Today's AFL-CIO press clips
MUST WATCH
AFL-CIO President on mass protests: ‘Pressure comes from the people’
MSNBC
April 26, 2025
AFL-CIO President Liz Schuler joins The Weekend to discuss how to keep the momentum going following massive anti-Trump protests this month.
MUST READ
Judge Blocks Trump Administration From Its Attack on Union Rights
Rolling Stone
By Naomi LaChance
April 26, 2025
Trump’s executive order, which AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler called “the most significant attack on workers’ rights in history,” applied to workers at a wide swath of agencies, including the Department of Defense, the Department of Justice, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Treasury Department, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Health and Human Services. Shuler applauded Friedman’s injunction. “We commend the court for recognizing the Trump administration’s executive order stripping collective bargaining rights for what it was: illegal, retaliatory union-busting,” Shuler said in a statement. “This was the most significant attack on workers’ rights in history, and if Trump was allowed to do it to federal workers, he would be able to do it to every worker in America, in every workplace and every industry.”
Court Blocks Trump's Federal Union-Busting Plan, Calling It 'Unlawful'
HuffPost
By Dave Jamieson
April 26, 2025
Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO labor federation, applauded the injunction in a statement. “This was the most significant attack on workers’ rights in history, and if Trump was allowed to do it to federal workers, he would be able to do it to every worker in America, in every workplace and every industry,” Shuler said.
POLITICS
US judge blocks Trump from ending union bargaining for many federal workers
Reuters
By Daniel Wiessner
April 25, 2025
A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked the administration of President Donald Trump from stripping hundreds of thousands of federal employees of the ability to unionize and collectively bargain over working conditions. Senior U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman in Washington, D.C., blocked an executive order Trump issued in March from being implemented pending the outcome of a lawsuit by the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents about 160,000 federal employees.
Judge blocks Trump executive order gutting federal unions
The Washington Post
By Lauren Kaori Gurley
April 25, 2025
A federal judge Friday afternoon temporarily blocked the Trump administration from invalidating union contracts for hundreds of thousands of federal employees, the latest in a string of legal setbacks for the president this week. U.S. District Judge Paul L. Friedman of the District of Columbia said President Donald Trump’s March directive stripping federal workers at dozens of agencies of their union rights was unlawful, in an order granting a temporary injunction.
Unions Cheer After Judge Halts Trump Order on Federal Workers' Collective Bargaining Rights
Common Dreams
By Jessica Corbett
April 25, 2025
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the nation's largest federal workers union, also applauded Friday's news. "AFGE congratulates our union siblings at NTEU on their important victory in the D.C. District Court today," said national president Everett Kelley. "This ruling is a major step toward restoring the collective bargaining rights that federal employees are guaranteed under the law." Kelley added that "AFGE looks forward to arguing our own case against this unlawful executive order in federal court. We are confident that, together, these efforts will secure the full relief federal employees deserve—and send a clear message that no administration is above the law."
Judge halts Trump’s order to end collective bargaining rights for many federal workers
CNN
By Tami Luhby
April 25, 2025
A federal judge on Friday blocked the Trump administration from terminating the collective bargaining rights for a sizeable share of the federal workforce. The preliminary injunction issued by US District Court Judge Paul Friedman in the District of Columbia also found that a key section of President Donald Trump’s executive order allowing more than a dozen federal agencies to end collective bargaining with unions to be unlawful. As part of his effort to overhaul the federal workforce, Trump signed the order in late March aimed at stripping collective bargaining rights from government employees whose work include national security aspects.
Judge Blocks Trump Order Ending Union Protections for Federal Workers
The New York Times
By Chris Cameron
April 25, 2025
A federal judge in Washington blocked President Trump from ending collective bargaining with unions representing federal workers, stymying a component of Mr. Trump’s sweeping effort to strip civil servants of job protections and assert more control over the federal bureaucracy.
Judge blocks Trump executive order that strips union rights from federal workers
Politico
By Hassan Ali Kanu
April 25, 2025
A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s efforts to rescind collective bargaining rights from employees at nearly a dozen government agencies and departments. The order from U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman requires federal agencies to engage with their employees’ unions and to resume collecting dues payments, among other normal employee relations business. The judge’s order covers employees at the departments of Justice, Health and Human Services, Treasury, Energy, the Office of Personnel Management and other major agencies.
Judge Restores Federal Worker Labor Pacts in Blow to Trump
Bloomberg Law
By Parker Purifoy
April 25, 2025
The Trump administration must recognize union rights and collective bargaining agreements for a large portion of federal employees after a federal judge blocked a March executive order that sought to strip them. Government officials are barred from implementing nearly all of President Donald Trump’s March 27 directive, Judge Paul Friedman of the US District Court for the District of Columbia said Friday in granting a preliminary injunction. The order restores labor rights for workers at the departments of State, Defense, Justice, and Treasury, along with dozens of other agencies and subagencies.
Federal judge blocks Trump order dismantling public-sector unions
Axios
By Emily Peck
April 25, 2025
A federal judge in Washington, D.C. on Friday temporarily blocked an executive order that eliminated collective bargaining rights for two-thirds of the federal workforce, finding it "unlawful." Why it matters: This is a big win for the unions that represent government workers. It's the latest of several court setbacks for the White House just this week. The big picture: The order from late March would effectively dismantle the unions that represent federal employees, who use collective bargaining to negotiate for better benefits and fair treatment. These unions have also been at the forefront of the fight against the White House effort to dismantle the federal workforce.
