Today's AFL-CIO press clips
POLITICS
‘You can’t be pro-billionaire and pro-working class’: Biden’s labor chief on return of Trump
The Guardian
By Steven Greenhouse
Jan. 18, 2025
Even as Donald Trump says he will battle for America’s workers, the acting secretary of labor, Julie Su, is voicing fears that Trump will undo many of Joe Biden’s pro-worker policies, which include protecting workers from extreme heat and extending overtime pay to millions more workers. In an interview with the Guardian, Su said that Trump might fall far short on delivering for workers considering the first Trump administration’s many anti-worker policies and in light of his having Elon Musk and other billionaires advising him. “It’s one thing to say you’re pro-worker, and it’s quite another thing to do it,” Su said. “You can’t be pro-billionaire and pro-working class. You can’t be pro-Elon Musk and pro-worker.”
Trump aides prep executive orders aimed at federal workforce
The Washington Post
By Jeff Stein, Lisa Rein and Elizabeth Dwoskin
Jan. 19, 2025
The executive actions under consideration include measures to weaken the power of federal employee unions by stripping workers of collective bargaining rights they’ve had for four decades, the people said. Trump aide Stephen Miller told GOP congressional leadership Sunday that the administration may also move quickly to undo federal diversity initiatives, according to two people familiar with a call he held, speaking on the condition of anonymity to describe the private talk.
Trump, Allies Sued Over DOGE Plans in Union-Backed Lawsuits
Bloomberg Law
By Courtney Rozen
Jan. 20, 2025
The largest federal employee union and a national teachers union are among the first to file lawsuits challenging President Donald Trump‘s planned government efficiency organization effort. The groups seek to rein in the Department of Government Efficiency, an effort to cut government spending that will be led by billionaire and Trump ally Elon Musk. DOGE will advise Trump on spending cuts and regulatory reform. Leading up to his inauguration, Trump promised to fire federal workers who don’t report to the office and drastically reshape the civilian public workforce of 2 million people. The Trump White House announced Monday he will “freeze bureaucrat hiring except in essential areas” and alter some hiring practices for federal workers.
Unions, concern over next Trump presidency fuel turnout for Newark’s MLK march
NJ.com
By Steve Strunsky
Jan. 18, 2025
Hundreds of people took to the streets of Newark Saturday for “A Martin Luther King March of Resistance,” two days ahead of Monday’s national holiday marking the birth of the slain civil rights leader and the simultaneous swearing-in of President-elect Donald Trump. A broad swath of Black, white and brown people made their way from Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, where a rally took place before a large bronze statue of King, before turning onto Springfield Avenue and then Market Street, evoking a more modest scale of demonstrations of the Civil Rights movement led by King himself.
Trump 2.0 to Set Off Fresh Round of Labor Board Flip-Flopping
Bloomberg Law
Robert Iafolla
Jan. 17, 2025
The start of the second Trump administration will trigger a partisan shift at the National Labor Relations Board, where the accomplishments of the past four years will become the targets of the next board majority and top agency lawyer. Soon after President-elect Donald Trump takes office, he’s expected to fire NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo, install a new top lawyer on an acting basis, and name Republican board member Marvin Kaplan chair or acting chair. He’ll then fill the two open board seats, which will give GOP members majority control, and name a new general counsel. Once Trump’s choices are approved by the Senate, the flip-flopping process will begin in earnest. During the Biden administration, the NLRB handed down about 20 full-board decisions that changed board precedent. Roughly three-quarters of those overturned or modified rulings from the first Trump administration, including precedents for assessing work rules, employee status, severance agreements, and labor law protections for employee misconduct.
Watchdogs, Unions Target DOGE With Lawsuits Mere Minutes Into Trump Administration
Common Dreams
By Eloise Goldsmith
Jan. 20, 2025
"This fight is about fairness, accountability, and the integrity of our government," said AFGE national president Everett Kelley in a statement Monday. "Federal employees are not the problem—they are the solution. They deserve to have their voices heard in decisions that affect their work, their agencies, and the public they serve." Plaintiffs in the first three suits argue that DOGE is operating as a federal advisory committee but not adhering to regulations overseeing those bodies.
