cementing a liberal majority for at least three more years. Susan Crawford, a Dane County judge who led legal fights to protect union power and abortion rights and to oppose voter ID, defeated Republican-backed Brad Schimel in a race that broke records for spending, was on pace to be the highest-turnout Wisconsin Supreme Court election ever and became a proxy fight for the nation’s political battles. “Growing up in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, I never thought I would be taking on the richest man in the world for justice,” Crawford said, referring to Musk. “And we won.”
Susan Crawford wins Wisconsin Supreme Court race, defying Elon Musk
NBC News
By Adam Edelman
April 1, 2025
Susan Crawford has won a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, NBC News projects, allowing liberals to maintain their narrow majority on the battleground state’s highest court — and defying Elon Musk after he spent millions of dollars to oppose her. Crawford, a Dane County circuit judge who was backed by Democrats, secured a 10-year term on the court over Brad Schimel, a Waukesha County circuit judge and a former Republican attorney general. As the first major battleground state election of President Donald Trump’s second term, the technically nonpartisan contest drew national attention and became the most expensive state Supreme Court race in U.S. history.
Trump claimed he was pro-worker. His new order shows how absurd that was
The Guardian
By Steven Greenhouse
April 1, 2025
Labor leaders have denounced Trump’s order to gut union bargaining for 1 million workers. Randy Erwin, president of the National Federation of Federal Employees, called Trump’s actions “the biggest assault on collective bargaining rights we have ever seen in this country”. Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, said Trump’s order was “a disgraceful and retaliatory attack on the rights of hundreds of thousands of patriotic American civil servants – nearly one-third of whom are veterans – simply because they are members of a union that stands up to his harmful policies”.
AFGE, AFL-CIO, community allies rally against Trump attacks on federal workers
Labor Tribune
By Tim Rowden
April 1, 2025
Fred Redmond, secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO, vowed the entire Labor Movement, all 63 affiliate unions and 15 million members that make up the AFL-CIO, would stand firm with AFGE against Trump’s illegal executive order. “This president made a frontal attack against Organized Labor,” Redmond said. “I want to let AFGE to know, it wasn’t about you. It is about a president, an administration, that is trying to change the balance in America. It’s about billionaires trying to increase income insecurity. It’s about those at the top trying to suppress those of us in the middle and at the bottom. “Government workers today, public sector workers tomorrow, private sector workers the next day, building trades, everybody is being assaulted by this attack that they took on AFGE.
Maine Congressman Jared Golden seeks to overturn Trump's executive order about collective bargaining
WMTW
By Cate McCusker
April 1, 2025
U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat from Maine, introduced a bipartisan bill Tuesday that would overturn an executive order from President Donald Trump that ends collective bargaining with federal labor unions in agencies with national security missions across the federal government. "These are really important jobs for our national security," Golden said in an interview with Maine's Total Coverage. "It's just not true that these unions' collective bargaining rights in any way undermine national security."
Dozens of staff at agency that supports museums and libraries put on leave
The Washington Post
By Niha Masih
April 1, 2025
Staff from the Institute of Museum and Library Services were placed on administrative leave Monday, according to a labor union, weeks after President Donald Trump’s executive order directed scaling down the agency to “the minimum presence.” The move threatens to disrupt programs and initiatives available to museums and libraries nationwide for which the institute acted as the primary source of federal support. American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 3403, the union representing IMLS workers, said in a statement that the IMLS “notified the entire staff that they are being placed on administrative leave immediately.” The union estimates the size of the staff at roughly 75 people. A government official, however, said that about 20 percent of the staff were not placed on leave.
Trump begins mass layoffs at FDA, CDC, other US health agencies
Reuters
By Leah Douglas and Marisa Taylor
April 1, 2025
The Trump administration began mass layoffs of 10,000 staffers at U.S. health agencies on Tuesday, according to multiple sources familiar with the situation, with security guards barring entry to some employees just hours after they received dismissal notices. The cuts, which affect several high-profile agencies under the Department of Health and Human Services, including the FDA, CDC and the National Institutes of Health, are part of a broad plan by President Donald Trump and billionaire ally Elon Musk to shrink the federal government and slash spending.
Widespread layoffs, purge of leadership underway at U.S. health agencies
The Washington Post
By Carolyn Y. Johnson, Rachel Roubein, Joel Achenbach, Lena H. Sun and Lauren Weber
April 1, 2025
Senior leaders across the Department of Health and Human Services were put on leave and countless other employees lost their jobs Tuesday as the Trump administration began a sweeping purge of the agencies that oversee government health programs. Top officials at the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration were put on administrative leave or offered reassignment to the Indian Health Service. Other employees began receiving layoff notices or learned they had lost their jobs when their entry badges no longer worked Tuesday morning.
