Today's AFL-CIO press clips
POLITICS
DOGE's Access to Health, Financial Records Draws Union Challenge
Bloomberg Law
By Mike Vilensky
Feb. 12, 2025
“DOGE is violating multiple laws, from constitutional limits on executive power, to laws protecting civil servants from arbitrary threats and adverse action, to crucial protections for government data,” the complaint says. The coalition bringing the lawsuit includes the AFL-CIO and American Federation of Teachers. They added the claims concerning HHS and the CFPB to their pending lawsuit against DOGE and the Department of Labor in the US District Court for the District of Columbia.
As DOGE gains power, federal workers fight back
HR Dive
By Caroline Colvin
Feb. 12, 2025
This ruling prompted Liz Shuler, president of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, to issue a statement, in which she called Musk-led DOGE a “risk” to DOL’s integrity. “Musk has a record of repeated violations of labor and employment laws resulting in numerous DOL investigations,” Shuler said. “But tonight, a court refused to block DOGE from seizing the information infrastructure of the very agency entrusted with protecting workers from bad employers like him.” Shuler said that AFL-CIO and its allies would “renew our efforts to block DOGE from accessing sensitive data at DOL.”
Trump’s Resignation Program for Federal Workers Can Proceed, Judge Rules
The New York Times
By Chris Cameron and Karoun Demirjian
Feb. 12, 2025
In a statement, the leader of A.F.G.E., the largest federal employee union, noted that the ruling did not address the legality of the resignation program and said that the union’s lawyers were considering their next steps. “Today’s ruling is a setback in the fight for dignity and fairness for public servants,” said Everett Kelley, the union’s president.
Trump closes down federal worker buyout offer after judge lifts hold
The Washington Post
By Olivia George, Steve Thompson and Emily Davies
Feb. 12, 2025
In a statement Wednesday evening, AFGE National President Everett Kelley called the ruling a “setback in the fight for dignity and fairness for public servants.” The union’s lawyers, he said, are evaluating next steps. “Importantly, this decision did not address the underlying lawfulness of the program. We continue to maintain it is illegal to force American citizens who have dedicated their careers to public service to make a decision, in a few short days, without adequate information, about whether to uproot their families and leave their careers for what amounts to an unfunded IOU from Elon Musk,” the statement continued.
Trump orders "large-scale" cuts to federal workforce, gives DOGE more power
Axios
By Rebecca Falconer
Feb. 12, 2025
President Trump signed an executive order Tuesday requiring federal agencies to work with the Elon Musk-led DOGE to make "large-scale" workforce reductions. Why it matters: The order that's titled "Implementing The President's "Department of Government Efficiency" Workforce Optimization Initiative gives DOGE even more powers, just as the Trump administration faces several lawsuits accusing it of violating privacy laws.
DOGE order triggers firings at SBA of employees prematurely fired Friday
Politico
By Eli Stokols
Feb. 11, 2025
Everett Kelley, the president of the American Federation of Government Employees, issued a statement blasting Trump’s executive order and the ongoing reduction of the federal workforce. “Firing huge numbers of federal employees won’t decrease the need for government services,” Kelly said. “It will just make those services harder or impossible to access for everyday Americans, veterans, and seniors who depend on them.”
Musk team kicks off federal layoffs as White House eyes big cuts
The Washington Post
By Emily Davies, Jeff Stein, Hannah Natanson, Lisa Rein and Tony Romm
Feb. 12, 2025
Billionaire Elon Musk’s team has initiated sweeping layoffs of federal employees, as the Trump administration races to shrink the government’s civilian workforce. An official with the Office of Personnel Management, which is now run by Musk allies, emailed staff Wednesday morning stating that widespread layoffs — known as “reductions in force” — have begun and are already overwhelming the small agency that functions as a human resources department for the government, according to a copy of the message obtained by The Washington Post. OPM has also begun to assert more control over all federal hiring, according to four employees of the agency and additional internal communications also obtained by The Post.
Elon Musk's DOGE takes aim at agency that had plans of regulating X
NPR
By Bobby Allyn
Feb. 12, 2025
Elon Musk made a big leap late last month toward his long-shot goal of turning X into an "everything app," a service that could encompass a broad range of services, including the ability to transfer money, similar to Venmo or PayPal. X, formerly Twitter, announced it had struck a deal with Visa to soon offer a mobile payments service, cementing the card giant as the first major partner in a feature called "X Money Account." This service would be directly regulated by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau under expanded oversight powers it had finalized late last year allowing the agency to police things like privacy issues, fraud and how disputed transactions are handled at mobile payment apps like Apple Pay, Google Wallet, PayPal, Cash App — and X's money service.