'Will I have a job?' Federal workers full of uncertainty, fear over Trump plans
USA Today
By Terry Collins
Jan. 19, 2025
However, AFGE National President Everett Kelley told USA TODAY the union will push back. "What we worked for is not a gift, it's called negotiation. Telework and remote work are tools that have helped the federal government increase productivity and efficiency," said Kelley, citing Office of Management and Budget statistics that only 10% of federal workers are remote.
AFT President Randi Weingarten discusses resistance to Trump's education policies
NPR
By A Martínez
Jan. 20, 2025
What will resistance to Trump's education policy look like this time around? NPR hears from Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. Randi Weingarten is the longtime president of the American Federation of Teachers. It's a union representing 1.8 million teachers nationwide. She joins us this morning by way of Skype. Randi, thanks for joining us. Now, how would the teachers you represent be affected by, say, a dismantled Department of Education if indeed he does that?
Musk's DOGE targeted by union lawsuit ahead of Trump's executive order
Axios
By Pete Gannon
Jan. 20, 2025
The American Federation of Government Employees, a union representing hundreds of thousands of federal employees, filed a lawsuit Monday along with two government watchdog groups, claiming that DOGE violates a 1972 law that requires any advice presented by advisory committees be objective and accessible to the public.
Nonprofit Groups Sue Trump Administration Moments After Oath
The New York Times
By David A. Fahrenthold
Jan. 20, 2025
One of Monday’s lawsuits was filed by a coalition that includes the American Federation of Government Employees, a union of federal workers, as well as a watchdog group called State Democracy Defenders Fund. In the other case, the plaintiffs include the liberal good-government group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and the American Federation of Teachers.
Trump reinstates plan to strip protections from federal workers
The Washington Post
By Lisa Rein
Jan. 20, 2025
“President Trump’s order is a blatant attempt to corrupt the federal government by eliminating employees’ due process rights so they can be fired for political reasons,” Everett Kelley, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents 750,000 civil servants, said in a statement. “This unprecedented assertion of executive power will create an army of sycophants beholden only to Donald Trump, not the Constitution or the American people.”
Trump reclassifies thousands of federal employees, making them easier to fire
The Guardian
By Martin Pengelly and George Chidi
Jan. 20, 2025
Donald Trump on Monday issued an executive order reclassifying thousands of federal employees as political hires, making them easier to fire if deemed insufficiently loyal to the new president and his aims. One of a promised flurry of measures signed on Trump’s first day back in power, the order effectively reinstates “Schedule F”, which sought to allow for the reclassification of tens of thousands of federal workers. Schedule F changed civil service rules to allow for a broad swath of career federal employees to be fired without civil service protection, reclassifying their jobs as political appointments. In the executive order posted Monday night on the White House website titled “Initial rescissions of harmful executive orders and actions,” Trump revoked an executive order issued by Joe Biden two days after assuming office in 2021.
Trump's new Schedule F strips federal worker protections
Axios
By Mimi Montgomery
Jan. 20, 2025
President Trump issued an executive order Monday that could strip thousands of civil servants of their employment protections. Why it matters: The order — essentially a reinstatement of Schedule F — makes it easier to fire federal employees considered disloyal to the administration. It's a step toward accomplishing many of the campaign promises Trump made to slash the size of the "deep state" federal government and fire "rogue bureaucrats and career politicians." By the numbers: It could affect as many as 50,000 federal workers, Axios previously reported.
The Trump executive orders that threaten democracy
Vox
By Zack Beauchamp
Jan. 20, 2025
At the tail end of Trump’s first time in office, he issued an executive order creating a new classification for federal civil servants called Schedule F — essentially, a tool for converting a civil servant jobs protected from removal based on party into political appointments he could fire at will. The order got nowhere before former President Joe Biden took office and promptly repealed it.
Trump signs order to end birthright citizenship. Legal experts say it won’t work.
The Washington Post
By David Nakamura
Jan. 20, 2025
President Donald Trump on Monday tried to use executive authority to end birthright citizenship for children born to people who are in the country without authorization or who hold temporary work, student or tourist visas. Legal experts said the sweeping effort runs counter to more than a century of legal precedent and is unlikely to pass constitutional muster. Trump’s executive order, among a number of immigration-related actions he signed in the Oval Office on Monday evening, seeks to make good on his campaign promises to eliminate what has long been considered a bedrock principle of U.S. citizenship laws.
