Today's AFL-CIO press clips
MUST LISTEN
Don’t Let Trump’s Cuts Destroy the Government That Works For You
Crooked Media
Feb. 20, 2025
Another week, another Trump admin scheme to cripple the government—this time by targeting the very workers who keep it running, from food inspectors to mail carriers to those serving in our military. On today’s episode, Stacey breaks down Trump’s mass firing of probationary government employees and how these layoffs could soon ripple across entire sectors. Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO, joins to break down who’s being affected and why the blunt force tool Republicans are using in the name of efficiency, will backfire. Stacey and Liz talk about why unions matter more than ever in a shaky labor market and how we all need to stand up for workforce protections.
POLITICS
This Is What Happens When the DOGE Guys Take Over
The Atlantic
By Michael Scherer, Ashley Parker, Matteo Wong, and Shane Harris
Feb. 19, 2025
“He is kind of going after the nerve center of government,” said Amanda Ballantyne, the director of the Technology Institute at the AFL-CIO. “It looks like he’s using data and IT systems as a backdoor way to gain considerable discretionary power without normal, legal oversight.”
American Federation of Teachers president discusses education under Trump administration (Video)
Brooklyn News 12
By Emily Knapton
Feb. 19, 2025
In today's "Conversation Connecticut," News 12's Rebecca Surran welcomes the American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten to talk about President Donald Trump's plan to shut down the Department of Education. Weingarten says the Department of Education controls funding for millions of American students.
What to expect as Trump’s anti-labor agenda takes shape (Opinion)
The Hill
By Max Burns
Feb. 19, 2025
President Trump’s National Labor Relations Board just released its first general counsel memo — that is, the document outlining the NLRB’s priorities and legal guidance for the coming term. And oh boy, is it a doozy. Acting general counsel William Cowen’s memo erases the last four years of progressive NLRB governance under his predecessor, Jennifer Abruzzo. This includes reversing the board’s hugely popular decision to ban employee non-compete agreements; limiting the monetary damages available to the victims of unfair labor and workplace practices; and making it tougher for unions to gain official recognition.
A comprehensive look at DOGE’s firings and layoffs so far
AP
By Meg Kinnard
Feb. 19, 2025
Thousands of federal government employees have been shown the door in the first month of President Donald Trump’s administration as the White House and its Department of Government Efficiency fire both new and career workers, tell agency leaders to plan for “large-scale reductions in force” and freeze trillions of dollars in federal grant funds. It is affecting more than just the national capital region, home to about 20% of the 2.4 million members of the civilian federal workforce, which does not include military personnel and postal workers. More than 80% of that workforce lives outside the Washington area.
Trump's latest order would fulfill a key Project 2025 goal of taking over independent agencies
MSNBC
By Clarissa-Jan Lim
Feb. 19, 2025
President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order that seeks to bring independent federal agencies under his control as he continues to stretch the boundaries of executive power and test the legal limits of his office. The order would essentially put independent agencies such as the Federal Trade Commission, the Federal Communications Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission under the watch of Office of Management and Budget Review Director Russell Vought, a key Project 2025 author.
Trump Labor Nominee Walks Back Past Support of Pro-Union Bill
Bloomberg Law
By Rebecca Rainey
Feb. 19, 2025
Lori Chavez-DeRemer Wednesday distanced herself from her past support of expanding collective bargaining law, vowing to senators she would follow President Donald Trump’s agenda if confirmed as his Secretary of Labor. The one-term Republican congresswoman disavowed her previous backing of the Protecting the Right to Organize Act (H.R. 842) during a hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, asserting her cosponsorship of the bill was intended to ensure she was part of the conversation. “I recognize that I’m no longer the lawmaker, and I do not believe that the Secretary of Labor should write the laws,” Chavez-DeRemer said when asked about her current support of the PRO Act. “And I have said that the bill was imperfect.”
Labor unions call on Trump to boost US shipbuilding against increasing Chinese dominance
AP
By Josh Boak
Feb. 19, 2025
The heads of four major labor unions on Wednesday called on President Donald Trump to boost American shipbuilding and enforce tariffs and other “strong penalties” against China for its increasing dominance in that sphere. The presidents of the United Steelworkers, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, International Brotherhood of Boilermakers and International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers argue that China’s efforts have hurt American workers and national security. In a draft of the letter obtained by The Associated Press, they urged Trump to “impose tough penalties against vessels built according to the plans, policies, and actions of the Chinese Communist Party and to adopt complementary policies that rebuild America’s shipbuilding capacity and workforce.” Last year under President Joe Biden, the unions filed a petition seeking to address China’s shipbuilding under Section 301 of the 1974 U.S. Trade Act, hoping to start a process by which tariffs and other measures could be enacted.