DOGE’s power expands as federal agencies start planning large-scale layoffs
CNN
By Tami Luhby
Feb. 12, 2025
The next stage of the Trump administration’s efforts to slash the federal workforce is underway. Agency leaders have been told to begin preparations for large-scale layoffs, known as reductions in force, or RIFs, under an executive order President Donald Trump signed Tuesday. They will work with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to carry out the mandate, expanding the role of the billionaire’s team in reshaping federal government operations. Titled “Implementing The President’s ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ Workforce Optimization Initiative,” the executive order also severely limits federal departments’ ability to bring on more staffers and mandates that agency heads closely coordinate with their DOGE representatives on future hiring plans. Once the hiring freeze that Trump put in place is lifted, agencies will only be allowed to replace one of every four employees who leave and hiring will be restricted to the highest-need areas.
Top public school teachers fear looming Department of Education changes
ABC News
By Arthur Jones II
Feb. 12, 2025
Ahead of Linda McMahon's hearing to become the next secretary of the Department of Education, America's state teachers of the year for 2024 have said they worry the future of public education is under direct attack. De'Shawn C. Washington, the 2024 Massachusetts teacher of the year, said he will be heartbroken if the Department of Education is dismantled under McMahon.
'Real danger': Labor experts weigh Project 2025’s impact on public sector
The Chief
By Crystal Lewis
Feb. 7, 2025
Unions representing federal employees were among those suing over the legality over the buyouts, prompting a federal judge to issue a temporary injunction pausing the plan. Before the pause took effect, employees had until the end of Thursday to decide whether to accept the buyout package, which offers eight months of pay and benefits. So far, more than 40,000 workers have accepted the buyout, representing 2 percent of the workforce, White House officials said. The AFL-CIO also filed a suit calling a federal judge to block DOGE from obtaining data from the Department of Labor, which could potentially give Musk sensitive information, such as the names of those who have filed complaints against his companies currently under investigation.
Linda McMahon faces confirmation hearing for department Trump wants to kill
The Hill
By Lexi Lonas Cochran
Feb. 12, 2025
Education secretary nominee Linda McMahon is the next Cabinet pick of President Trump’s to face a showdown with lawmakers — and the first he has told to “put yourself out of a job.” McMahon, whose confirmation hearing is scheduled for Thursday at 10 a.m. EST, will be questioned by senators just a week after Trump said he would like to use executive action to eliminate the Department of Education and amid media reports that he is preparing executive orders to weaken and reduce the federal agency and calling on Congress to finish it off.
How Elon Musk’s DOGE took over the Education Department, one office at a time
CNBC
By Annie Nova
Feb. 12, 2025
Staffers from Elon Musk’s secretive government slashing effort, DOGE, have pushed the highest-ranking officials at the Department of Education — even those recently appointed by President Donald Trump — out of their own offices, rearranged the furniture and set up white noise machines to muffle their voices, employees at the agency said.
How teachers union leaders are gearing up for the ‘resistance’
WGBH
By Kana Ruhalter and Arun Rath
Feb. 12, 2025
Sure. So, “Resistance Committee” is pretty much shorthand for “Committee to Help Everyone Have a Better Life.” I know that sounds very general, but AFT represents not just public education but also health care professionals and nurses. Particularly in this moment, where — you know, it began with hospitals and places of worship and schools being removed as sensitive sites — we really had to think about how we protect our students, families and patients.
How Trump and Musk are eviscerating workers’ rights(Opinion)
MSNBC
By Ben Burgis
Feb. 11, 2025
Last Thursday, President Donald Trump’s National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) announced its intention to commit institutional suicide. The NLRB enforces workers’ rights to organize unions and collectively bargain over their wages and working conditions. At the end of January, Trump essentially shut it down by firing one of its members. This leaves the board below the quorum it needs to operate (beyond issues that can be handled by regional offices).
It's Time To Put Workers at the Center of the Tariff and Trade Discussion (Opinion)
Newsweek
By Brian Bryant and David Chartrand
Feb. 11, 2025
The 600,000-member International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) Union, for decades the largest aerospace and defense labor union in the U.S. and Canada, is relieved that President Donald Trump has paused his tariff war with Canada. The IAM is all for the strategic use of tariffs to rebuild domestic manufacturing, enforce workers' rights, and stop trade cheating. But slapping tariffs on goods traded between the U.S. and Canada will drive up prices and cripple demand, leading to job losses in several industries across both nations.
