Today's AFL-CIO press clips
POLITICS
Inside a Union’s Fight Against Trump’s Federal Job Cuts
The New York Times
By Rebecca Davis O’Brien
April 20, 2025
“I can’t compare this to any other time in my career,” the union’s national president, Everett Kelley, said in an interview. “We’ve seen some tough fights, but never have we seen any president” try to “put the federal government into mission failure.” Mr. Kelley said he saw the administration’s effort as a prelude to privatizing vast swaths of the federal work force. “At the same time, I think not only are federal workers realizing the urgency of our mission, I think the American people are realizing it,” he said.
A Legal Battle Over Trump’s Threats to Public School Funding Has Begun
The New York Times
By Sarah Mervosh and Dana Goldstein
April 17, 2025
A similar challenge, brought by the American Federation of Teachers and other groups, is pending in Maryland. The Trump administration is expected to appeal any ruling against it, and these questions could eventually reach the Supreme Court. The administration has argued that diversity programs violate federal civil rights law, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color and national origin. It has not offered a detailed definition of D.E.I., but has given hints of some programs that it might prohibit.
Unions sue to stop demolition of mediator agency
Government Executive
By Erich Wagner
April 17, 2025
Acoalition of labor unions accused Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency of arbitrarily reducing an independent agency that helps workers and their employers avoid costly litigation following President Trump’s executive order last month decimating the agency. The unions, which represent workers at all levels of government as well as in the private sector, said President Trump’s executive order reducing the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service work to the “statutory minimum” required by law and its ultimate implementation by DOGE and the Office of Management and Budget violate the Administrative Procedure Act and the constitutional separation of powers.
Federal unions go to court to stop Trump order on union rights
Northwest Labor Press
By Don McIntosh
April 17, 2025
American Federation of Government and Employees (AFGE) and the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) have filed suit in federal court to try to block a March 27 executive order by President Trump. The order strips about 1 million federal workers of their all union rights, by declaring that agencies as diverse as the Bureau of Land Management and the Environmental Protection Agency have a role in intelligence, counterintelligence, investigative or national security work.
Trump moves to invoke Schedule F to make it easier to fire some federal workers
The Telegraph
By The Associated Press
April 19, 2025
Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, said the move could ultimately undermine the federal government’s effectiveness. “President Trump’s action to politicize the work of tens of thousands of career federal employees will erode the government’s merit-based hiring system and undermine the professional civil service that Americans rely on,” he said in a statement.
What to know about Trump's efforts to replace federal workers under Schedule F
Axios
By Ivana Saric
April 18, 2025
The Trump administration is expected to announce Friday that it would move forward with mass firings of more federal workers under the auspices of a new rule, previously known as "Schedule F." Why it matters: The plan will allow Trump to gut civil service protections from a large swath of federal workers, paving the way to replace them with loyalists. The big picture: Beneath the layer of political appointees every president can nominate, the federal government is staffed by large numbers of civil servants in nonpartisan roles that come with protections that shield them from politically-motivated firings.
Trump Advances Plan to Fill Federal Government With 'Political Cronies'
Common Dreams
By Julia Conley
April 19, 2025
Everett Kelley, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), said Friday's announcement was the latest "in a series of deliberate moves by this administration to corrupt the federal government and replace qualified public servants with political cronies." "President Trump's action to politicize the work of tens of thousands of career federal employees will erode the government's merit-based hiring system and undermine the professional civil service that Americans rely on," said Kelley. "Politicizing the career civil service is a threat to our democracy and to the integrity of all the programs and services Americans rely on."
Federal judge in Baltimore temporarily limits DOGE access to Social Security data
AP
By Lea Skene
April 17, 2025
A federal judge on Thursday imposed new restrictions on billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, limiting its access to Social Security systems that hold personal data on millions of Americans. U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander issued a preliminary injunction in the case, which was brought by a group of labor unions and retirees who allege DOGE’s recent actions violate privacy laws and present massive information security risks. Hollander had previously issued a temporary restraining order.
Republican Lawmakers Face Fresh Backlash to Trump at Home
The New York Times
By Michael Gold and Maya C. Miller
April 17, 2025
With Congress in a two-week spring recess, Mr. Grassley was among the few Republican members of Congress who dared to hold such a freewheeling gathering with constituents, amid an increasingly vocal backlash to Mr. Trump. Those who are holding town halls have embraced strategies meant to limit the possibility of volatile confrontations or embarrassing social media video of rooms full of hecklers.