Trump announces 'DOGE' advisory group, attracting instant lawsuits
Reuters
By Raphael Satter, Tim Reid and Kanishka Singh
Jan. 20, 2025
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday to create an advisory group called the Department of Government Efficiency aimed at carrying out dramatic cuts to the U.S. government, attracting immediate lawsuits challenging its operations. The group -- dubbed the Department of Government Efficiency, or "DOGE" -- is being run by Tesla (TSLA.O) CEO Elon Musk and has grandiose goals of eliminating entire federal agencies and cutting three quarters of federal government jobs.
Trump orders federal workers back to office, weakens job protections
Reuters
By Raphael Satter
Jan. 20, 2025
President Donald Trump has ordered federal workers to return to the office five days a week and weakened job protections for civil servants, the first salvoes in his campaign to gut the federal bureaucracy. The one-two punch would force large numbers of white-collar government employees to forfeit remote working arrangements, reversing a trend that took off in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Trump signs sweeping actions on immigration and border security on Day 1
NPR
By Ximena Bustillo
Jan. 20, 2025
President Trump kicked off a slew of executive actions related to immigration in a signing ceremony at the Oval Office. Since the early days of the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump has vowed to begin his second term with both new and old efforts to curb legal migration and deport those who are in the U.S. without legal status. He signed a series of actions related to the border on Monday, including "realigning" the Refugee Admission Program, designating cartels as foreign terrorist organization, declaring a national emergency at the southern border, and ending automatic citizenship to children born in the U.S. to parents who don't have legal status — a controversial constitutional question that is likely to face immediate legal challenges.
Trump Names GOP Labor Board Member Kaplan as New Agency Chair
Bloomberg Law
By Robert Iafolla
Jan. 20, 2025
President Donald Trump has tapped Marvin Kaplan, the National Labor Relations Board’s sole Republican member, as chair of the agency. While Kaplan gains new ministerial authority as chair of the NLRB, the board majority is still controlled by the two Democratic members, Gwynne Wilcox and David Prouty. Kaplan will lead the board’s Republican majority after Trump’s pending nominees for the two open seats win Senate confirmation. Elevating the sole NLRB member of a new president’s party is a typical move following a transition of power.
Trump rescinds executive orders protecting diversity, LGBTQ rights
Reuters through MSN
By Bianca Flowers and Daniel Trotta
Jan. 20, 2025
President Donald Trump on Monday rescinded executive orders that had promoted diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and promoted rights for LGBTQ+ people and racial minorities, fulfilling promises to curtail protections for the most marginalized Americans. Shortly after taking office, Trump repealed 78 executive orders signed by his predecessor Joe Biden, including at least a dozen measures supporting racial equity and combating discrimination against gay and transgender people.
Trump’s initial orders reverse Biden on health care costs, protections from discrimination
Stat News
By Sarah Owermohle, John Wilkerson, Rachel Cohrs Zhang, and Lizzy Lawrence
Jan. 20, 2025
President Trump began his second term Monday with a sweeping order aimed at reversing dozens of former President Biden’s top priorities, from regulations aimed at lowering health care costs, to coronavirus outreach, Affordable Care Act expansions, and protections against gender-based discrimination. The “initial rescissions” order, signed in front of cheering crowds at the Capital One Arena, revokes dozens of Biden administration policies that the new White House called inflammatory, inflationary, and possibly illegal. They include an October 2022 order to test Medicare and Medicaid models that could lower health care costs, an extension, Biden said, of his administration’s signature achievement to negotiate drug prices in the Inflation Reduction Act.
ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND CLIMATE
Biden awards PG&E $15bn for clean energy ahead of Trump’s return
Power Technology
By Staff
Jan. 20, 2025
PG&E will also collaborate with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1245 through its PowerPathway programme to train and employ individuals from underserved groups in operational roles. With two-thirds of its workforce covered by collective bargaining agreements with unions, PG&E anticipates that these investments will support several construction and operations jobs upon full deployment.
IN MEMORIUM
Cecile Richards, Former Planned Parenthood President, Dies at 67
The New York Times
By Penelope Green and Remy Tumin
Jan. 20, 2025
Cecile Richards, the dynamic former president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and one of the country’s most well-known defenders of abortion rights, died on Monday at her home in Manhattan. She was 67. She was diagnosed in 2023 with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, her family said in a statement. A former political organizer, Ms. Richards was a daughter of former Gov. Ann Richards of Texas.