Federal judge lets Trump’s ‘buyout’ plan for federal employees proceed
CNN
By Paula Reid, Tami Luhby and Devan Cole
Feb. 12, 2025
Lawyers for AFGE, the largest federal employee union, are evaluating the decision and assessing the next steps, Everett Kelley, the group’s national president, said in a statement. “Today’s ruling is a setback in the fight for dignity and fairness for public servants. But it’s not the end of that fight,” he said. “Importantly, this decision did not address the underlying lawfulness of the program.”
Judge Lifts Hold on 'Fork in the Road' Federal Worker Offer
Bloomberg Law
By Courtney Rozen
Feb. 12, 2025
The decision is a legal setback for AFGE, the nation’s largest union for federal workers. The union launched several lawsuits in recent weeks seeking to block Trump and billionaire Elon Musk‘s effort to disrupt federal agencies and reduce the government workforce. The union is “assessing next steps,” said AFGE President Everett Kelley in a statement. “This decision did not address the underlying lawfulness of the program,” he said.
Educators rally outside Congress to protest Trump’s Secretary of Education nominee
The Georgetown Voice
By Katherine Wilkison
Feb. 13, 2025
Pringle spoke at the rally along with the President of the American Teacher’s Federation Randi Weingarten and several members of Congress, including Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Bobby Scott of Virginia, the ranking member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
LABOR AND ECONOMY
US consumer inflation increases at fastest pace in nearly 1-1/2 years in January
Reuters
By Lucia Mutikani
Feb. 12, 2025
U.S. consumer prices increased by the most in nearly 1-1/2 years in January, with Americans facing higher costs for a range of goods and services, reinforcing the Federal Reserve's message that it was in no rush to resume cutting interest rates amid growing uncertainty over the economy. The hotter-than-expected inflation reported by the Labor Department on Wednesday was likely partly due to businesses raising prices at the start of the year, evident in a record surge in the cost of prescription medication and an increase in motor vehicle insurance.
Inflation rose in January as prices for groceries and housing picked up
The Washington Post
By Andrew Ackerman
Feb. 12, 2025
Inflation heated up more than expected in January, as prices for groceries, housing and energy all rose for Americans in early 2025, complicating President Donald Trump’s agenda. A key gauge of inflation — the consumer price index — showed Wednesday morning that prices climbed by 3 percent in January from a year earlier, according to the Labor Department. That’s hotter than the 2.9 percent annual gain reported in December, underscoring the economic concerns of many Americans who voted in federal elections last fall.
ORGANIZING
Chicago History Museum workers launch union drive
Chicago Tribune
By Talia Soglin
Feb. 12, 2025
Workers at the Chicago History Museum are seeking a union with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31, the union said Wednesday. In a public letter signed by more than two dozen workers at the museum, employees said they were motivated by a desire for “livable and competitive wages and raises,” clarity around grievance and disciplinary procedures and a greater voice in workplace decisions. Their proposed wall-to-wall bargaining unit would include about 70 members of the museum staff, including curators, librarians, designers, visitor services workers and maintenance staff.
More than 300 Nevada home care workers vote to unionize
KNPR
By Christopher Alvarez
Feb. 11, 2025
More than 300 Nevada home care workers recently voted to unionize, reports SEIU Local 1107, the state’s largest healthcare and public service union. Workers across three Las Vegas agencies voted in favor of joining the service employees’ union. They bring the union’s total number of home care workers to more than thirteen hundred. The additions follow advocates' successful push for a wage increase to $16 per hour, which took effect last year.
UNION NEGOTIATIONS
CATS union workers edge closer to a strike after an alleged wage freeze
Baton Rouge Business Report
By Dillon Lowe
Feb. 12, 2025
Transit union employees of the Capital Area Transit System are “closer than ever” to a strike after CATS bypassed negotiations with the union to impose its own labor contract at the end of January, according to union leadership. Anthony Garland, the international vice president for Amalgamated Transit Union 1546, tells Daily Report that CATS took a hardline stance by implementing its own contract terms without union approval in an effort to avoid a strike—a move that has only served to further inflame tensions between the two parties.
Six days in, King Soopers strike marked by flurry of complaints, legal actions
Denver Post
By Judith Kohler
Feb. 12, 2025
Kim Cordova, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7, said union officials were headed to court Tuesday afternoon after King Soopers, owned by Cincinnati-based Kroger, sought a temporary restraining order against picketers. “The company is asking a court to stop striking workers from doing what striking workers do: Picketing in front of their workplaces and speaking with one voice, a voice that the company is currently stifling by refusing to negotiate in good faith,” UFCW Local 7 said in a statement.