CFPB job cuts blocked by federal judge while union lawsuit proceeds
The Washington Post
By Hannah Ziegler
April 18, 2025
A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s most recent attempt to dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau after the agency’s leadership moved to fire more than 1,400 employees on Thursday. U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson issued a written order Friday that halted the firings pending the outcome of a lawsuit brought by the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents the CFPB’s roughly 1,700 workers. Jackson scheduled a hearing for later this month to determine whether Thursday’s mass layoffs violated a preliminary injunction she issued in March that barred the Trump administration from issuing reduction-in-force letters to any CFPB employees.
Mass Layoffs Hit Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
The New York Times
By Stacy Cowley
April 17, 2025
The Trump administration sent layoff notices on Thursday to a large swath of employees at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, just days after a federal appeals court pared back an injunction that had prevented the agency’s leaders from carrying out plans to fire nearly all of the bureau’s workers.
Judge orders new limits on DOGE data access at Social Security Administration
NPR
By Stephen Fowler
April 18, 2025
A federal judge has once again blocked Department of Government Efficiency staffers who are operating inside the Social Security Administration (SSA) from accessing sensitive personal information of millions of Americans. The issuing of a preliminary injunction comes in a lawsuit filed by a group of unions and retirees in Maryland, and is one of more than a dozen suits to raise alarms about the kind of data DOGE has accessed, and how such data could be used.
Trump administration will appeal injunction on DOGE access to personal information
WBAL
By Barry Simms
April 19, 2025
Responding to the court opinion, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union President Lee Saunders said: “This decision sends a clear message to Elon Musk and his DOGE minions to keep their hands off Social Security.”
Trump Administration Proposes Sharp Budget Cuts for H.H.S.
The New York Times
By Karoun Demirjian and Apoorva Mandavilli
April 17, 2025
The Trump administration is eyeing about $40 billion in cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services’s budget next year, according to a memo obtained by The New York Times, as the White House charges ahead with plans for drastic changes to the agencies that regulate food and drugs, protect Americans from disease and research new treatments.
The Crackdown on Campuses Is a Crackdown on Unions
Capital & Main
By Frances Madeson
April 17, 2025
kers picket at UCLA on May 23, 2024. Photo: Jeremy Lindenfeld.
Published on April 17, 2025By Frances Madeson
As the Trump administration escalates its crackdown on campus dissent, unionized graduate students are increasingly caught in the crosshairs. Some, who are foreign students, have had their visas revoked. Others have seen vital research funding threatened. And student activists have become targets of online attacks, including from Trump supporters and a senior administration official. Allie Wong, a graduate student at Columbia University, a U.S. citizen and a member of Student Workers of Columbia-United Auto Workers Local 2710, has experienced that pressure firsthand. Last month, she accompanied fellow union member Ranjani Srinivasan as she fled to Toronto fearing deportation.
DOGE Guts Agency That Organizes Community Service Programs
The New York Times
By Aishvarya Kavi
April 17, 2025
The independent federal agency that organizes community service work in the United States has placed on administrative leave almost all of its federal staff at the direction of Elon Musk’s cost-cutting team, according to people familiar with developments at the agency. Those on leave include all of the employees of a national disaster response program, according to the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information they provided.
VA is selectively enforcing Trump’s order stripping workers of union rights
Government Executive
By Erich Wagner
April 18, 2025
“AFGE members at the VA, a third of whom are veterans themselves, have exercised their union rights through wars, terrorist attacks, a global pandemic and the entirety of Trump’s first term without incident,” said AFGE National President Everett Kelley. “[This] has nothing to do with national security and everything to do with retaliation against AFGE, the independent labor movement in America, and the veterans we serve at the VA. That’s made clear by Secretary Collins’ absurd, preposterous claim that AFGE-represented cemetery workers, housekeepers, cooks, mechanics, nurses and other health care employees are engaged in national security work, but those same groups of employees represented by other unions are not.”
Protesters Nationwide Rally Again to Condemn Trump Policies
The New York Times
By Jesus Jiménez and Minho Kim
April 19, 2025
The participants raged against the president, who they say is trampling on civil liberties and the rule of law, and overreaching in immigration, federal job cuts, the economy and other areas. In front of the White House, protesters repeatedly shouted a single word. “Shame!”