Trump's labor secretary nominee faces questions about unions, right-to-work laws
NBC News
By Megan Lebowitz and Sahil Kapur
Feb. 19. 2025
A Republican-led Senate committee held a confirmation hearing Wednesday for President Donald Trump’s nominee for labor secretary, Lori Chavez-DeRemer. Chavez-DeRemer addressed her previous support for the PRO Act during her opening statement, saying the bill provided a way to have conversations about needed updates to labor laws. “I recognize that that bill wasn’t perfect, and I also recognize that I am no longer representing Oregon as a lawmaker,” she said. “If confirmed, my job will be to implement President Trump’s policy division, and my guiding principle will be President Trump’s guiding principle, ensuring a level playing field for businesses, unions and, most importantly, the American worker.” Multiple senators questioned her about her current position on the bill. Chavez-DeRemer said that she “fully” supported states that “want to protect their right to work.” “So you no longer support the aspect of the PRO Act that would’ve overturned state right-to-work laws?” asked Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who has said he would not support Chavez-DeRemer's nomination. “Yeah,” she said quietly, moving to expand on her answer before Paul cut her off.
Civil Rights Groups Sue Trump Administration Over D.E.I. Orders
The New York Times
By Erica L. Green
Feb. 19, 2025
Civil rights organizations sued the Trump administration on Wednesday over a series of executive orders targeting diversity, equity and inclusion programs and gender discrimination protections. They alleged that the orders were discriminatory and illegal, and imperiled funding for groups that provide critical services to historically underserved groups of Americans. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and Lambda Legal. It claimed that President Trump’s executive orders requiring a halt to spending on diversity initiatives throughout the federal government violated several provisions of the Constitution, including the First and Fifth Amendments, and intentionally discriminated against Black and transgender people.
Rally to support federal workers in Cleveland as job cuts loom
Signal Cleveland
By Olivera Perkins
Feb. 19, 2025
Union and public officials will speak at a rally in downtown Cleveland Thursday to support thousands of Northeast Ohio federal workers who face job cuts under the Trump administration. The Feb. 20 rally will be held at 11 a.m. at the Anthony J. Celebrezze Federal Building, 1240 E. 9th St., Cleveland.
60+ VA workers across 3 states lose jobs amid federal cuts; Northeast Ohio impact uncertain
Cleveland.com
By Julie Washington
Feb. 19, 2025
The impact of the VA’s decision to cut 1,000 jobs is hitting home, with over 60 non-union employees across Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana receiving pink slips, leaving many veterans and their advocates concerned. The dismissed probationary employees -- dismissed in a Department of Veterans Affairs announcement last week -- might translate to a handful of Northeast Ohio VA employees losing jobs, said Brian Pearson, executive secretary of the North Shore AFL-CIO Federation of Labor. The union represents 80,000 employees in Cuyahoga, Lake and Geauga counties.
As DeJoy Quits, Critics Fear GOP-Led Postal Board Will 'Find Someone Worse'
Common Dreams
By Brett Wilkins
Feb. 18, 2025
Brian Renfroe, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers—which is locked in a contract battle with USPS management—said Tuesday that "in its search for the next USPS leader, NALC urges the Board of Governors to seek out an individual with the necessary experience and expertise to lead the agency at this critical time." "We need someone who values the workforce and is committed to preserving and improving universal service," the union added. "The Postal Service is older than our country and is mandated in the Constitution. The next postmaster general must guarantee that letter carriers can continue safely performing their constitutionally mandated service in every community nationwide."
Trump appears to contradict White House, says Elon Musk in charge of DOGE
Reuters
By Andrea Shalal and Nandita Bose
Feb. 19, 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he has put billionaire Elon Musk in charge of the Department of Government Efficiency, appearing to contradict the White House over who runs the cost-cutting program. The White House said in a court filing on Monday that Musk's role in the Trump administration was that of a White House employee and senior adviser to the president, and that he had no authority over DOGE and was not an employee of the program.