SEIU hospital workers ratify contract, avert possible strike
Observer-Reporter
By Karen Mansfield
Feb. 12, 2025
SEIU workers at UPMC Washington Hospital and UPMC have agreed to a new contract. According to a press release, the contract includes average raises of 12% over three years, with some workers getting as much as 19% raises over the life of the contract. The union said the new contract “is major progress from UPMC’s original proposal of a 1% raise per year.” “Our new contract will help us support ourselves and our families with the increased cost of living. This proves that when health care workers unite and take action – even at a small community hospital – we can create concrete positive change,” said Melissa Duran, the chapter president of SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania at Washington Hospital, where she works as an EKG technician.
Centerlight Nurses Demand Reinstatement Of Health Coverage And Fair Contract Terms
Harlem World Magazine
By Staff
Feb. 12, 2025
New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) home healthcare nurses launched a new website and ad campaign after CenterLight. A nonprofit that provides long-term home healthcare unlawfully refused to continue nurses’ health coverage during contract negotiations. CenterLight nurses have been fighting for a fair contract and continue to care for some of the most vulnerable homebound New Yorkers without essential healthcare. Their contract expired in September 2024, and they were thrown off their healthcare in December 2024. CenterLight nurses are demanding immediate reinstatement of their health coverage and a fair contract.
Central bus drivers demand safer, cleaner conditions after raccoon infestation
WBRZ
By Jordan Ponzio
Feb. 11, 2025
School bus drivers in Central are calling for a safer and cleaner work environment after raccoons recently managed to get on the buses. On Tuesday, bus drivers with First Student met with the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) to take action for safer and more sanitary work environments as they enter the early stages of contract negotiations. Stanley Smalls, senior organizer for ATU, said bus drivers are "forced to clean bodily fluids such as blood and vomit using nothing more than cat litter," and then continue their shifts. Drivers also report dealing with raccoon infestations and are told to handle the situation using only wipes.
JOINING TOGETHER
Oakland public employee unions rally against job cuts, layoffs
KTVU
By KTVU Staff
Feb. 12, 2025
Oakland city union workers who received layoff notices rallied on Tuesday outside City Hall. They said job cuts will have harmful impacts on public services. City employee labor unions are frustrated over dozens of layoff notices sent to employees this week. The layoffs are part of a $130 million budget shortfall affecting workers from several city departments. "That's all we want to do is do our work and not worry about if we are going to get laid off and not be able to take care of our families because of mismanagement by this administration," said Mike Patterson, chief steward for IBEW Local 1245.
Alaska union sues over state’s failure to disclose public employee salary study
Alaska Beacon
By James Brooks
Feb. 11, 2025
Alaska’s largest public employee union filed suit against the state of Alaska on Tuesday, saying that state officials have illegally withheld the results of a statewide salary study. In Tuesday’s lawsuit, filed in Anchorage Superior Court, attorneys representing the Alaska State Employees Association allege that the state is concealing results unfavorable to the administration of Gov. Mike Dunleavy and ask for a court order mandating the release of the study.
T.F. Green worker union unanimously votes ‘no confidence’ in airport leadership
The Brown Daily Herald
By Sanai Rashid
Feb. 12, 2025
On Jan. 30, unionized airport police officers and firefighters at Rhode Island’s T.F. Green International Airport unanimously voted “no confidence” in Rhode Island Airport Corporation leadership, including RIAC President and CEO Iftikhar Ahmad. The vote comes during months-long contract negotiations between RIAC and the leaders of RI Council 94 for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO and Local 2873, which consists of around 100 union workers. The union’s last contract expired in June 2024.
Deadline
By Michael F. Miller Jr.
Feb. 12, 2025
Production levels were so low in Los Angeles that when the fires hit last month, it was just another weight added to the shoulders of our industry. The devastating fires might be behind us but their impact — displacing thousands, destroying homes, neighborhoods and lives — will have a very long tail. The rebuilding process, which will take years if not decades, started with this season’s awards shows that have gone on despite some calling for their cancellation.
STATE LEGISLATION
Labor leaders are exploring a referendum to repeal Legislature’s anti-union bill
The Salt Lake Tribune
By Robert Gehrke
Feb. 12, 2025
Asked last week after the Senate passed the bill banning collective bargaining if a referendum is being considered, AFL-CIO of Utah President Jeff Worthington said bluntly: “It is.” “That would be very, very much in our scope,” he said. “I would be in favor of that. Let the people of Utah decide.”