U.S. Adds Fees for Chinese Ships in Effort to Boost Shipbuilding
The New York Times
By Peter Eavis and Ana Swanson
April 18, 2025
The new rules originated from a petition filed during the Biden administration by a collection of unions, including the United Steelworkers and the AFL-CIO, that requested an investigation into Chinese shipbuilding. The Biden administration carried out the investigation and issued a finding shortly before Mr. Trump took office in January. That finding said China had displaced foreign firms in the shipbuilding sector and unfairly hurt U.S. commerce. David McCall, the president of the United Steelworkers, said the government’s “thorough investigation validated our charges, and today’s announcement lays out a series of strong steps to restore U.S. shipbuilding capacity.”
Trump Administration Draft Order Calls for Drastic Overhaul of State Department
The New York Times
By Edward Wong
April 20, 2025
A draft of a Trump administration executive order proposes a drastic restructuring of the State Department that includes eliminating almost all of its Africa operations and shutting down embassies and consulates across the continent, according to American officials and a copy of the document. The draft also calls for cutting offices at State Department headquarters that address climate change and refugee issues, as well as democracy and human rights concerns.
IMMIGRATION
Court, in Strong Words, Presses White House to Play Active Role in Freeing Maryland Man
The New York Times
By Alan Feuer
April 17, 2025
A federal appeals court in Virginia reaffirmed on Thursday that the White House needed to play a more active role in seeking the release of a Maryland man who was deported last month to a prison in El Salvador, despite a court order expressly forbidding that he be sent there. In a sternly worded ruling, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit expressed exasperation at the Trump administration’s continued recalcitrance in refusing to help free the man, Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia.
Supreme Court to Hear Arguments on Trump Plan to End Birthright Citizenship
The New York Times
By Abbie VanSickle
April 17, 2025
The Supreme Court announced on Thursday that it would hear arguments in a few weeks over President Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship. The brief order by the justices was unsigned and gave no reasoning, as is typical in such emergency cases. But the unusual move is a sign that the justices consider the matter significant enough that they would immediately hold oral argument on the government’s request to lift a nationwide pause on the policy.
U.S. intelligence contradicts Trump’s justification for mass deportations
The Washington Post
By John Hudson and Warren P. Strobel
April 17, 2025
The National Intelligence Council, drawing on the acumen of the United States’ 18 intelligence agencies, determined in a secret assessment early this month that the Venezuelan government is not directing an invasion of the United States by the prison gang Tren de Aragua, a judgment that contradicts President Donald Trump’s public statements, according to people familiar with the matter. The determination is the U.S. government’s most comprehensive assessment to date undercutting Trump’s rationale for deporting suspected gang members without due process under the Alien Enemies Act, the 1798 law last used during World War II that laid the foundation for the incarceration of more than 110,000 Japanese Americans.
Immigrant rights groups, labor unions plan May Day march to demand end to Trump's mass deportations
CBS News
By Todd Feurer and Beth Godvik
April 17, 2025
Activists for immigrant rights gathered at Federal Plaza in Chicago on Thursday morning to prepare for a protest rally and march next month to demand the Trump administration halt mass deportation efforts. The Chicago Coalition Against the Trump Agenda – a group of labor unions and community organizations – said they plan a massive march on May Day, the annual May 1 holiday celebrating workers and their rights. "The very constitutional pillars of First Amendment protections are under attack," said Chicago Teachers Union vice president Jackson Potter.
Immigrants prove they are alive, forcing Social Security to undo death label
The Washington Post
By Hannah Natanson, Lisa Rein and Meryl Kornfield
April 18, 2025
Immigrants falsely labeled dead by the Social Security Administration are showing up at field offices with documents proving they are alive, leading staff to reinstate nearly three dozen people over the past week, according to records obtained by The Washington Post. The immigrants who have requested a reversal and been reinstated in Social Security databases include a Haitian asylum seeker and a child, the records show. Some immigrants have shown up with driver’s licenses and work permits to prove their legitimacy, the records show. Others have arrived bearing letters of notification that they received from their states declaring them dead.
ORGANIZING
Hundreds of Southern California Edison planners, technicians file for union election
Los Angeles Times
By Suhauna Hussain
April 17, 2025
A group of planners, designers and field technicians at Southern California Edison on Thursday filed a petition for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board. The move jump-starts a long-simmering unionization effort that comes amid scrutiny of the electric utility for potential mishandling of the devastating Eaton fire. Hundreds of workers are asking to be represented by the Engineers and Scientists of California Local 20, which is part of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers.