I.R.S. to Begin Laying Off Roughly 6,000 Employees on Thursday
The New York Times
By Andrew Duehren and Michael S. Schmidt
Feb. 19, 2025
The Internal Revenue Service will begin laying off roughly 6,000 employees on Thursday as part of the Trump administration’s push to downsize the federal work force, three people familiar with the agency’s plans said. The terminations will target relatively recent hires at the I.R.S., which the Biden administration had attempted to revitalize with a surge of funding and new staff, the people said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. The Trump administration has begun laying off probationary employees — who do not enjoy as much job protection as their more tenured colleagues — across the federal government in recent days.
IMMIGRATION
US appeals court rejects Trump's emergency bid to curtail birthright citizenship
Reuters
By Nate Raymond
Feb. 19, 2025
A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday let stand an order blocking President Donald Trump from curtailing automatic birthright citizenship nationwide as part of the Republican's hardline crackdown on immigration and illegal border crossings. The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the Trump administration request to pause the lower-court judge's order. It was the first time an appellate court had weighed in on Trump's executive order on birthright citizenship, whose fate may ultimately be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.
TRANSPORTATION
‘We’re trained for situations like this': Flight attendant leader responds to Delta plane crash
WSBTV
By Tom Regan
Feb. 18, 2025
The president of the Association of Flight Attendants says members are thoroughly trained on how to react in plane crashes, including when a plane overturns. That happened Monday, when a Delta regional jet from Minneapolis crashed upon landing at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, sending up a ball of flames when fuel stored in a wing ignited. “That plane was on fire and luckily we had first responders on the ground because that cabin can go up very quickly,” said Association of Flight Attendants President Sara Nelson.
NLRB
Alphabet AI workers were illegally silenced about pay, complaint alleges
Fortune
By Josh Eidelson and Bloomberg
Feb. 18, 2025
An Alphabet Inc. vendor, Hitachi Ltd., illegally restricted a group of Google artificial intelligence contract staff from discussing their pay and fired one of them for starting conversations about wages, a union alleged in a federal complaint. The Alphabet Workers Union filed the US National Labor Relations Board case Tuesday against Hitachi’s subsidiary GlobalLogic Inc., which it said manages a group of around 1,800 employees doing rating, labeling and training for Google’s AI products. The complaint accuses GlobalLogic of creating a policy prohibiting discussion of wages in its online internal forums, while allowing employees to discuss other non-work topics in those “online social spaces.” The company created the policy in response to employee Ricardo Levario raising pay issues, and then fired him for it, according to the complaint, which said his termination “resulted in a chill” on his co-workers’ willingness to exercise their rights.
ORGANIZING
Sunday River ski patrol looks to unionize
Fox23 Maine
By WGME Staff
Feb. 19, 2025
Ski patrol staff at Sunday River are looking to unionize. A post on the Sunday River Ski Patrol Union's Instagram said that 70 percent of paid staff have signed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board. They are hoping to join CWA Local 7781 - United Mountain Workers. Part of the post asked Sunday River and Boyne Resorts, which operates the mountain, to invest in the ski patrol so they can continue to do their jobs at the highest level.
UW Health nurses argue for right to formally unionize
The Badger Herald
By Ayesha Yousef
Feb. 18, 2025
UW Health nurses presented their arguments before the Wisconsin Supreme Court to have their union recognized Wed., Feb. 12. The Service Employees International Union , which the UW Health system unionized under, is challenging Act 10 in court. The act, passed in 2011, removed most bargaining rights for public employee unions, including healthcare and education unions, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
The steep climb to unionize REI
KUOW
By Monica Nickelsburg
Feb. 19, 2025
Ski season came early in the Pacific Northwest this year, keeping Tini Alexander busy in the gear department at the Bellingham REI where she’s worked for the past three years. She’s been a customer of the beloved outdoor retailer since college, when REI helped her gear up for her first backpacking trip on a student’s budget. “ That was what really encouraged me to become a member, because I was just so welcomed by the group and really encouraged to have even more outdoor adventures,” she said.
UNION NEGOTIATIONS
Alameda County court workers go on strike after contract negotiations fail
CBS News
By Thomas Hughes
Feb. 19, 2025
Employees at the Superior Court of Alameda County went on strike on Wednesday, after negotiations on a new contract failed to achieve a deal. The strike could affect services at criminal, civil and juvenile courts, according to representatives of Service International Employees Union Local 1021. The union plans to demonstrate at the Hayward Hall of Justice on Wednesday. Employees including clerks and legal processing assistants have been working without a contract since their previous one expired on Dec. 31.
At the center of Rasika’s union fight: Should servers be on commission?