ORGANIZING
Workers at Some of DC’s Best-Known Restaurants Move to Unionize
Washingtonian
By Jessica Sidman
Jan. 17, 2025
Employees across five restaurants owned by two of DC’s biggest restaurateurs announced plans to unionize this week. The restaurants include Le Diplomate, St. Anselm, and Pastis from Stephen Starr and Rasika Penn Quarter and Modena from Ashok Bajaj. Among the issues workers say they are fighting for: better pay, more predictable hours, and respect they say is lacking from management at both companies.
Grad students unionize after seven-year effort, reflect on organizing under Trump
Pitt News
By Marissa Kelley
Jan. 17, 2025
Graduate student workers at Pitt are celebrating a victory they see as part of a national labor movement, but organizer Pat Healy is already focused on the challenges ahead. “How can a union help defend [students] from the wave of transphobia and xenophobia that will be coming out of the White House this year?” Healy said. “That’s the scary question.” In November, graduate student workers voted to unionize with the United Steelworkers, with 1,033 “yes” votes and just 28 “no” votes. According to union organizer Alison Mahoney, a doctoral candidate in theatre and performance studies, the outcome reflects years of organizing efforts and follows a months-long voting delay caused by the University.
Graduate assistants at Nevada universities call for union recognition amid struggles
KUNR
By Manuel Holguin JR
Jan. 18, 2025
At press conferences held Thursday in Reno and Las Vegas, members of the Nevada Graduate Student Workers Union delivered a letter signed by a majority of Nevada legislators to the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) leadership. The letter urged university officials to recognize the union and begin collective bargaining.
Technicians at Providence’s Outsourced Lab Seek to Unionize
Willamette Week
By Aaron Mesh
Jan. 20, 2025
Technicians at a testing laboratory sold nearly two years ago by Providence Health and Services to a North Carolina company have now filed to join the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals, a union spokesperson announced Friday. In a Jan. 17 filing with the National Labor Relations Board, more than 100 technicians at Labcorp gave notice of their intent to unionize. “We decided to unionize because we want to ensure a stable, well-trained, well-staffed medical laboratory is available to our community,” said Allister Brister-Smith, who works at Labcorp’s facility on Northeast Halsey Street.
UNION NEGOTIATIONS
Union representing King Soopers workers scheduling a strike vote following failed negotiations
KDVR
By Ashley Michels
Jan. 17, 2025
Around 10,000 King Soopers employees are getting ready to vote on a potential strike following failed contract negotiations with the grocer. The previous contract expired at midnight. Jan. 17, 2025. According to the union, the non-strike clause is no longer in effect and leadership is currently scheduling strike votes. “Votes have not yet been held to authorize a strike, but those votes could be announced as early as Monday,” UFCW Local 7 said in a statement.
Dispute looms at Portland and Seattle shipyards
Northwest Labor Press
By Anna Del Savio
Jan. 17, 2025
Negotiations between union shipyard workers and Vigor, a ship building and repair company, are heating up again. Nine unions represent around 800 workers at Vigor’s Portland and Seattle shipyards through the AFL-CIO Metal Trades Department. Vigor has offered increases of 90 cents in year one, 95 cents in year two, and $1 in year three, which averages around 1.9% each year. Unions represented by the metal trades councils include Boilermakers, IBEW, Painters, Laborers, Sheet Metal, Pipefitters, Machinists, Teamsters, and Operating Engineers.
San Joaquin County nurses strike over unfair labor practices after months of negotiations
The Stockton Record
By Hannah Workman
Jan. 17, 2025
Hundreds of registered nurses in San Joaquin County’s health system held an unfair labor practice strike on Friday to protest what they consider to be unfair labor practices (ULP). The work stoppage began at 7 a.m. Friday and was scheduled to last until 6:59 a.m. Saturday. About 200 registered nurses who donned the color red could be seen carrying signs that said "respect nurses" and "RNs on strike" Friday afternoon. They formed a picket line in front of the main entrance to San Joaquin General Hospital in French Camp. The nurses, who are represented by the California Nurses Association (CNA) and National Nurses United, said the goal of the strike was to correct the unfair impacts created by the county implementing a wage increase that did not apply to all nurses, without bargaining with the union before doing so.