UNION NEGOTIATIONS
Vigor shipyard workers poised to strike
Northwest Labor Press
By Anna Del Savio
April 17, 2025
Metal trades unions at Vigor have terminated their contract extension, paving the way for a strike. Roughly 800 workers at the ship building and repair company’s Portland and Seattle shipyards are represented by nine union locals through the AFL-CIO Metal Trades Department. The Metal Trades Council’s last contract expired Nov. 30, 2024, but the unions and Vigor agreed to a contract extension. The contract included a no-strike clause, so the unions notified Vigor that they were terminating the contract extension on April 8. A strike could happen as soon as April 22, Portland Metal Trades Council President Ben Heurung said.
Library employee union reaches partial bargaining agreement with U-M
WEMU
By Ana Longoria
April 18, 2025
The University of Michigan’s Lecturer Employee Union (LEO) has reached tentative agreements with university officials regarding two of the three requested adjustments to their library workers' union contract after rallying in Ann Arbor on Wednesday. LEO Chair and U-M Librarian Meredith Kahn says the union bargaining team has negotiated language on artificial intelligence in library management and upheld the term appointment cap for librarians, archivists, and curators in their contract with university officials. She says, thus far, negotiations have been positive for both parties.
UFCW Local 7 files lawsuit against King Soopers amid contract negotiations
KOAA
By Ashleigh Quintana
April 18, 2025
UFCW Local 7, the union that represents King Soopers employees, has filed a lawsuit against the grocery store chain. This comes a little over a week after both UFCW and King Soopers agreed to end the strike to begin contract negotiations.
Hawaiian Airlines Flight Attendants Extend Contract
Simple Flying
By Rytis Beresnevičius
April 18, 2025
On April 17, Hawaiian Airlines announced that it has reached an agreement on a new contract with its flight attendants, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-Communications Workers of America (AFA-CWA). In its statement, the airline said that its flight attendants ratified the three-year contract extension by 88%. The union said that the extension includes pay increases, retirement improvements, better profit sharing and inclusion in Alaska Airlines’ profit sharing program, and a strong foundation to build upon as negotiations for a Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement (JCBA) begin soon.
Union representing 55,000 LA County employees announces labor strike
Spectrum News
BY Spectrum News Staff
April 18, 2025
The union representing 55,000 Los Angeles County employees announced on Friday an unfair labor practice strike that is set to begin April 28 at 7 p.m. If a deal is not reached, thousands of county employees will walk off the job. On Friday morning, the union also held a rally and press conference announcing the 10-day unfair labor practice strike notice to LA County. The union in said that the strike would impact nearly 10 million county residents. Despite the planned walkout, the union said that emergency health services will continue. The SEIU local 721 union members include health care professionals, social workers, parks and recreation staff, public works personnel, clerical workers, custodians, coroner personnel, and beaches and harbor staff.
Colorado union sues King Soopers and City Market for violating agreement that ended strike
Supermarket News
By Chloe Riley
April 18, 2025
A Colorado union is suing the Kroger-owned brands King Soopers and City Market, saying the retailers violated term agreements following an 11-day strike by workers. According to the lawsuit, filed Thursday, following an 11-day strike at 79 King Soopers by some 10,000 UFCW Local 7 workers in February, King Soopers had agreed to a 100-day pause on implementing any contract changes as part of an agreement to end that strike.
HealthPartners workers in Minnesota announce intent to strike
CBS News
By Nick Lentz
April 19, 2025
HealthPartners employees with a Roseville, Minnesota-based union have announced they are going on strike following nine months of contract negotiations. Members of the Office of Professional Employees International Union Local 12 (OPEIU) made the announcement on Friday in St. Paul. Workers say they're fighting for affordable healthcare benefits, fair wages and a respectful workplace environment.
First PetSmart workers in Connecticut vote to unionize, seek contract talks
The Register Citizen
By Paul Schott
April 18, 2025
Workers at the PetSmart store in East Hartford have voted to unionize, becoming the pet-care retailer’s first group of Connecticut employees to take that action, according to the union that would represent them in contract talks. Employees at the store at 5 Main St., voted 20-7 on April 11 to join the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, according to UFCW officials. With that approval, UFCW officials indicated that they wanted to start talks with the company for a contract for the establishment’s approximately 30 employees.
National Grid union approves contract with 4% annual wage increase, ends long, tense negotiations
Long Island Press
By Isabella Gallo
April 19, 2025
The union representing roughly 1,200 National Grid employees who work in Long Island’s natural gas and power plants, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, or IBEW, Local 1049, voted 590-90 to approve a new contract Friday evening. The successful vote ends a months-long contract negotiation period where employees found themselves temporarily without a contract in February, voting down a previous tentative agreement 617-252 on March 6 and on the verge of a strike multiple times.