NBC News
By Megan Lebowitz, Daniel Arkin and Ted Oberg
April 1, 2025
At least six federal agencies are offering workers a new "deferred resignation" opportunity in the latest attempt by the Trump administration to slash the size of the U.S. government. Employees at the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Agriculture Department on Monday night received emails, which were obtained by NBC News, presenting them with the option to resign while staying on paid leave for several months. Department of Transportation employees received a similar notice on Tuesday morning about the program, according to an email obtained by NBC News. Spokespersons for the General Services Administration and the Department of Energy told NBC News that the deferred resignation program was opening up to its eligible employees as well, and the Defense Department said its civilian workforce received a similar offer Friday.
Federal Judge Pauses Firing of Probationary Workers, But Not Nationwide
The New York Times
By Eileen Sullivan
April 1, 2025
A federal judge in Maryland on Tuesday ordered the Trump administration to stop firing probationary employees who live or work in 19 states and the District of Columbia while a legal challenge to the mass terminations makes its way through the courts. In his order, Judge James K. Bredar, of the Federal District Court in Maryland, narrowed the scope of an earlier, temporary pause that applied nationwide and led to the reinstatement of nearly 24,000 federal probationary employees fired in February. It was not immediately clear how many of those employees would no longer be covered by Tuesday’s order and therefore at risk of being fired again.
Democrats sue Trump administration over elections executive order
The Washington Post
By Mariana Alfaro
April 1, 2025
Several Democratic groups — including the Democratic National Committee — along with Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-New York) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York) sued the Trump administration Monday over President Donald Trump’s executive order that calls for changes to the election system, including a requirement that people provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote. The lawsuit, which also lists the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the Democratic Governors Association as plaintiffs, alleges that Trump’s executive order “seeks to impose radical changes on how Americans register to vote, cast a ballot, and participate in our democracy — all of which threaten to disenfranchise lawful voters and none of which is legal.”
Major union launches ad campaign featuring detained Tufts student
The Hill
By Brett Samuels
April 1, 2025
A major labor union launched a six-figure ad campaign on Tuesday featuring Tufts University Ph.D. student Rumeysa Ozturk decrying what it called an infringement on the First Amendment. The Service Employees International Union (SEIU), which represents nearly 2 million members in the United States and Canada, is launching digital ads and projections on buildings in Washington, D.C., and other cities, according to details of the campaign shared first with The Hill.
‘Devastated and confused’: Wife of Maryland man mistakenly deported decries her family’s fate
The Baltimore Banner
By Daniel Zawodny and John-John Williams IV
April 1, 2025
Abrego Garcia was a unionized sheet metal worker trying to advance his career by enrolling in a college course to obtain a professional license, according to CASA’s statement issued Tuesday. The family was also seeking specialized care for their autistic, non-verbal son, who was on a waiting list at Children’s Hospital.
Boston.com
By Darin Zullo
April 1, 2025
The rally was led by SEIU Local 509 President Dave Foley and SEIU International President April Verrett. Öztürk is a member of SEIU Local 509 through the Tufts Grad Workers Union.
North Alabama’s unions denounce Trump’s executive order eliminating collective bargaining
Alabama Political Reporter
By Staff
April 1, 2025
The North Alabama Area Labor Council on Monday announced their condemnation of the Trump administration’s executive order to eliminate collective bargaining rights for two-thirds of federal workers and 75 percent of those that are currently represented by a union. “North Alabama’s unions strongly condemn the Trump administration’s latest assault on worker rights, and encourage members of affiliate unions to attend the protest on April 5 at Big Spring Park at 2 p.m. to tell Trump and Musk to keep their HANDS OFF our union rights. Federal workers should also join the Federal Unionists Network at savepublicservices.com to become a part of a nationwide rapid response network. Finally, it is important that federal workers ensure they are paying dues directly to their union through e-dues rather than paycheck deduction. Federal workers can reach out to their local union steward or officer to find out how to do that,” the release stated.
Spectrum News
By Chris Welch
April 1, 2025
And Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, a labor union, points out that 95% of the kids with disabilities in the United States receive what is called IDEA funds. IDEA stands for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which provides special education services to the more than 7 million public school kids with a disability in the U.S. “The kids that need the most help are going to be hurt the worst,” Weingarten said.
'It Can't Be Business as Usual': Cory Booker Praised for Historic Stand Against Trump-Musk
Common Dreams
By Jessica Corbett
April 1, 2025
Sharing the livestream on social media Tuesday, the American Federation of Teachers said: "Sen. Booker has been standing on the Senate floor since last night, speaking powerfully on behalf of families and our nation. Thank you for your unwavering leadership, Sen. Booker."
ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND CLIMATE
How to Power Good Union Jobs in the Clean Energy Economy
Nonprofit Quarterly
By Erica Iheme and Vonda McDaniel
March 26, 2025
When former Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su celebrated newly unionized workers on the floor of Alabama’s New Flyer bus manufacturing plant in June 2024, it marked one victory in a growing number of innovative efforts to ensure that no one is left behind in the South’s burgeoning clean energy economy. Today, the South is fast becoming the epicenter of a boom of clean energy jobs fueled largely by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022, the single largest investment in clean energy in US history. According to the Labor Energy Partnership, the IRA alone could add nearly 1.5 million jobs and $250 billion to the economy by 2030, increase per capita personal income by thousands of dollars, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 40 percent.
UNION NEGOTIATIONS
Workers at Bay Area UC campuses join statewide strike over wages, conditions
CBS News
By Tim Fang
April 1, 2025
Workers at University of California campuses and medical facilities in the Bay Area joined thousands of employees statewide Tuesday in a one-day strike, claiming unfair labor practices. About 20,000 employees represented by the University Professional and Technical Employees (UPTE) and nearly 40,000 workers with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees began their strike around 7 a.m. UC Berkeley, UCSF, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory were among the Bay Area locations where workers were striking.
UC San Diego workers join statewide strike over 'unfair labor practices'
KPBS
By Katie Anastas
April 1, 2025
UC San Diego health care, research and technical workers went on strike Tuesday over what they call unfair labor practices by the University of California. The union, University Professional and Technical Employees CWA Local 9119, said the university imposed higher health care premiums during contract negotiations. UC also refused to bargain over pay scales of some workers who’ve joined the union in recent years, according to the union. “It’s a divide-and-conquer tactic,” said Samantha Warsh, a pediatric registered dietician who works at the UC San Diego Eating Disorders Center. "The university has the obligation to negotiate in good faith with all of our workers."
ZeniMax union votes to authorize a strike
The Verge
By Ash Parrish
April 1, 2025
Members of ZeniMax Workers United, a union of over 300 quality assurance workers in Texas and Maryland, have voted to authorize a strike. The vote, which passed with over 94 percent in favor of authorization, does not mean workers have gone on strike like SAG-AFTRA members have in the ongoing video game voice actors strike. But should contract negotiations break down, the ZeniMax union now has the permission to call a strike. This authorization comes as contract negotiations between union members and parent company Microsoft continue into a second year.
Stadium Food Workers' Union reaches tentative deal with Aramark just in time for baseball season
6ABC
By 6abc Digital Staff
April 1, 2025
The Stadium Food Workers' Union says it has reached a deal with Aramark, just in time for the Phillies baseball season. It comes after more than a year of negotiations, and a series of strikes last year at Citizens Bank Park, Lincoln Financial Field and the Wells Fargo Center. Unite Here Local 274 says the proposed six-year contract will give non-tipped workers a minimum of $20 an hour.
UC San Diego workers join statewide 1-day UC strike, demand better pay, staffing
NBC San Diego
By Audra Stafford
April 1, 2025
Roughly 11,000 service and patient care workers at the UC San Diego campus and medical facilities are taking part in a one-day, statewide strike on Tuesday. For the second time in just a little over a month, tens of thousands of University of California workers represented by a pair of unions went on strike Tuesday amid continuing contract negotiations. The workers are represented by University Professional and Technical Employees (UPTE) and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 3299.
Salary Raises for Florida Orchestra Musicians in New Contract
Sypmphony
By Staff
April 1, 2025
In Friday’s (3/28) Tampa Bay Business Journal, Davonta Davis writes, “The Florida Orchestra, based in St. Petersburg, recently ratified a new four-year contract with its musicians, marking a significant step in the organization’s ongoing growth. The agreement [is] effective through the 2029 season … According to a release, the agreement between the Florida Orchestra and the American Federation of Musicians-Florida Gulf Coast Local resulted from collaborative meetings that included TFO management, musicians from the orchestra committee and TFO board directors.
APPRENTICESHIPS & TRAINING
Equal opportunities: Students, women in trades advocate for more career and technical education
Daily Herald
By Jessie Nguyen and Bridget Craig
April 1, 2025
Organizations like the Illinois AFL-CIO and Illinois Building Trades Unions are working to increase female participation in apprenticeship programs and create pathways for long-term success in the trades. These organizations have built sections within them dedicated to provide training, mentorship and advocacy for women pursuing careers in construction — dedicated to increasing female representation in the trades. Despite making up nearly half the workforce, women hold less than 5% of construction and building trade jobs, according to the Illinois AFL-CIO.
WORKPLACE SAFETY AND HEALTH
Violence against hospital staff prompts safety upgrades at Cone Health
WFMY
By Taylor Leverett
April 1, 2025
Eight in ten, that's how many nurses nationwide experienced violence, according to National Nurses United. The numbers are getting worse. A survey just last year found that 81% of hospital staff reported verbal and physical violence in the workplace.