The Washington Post
By Tim Carman
Feb. 19, 2025
In the month since workers announced their intention to form a union at Rasika Penn Quarter, labor and management have been locked in a contentious, highly public battle. It has played out on the streets with union demonstrations and in the media with accusations of intimidation, unlawful practices and retaliation as both sides fight over the future of servers, bussers, cleaners and line cooks who have helped make the Indian restaurant a destination in Washington.
Labor Action Tracker report shares some striking facts about 2024
Pittsburgh Union Progress
By Bob Batz Jr.
Feb. 19, 2025
The number of work stoppages nationwide declined last year from the previous year, but the number continued to exceed 2021 levels. So says the Labor Action Tracker annual report released Wednesday by researchers at Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations and University of Illinois School of Labor and Employment Relations, who’ve been documenting strikes and lockouts over the very active past four years.
STATE LEGISLATION
Lawmakers Roll Back Protections Amid Rising Child Labor Safety Violations in Indiana
Indy Star
By Alexandria Burris and Brittany Carloni
Feb. 19, 2025
In Iowa, economic concerns from the restaurant and hospitality industry helped spur lawmakers to act in 2023, said Charlie Wishman, president of the Iowa Federation of Labor and AFL-CIO. The Iowa bill initially included exceptions allowing teenagers to work in mining and meat packing but fell in conflict with federal laws. It was later amended to remove some of the more dangerous exceptions.
IN THE STATES
Protesters rally against Trump Administration’s massive CDC layoffs
Atlanta News First
By Brittany Ford
Feb. 18, 2025
Two separate protests were held in front of the CDC. One of those was spearheaded by the Atlanta North Georgia Labor Council. “Come together to support the federal works and the workers of the center for disease control because what happens to one group of workers happens to all of us just matter of time,” said Sandra Lee-Williams, President of the council.
She says they are attending a lobbyist day at the state capitol Wednesday and sending letters to local legislators to ensure their message gets to Congress.
'I'm heartbroken' | CDC employees express feeling 'under attack' after recent federal job cuts
11 Alive
By Molly Oak
Feb. 18, 2025
Sandra Lee Williams, the president of the Atlanta North Georgia Labor Council, also spoke with 11Alive on Tuesday. The council organized the rally outside the CDC. "We have to stand up and take a stance against what's going on with our federal government," she said. "We have employees here that have been here for years. Some are probationary, but they certainly have had experience, possibly in other areas, and they are being terminated with no cause."
It’s (past) time for Oregon to level the playing field
Northwest Labor Press
By Graham Trainor
Feb. 19, 2025
When talk of the world’s first trillionaire takes center stage in our nation’s news cycles, you know there’s something wrong in our society. When the world’s five richest men have more than doubled their fortunes since 2020 while five billion people around the world have become poorer, it’s clear that there’s an imbalance in the economy. Even when workers use their most powerful — yet risky — tool to fight for fairness by withholding their labor in a strike, corporations often intentionally prolong the strike, starve them out, and cancel healthcare coverage to force them to accept an unfair contract settlement. Unfortunately, this can often perpetuate the ills of our society at large: corporate greed, unsafe jobs, and a culture where we are not respecting working people for their labor; the glue that makes our communities run.
CIVIL, HUMAN, & WOMEN’S RIGHTS
Erasing Black History? These Unions Say Not on Their Watch
Word in Black
By Quintessa Williams
Feb. 18, 2025
Black Wall Street, the Red Summer of 1919, redlining, the truth about what happened after Reconstruction, how the March on Washington was organized — there’s plenty of Black history most of us weren’t taught in our middle and high school U.S. history classes. But what happens if teaching Black history becomes illegal nationwide? Some experts worry that’s the goal of the Trump administration and other conservatives who have spent the past several years censoring Black history in schools. But while politicians attempt to suppress the truth, teacher unions are saying, “not on our watch.”
Trump-Controlled Kennedy Center Cancels Children’s Musical, Artists Cancel Shows
Ticket News
By Olivia Perreault
Feb. 19, 2025
President Donald Trump has taken over Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center, and amid the move, the venue has already faced some major programming changes. Most notably, the venue has cancelled a planned tour of the children’s musical “Finn.” The production, which is commissioned and first premiered last year, sold-out during its initial run at the Kennedy Center. While the venue noted in a statement that its decision was a financial one, the production has been dubbed “controversial” as its themes could be portrayed as a metaphor for the LGBTQ+ community.