New union contracts at nursing homes
Northwest Labor Press
By Anna Del Savio
Jan. 17, 2025
Workers at five nursing home chains with operations in Oregon ratified new contracts in November and December. Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 503 represents roughly 4,200 workers at 59 Oregon nursing homes owned by six companies — accounting for around half of the nursing home beds in Oregon. The new contracts raise wages and tighten rules meant to ensure adequate staff-to-patient ratios.
Striking workers’ right to picket affirmed as Pittsburgh Post-Gazette loses final appeal
Editor & Publisher
By Communications Workers of America
Jan. 17, 2025
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania denied a final appeal by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (PG) and affirmed a Superior Court ruling that upheld the right of striking workers to picket, which is protected under both state and federal laws. The Post-Gazette had initially sought an injunction to prevent their striking employees from picketing a PG facility where scab workers were doing the work of union members. As a result, the Post-Gazette now owes the cost of legal fees to the striking unions, Communications Workers of America (CWA) Locals 14827 and 14842, the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh (CWA Local 38061), and PPPWU Local 24M/9N.
Contentious labor strike at Perryville Ikea Distribution Center ends after more than two months
WMAR
By Ryan Dickstein
Jan. 19, 2025
After more than two months, a worker's strike at the Ikea Distribution Center in Cecil County has come to an end. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM - Local I460 - District 4) ratified a new labor contract for about 320 members.
Providence strike hits Day 10; Sen. Ron Wyden questions company's bargaining in good faith
KGW8
By Celine Stevens
Jan. 19, 2025
Providence healthcare workers entered their 10th day on strike Monday, joined by U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, who questioned the hospital system's bargaining tactics. Wyden said he came out because "providers are on the front lines for the community, so I will be on the picket line with them until they get a fair shake." "It looks like they just keep recycling the terms that they've already given, so I have some real questions about whether they're bargaining in good faith," Wyden said.
Potential strike affecting 3 major Central Virginia venues avoided
WRIC
By Ryan Nadeau
Jan. 20, 2025
A potential strike that would’ve impacted entertainment at three major venues in Central Virginia — including Richmond’s Altria Theater and Dominion Energy Center — was avoided after stage workers reached an agreement with management on Monday. On Thursday, Jan. 16, the Local 87 branch of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) announced that about 200 stage workers could go on strike after six months of contract negotiations fell through. This would’ve impacted Richmond’s Altria Theater and Dominion Energy Center, as well as the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville.
JOINING TOGETHER
Florida nurses rally for improved staffing, health insurance and AI safeguards
WUSF
By Julia Cooper
Jan. 17, 2025
Nurses at Palmetto General Hospital in Hialeah joined thousands of fellow caregivers nationwide Thursday morning to express concerns over low staffing levels, the need for up-to-date equipment, quality health insurance and artificial intelligence safeguards. The march was organized by the National Nurses United to highlight broad support among nurses for solutions that prioritize patient care. Intensive care nurse Lazaro Garcia, who has worked at Palmetto General for about a decade and is the union’s chief representative, said several improvements are top of mind for hospital staff.
Musicians’ Union Supports Striking Crew of The Atlantic Theatre Company
OperaWire
By Afton Markay
Jan. 20, 2025
The American Federation of Musicians and its New York City local (Local 802) announces its support for the crew of the Atlantic Theatre Company, who are on strike for a fair contract. Striking crew workers, represented by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), have filed unfair labor charges against the employer for refusing to negotiate in good faith. “Atlantic Theater Company’s production workers are part of a growing movement of off-Broadway workers unionizing for better wages, benefits, safety, and working conditions,” said IATSE in its press statement. The strike follows several months of negotiations that began after the Atlantic crew voted nearly unanimously to unionize with IATSE in Feb. of last year. Earlier this month, at the most recent meeting, the Atlantic Theater Company management demanded several provisions before continuing its further obligations to bargain with the union. The union initially countered the proposal, upon which management indicated they were not willing to move off their demands in full. The union continues to await a counter-proposal from the Atlantic.
IN THE STATES
Washington labor will push major worker-friendly reforms in 2025
Northwest Labor Press