JOINING TOGETHER
College faculty, students, union members rally in Pittsburgh to defend higher education
Trib Live
By Megan Swift
April 17, 2025
The government is robbing Americans of the research and treatments they deserve, a University of Pittsburgh laboratory manager said during a rally Thursday in Schenley Plaza. Diversity, equity and inclusion aren’t mere buzzwords, said an associate dean from Pitt. This was the sentiment from Pittsburgh-based professors, leaders and union members as they convened in Schenley Plaza at lunchtime to rally for National Day of Action for Higher Education in front of a crowd that grew to over 200 people.
STATE LEGISLATION
Delaware Lawmakers Propose Legislation to Strengthen Public Worker Union Rights
WGMD
By Joe Ciccanti
April 17, 2025
Delaware lawmakers introduced two pro-worker bills aimed at making it easier for public employees to form and support unions. Senate Bill 25, led by Sen. Bryan Townsend and Rep. Ed Osienski, would allow public workers to form a union without a formal election if more than half sign a petition—making the process simpler and faster. House Bill 130, sponsored by Rep. Osienski and Sen. Dan Cruce, would ensure public employers regularly share accurate employee information with unions and let union members use work email and spaces for union-related discussions. Supporters say the legislation aims to bolster collective bargaining at the state level amid changes to federal union policies. Both bills are backed by the Delaware State AFL-CIO and aim to give teachers, public servants, and other workers a stronger voice on the job.
IN THE STATES
Fired federal employees describe impact of DOGE layoffs to Michigan lawmakers
CBS News
By Jack Springgate
April 17, 2025
From those working with veterans to those working to find a middle ground during strikes, Michigan lawmakers are learning how DOGE job cuts are hurting Michiganders straight from the people who are now looking for work. These workers not only painted a picture of how their lives have been turned upside down by these federal layoffs, but also how these firings have reportedly led to death and destruction in Michigan.
Workers, community members talk about recent federal cuts at Asheville forum
WLOS
By Neydja Petithomme
April 18, 2025
On Thursday, April 17, the North Carolina Labor Movement hosted a public hearing at A-B Tech's Ferguson Auditorium, where state Rep. Eric Ager and other local leaders were invited to hear from the community on how they've been affected by recent federal cuts by the Trump administration.
Federal workers, union members speak out against DOGE cuts at Warner Robins public hearing
Macon Telegraph
By Lucinda Warnke
April 18, 2025
A group of current and former federal employees joined union leaders and community members in Warner Robins to speak out against cuts to federal spending by President Donald Trump. The workers — who came from across the state and are affiliated with various federal agencies and military branches — expressed concerns that cuts could threaten livelihoods and hamper government services that are essential to everyday life.
APPRENTICESHIPS & TRAINING
Six graduate from first class of Missouri Work’s Initiative’s Apprentice Ready Manufacturing program
Labor Tribune
By Sheri Gassaway
April 17, 2025
Six students recently graduated from the first class of the Missouri Works Initiative’s (MWI) Apprentice Ready Manufacturing (ARM) program, which is designed to address critical workforce shortages in the general supply chain, aerospace, manufacturing and transportation sectors. The MWI is a non-profit workforce development organization sponsored and supported by the Missouri AFL-CIO. The new ARM program focuses on bridging the gap between underrepresented, underemployed and unemployed individuals and high-paying union jobs by providing resources, support and access to opportunities to build sustainable careers.
WORKPLACE SAFETY AND HEALTH
AFL-CIO: Why unions observe Workers Memorial Day
Labor Tribune
By Staff
April 17, 2025
Nearly 55 years ago on April 28, Workers Memorial Day, the Occupational Safety and Health Act went into effect, promising every worker the right to a safe job—our fundamental right. The law was won because of the tireless efforts of the Labor Movement, which organized for safer working conditions and demanded action from the government to protect working people. Since then, unions and allies have fought hard to make that promise a reality—winning protections under the law that have made jobs safer and saved lives. But all of that is in serious danger as elected leaders threaten to cut staff, defund or outright eliminate federal job safety agencies.
UNION BUSTING
Eyewitness News workers decry recent layoffs as 'union busting'
Courier & Press
By Houston Harwood
April 18, 2025
In a move workers decried as retaliatory, an Evansville television station fired six employees months after staff voted to unionize in the face of opposition from the broadcaster’s parent company. The firings of junior and senior WEHT/WTVW Eyewitness News employees on April 7 came without warning or bargaining between Nexstar Media Group and the newly formed union even as the company reports record revenues, workers said.