Judge blocks Trump administration from nixing collective bargaining for most federal employees
AP
By Michael Kunzelman
April 25, 2025
A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from implementing an executive order that a labor union says would cancel collective bargaining rights for hundreds of thousands of federal employees. U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman ruled that a key part of President Donald Trump’s March 27 order can’t be enforced at roughly three dozen agencies and departments where employees are represented by the National Treasury Employees Union.
Trump moves to ease firing of recently-hired federal workers
Reuters
By Daniel Wiessner
April 25, 2025
President Donald Trump has made it more difficult for federal employees to keep their jobs after an initial trial period, his latest effort to reshape the U.S. government workforce and rein in dissent from his agenda. Trump in an executive order on Thursday said that government workers will get to keep their jobs after the probationary period, which is typically a year or two depending on the job, only if the agencies they work for review their performance and approve it.
Employee cuts at Social Security are leaving remaining workers struggling to keep up
NPR
By Ashley Lopez
April 26, 2025
"We really feel the brunt of the public that we serve and the chaos and confusion surrounding Social Security and its impact on them," said LaPointe, who's president of a local chapter of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which represents 25,000 field office workers.
Fired, rehired, and fired again: Some federal workers find they're suddenly uninsured
NPR
By Andrea Hsu
April 25, 2025
Solid benefits have long been seen as a perk of federal jobs, a tradeoff for lower pay. As a result, many federal employees carry their families on their health insurance plans. But now, the administration's "break first, ask questions later" approach to remaking the federal bureaucracy has brought a level of chaos to the government that workers like Waterfield have never seen anywhere, even in the private sector.
Analyzing the scale of Trump’s federal layoffs in his first 100 days
CNN
By Annette Choi and Danya Gainor
April 26, 2025
Nearly 100 days. Wide-ranging and chaotic firings across at least 30 agencies. At least 121,000 federal workers have been fired or laid off in the three months since President Donald Trump’s second term began, according to a CNN analysis of official statements, internal memos from government officials and news reports. It’s a vast number that doesn’t count those placed on administrative leave or who took voluntary buyouts. The fallout of the sweeping layoffs has already had a ripple effect across the country and raised questions about the government’s capacity to meet public needs when it comes to education, healthcare, transportation and public safety, experts told CNN. The threats to essential services that Americans depend on have sparked concerns about the future, with a recent CNN poll showing more than half of US adults expect cuts to federal programs to hurt their families and the economy.
Pregnant and cut by DOGE, aid workers beg Trump administration for compassion
The Washington Post
By Justine McDaniel
April 25, 2025
President Donald Trump has said “We want more babies,” and the White House has reportedly examined ways to persuade Americans to have more children. But the actions of the Elon Musk-led U.S. DOGE Service have left many pregnant federal workers without the parental leave, health insurance and income they had thought they could rely on when they chose to conceive.
Social Security may lose thousands more staff under new Trump rule
Reuters
By Nathan Layne and Tim Reid
April 25, 2025
The Social Security Administration could lose thousands more staff beyond the 7,000 already targeted for cuts due to a move by the Trump administration to reclassify government employees, making them easier to fire, worker advocates said on Friday. President Donald Trump said last week his administration would proceed with plans to designate tens of thousands of federal workers as "at will" employees involved in policy decisions, stripping them of civil service protections.
Exclusive: White House wants to defund independent Social Security board, sources say
Reuters
By Nathan Layne
April 25, 2025
The White House wants to defund a bipartisan board that advises the president and Congress on Social Security policy, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters, as the Trump administration moves to cut costs and eliminate independent voices in government. The White House's Office of Management and Budget has notified staff at the Social Security Advisory Board that it plans to cut the board's annual budget from around $3 million to zero, according to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss non-public budgetary details.
Trump Budget to Take Ax to ‘Radical’ Safety Net Programs
The New York Times
By Alan Rappeport and Tony Romm
April 25, 2025
The Trump administration, which has made clear that it aims to slash government spending, is preparing to unveil a budget proposal as soon as next week that includes draconian cuts that would entirely eliminate some federal programs and fray the nation’s social safety net. The proposed budget for the 2026 fiscal year would cut billions of dollars from programs that support child care, health research, education, housing assistance, community development and the elderly, according to preliminary documents reviewed by The New York Times. The proposal, which is being finalized by the White House’s Office of Management and Budget, also targets longstanding initiatives that have been prized by Democrats and that Republicans view as “woke” or wasteful spending.
Trump Tightens Control of Federal Workforce as Musk Pulls Back From DOGE
The Wall Street Journal
By Katherine Long and Scott Patterson
April 26, 2025
The Trump administration is moving to consolidate control over the hiring and firing of federal workers, positioning a key agency to continue some of Elon Musk’s shrinking of the U.S. government as the Tesla CEO pulls back from Washington. The effort is centralized in the Office of Personnel Management, the human-resources arm of the government. The office, a hub of Musk’s project, has begun approving positions federal agencies want to add, according to agency bulletins reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. That is a change; agencies have typically decided which positions they filled.
CNN
By Jeremy Herb, Eric Bradner and Tami Luhby
April 26, 2025
Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has been Donald Trump’s battering ram during the president’s first 100 days, slashing the federal government and trying to bend its remnants to Trump’s will. Driven by a band of 20-something coders and computer experts burrowing into agencies across the government, DOGE has thrown aside norms – and in some cases, federal laws – to forcibly cut spending, cancel federal contracts and building leases, and dismantle entire agencies.
NPR
April 27, 2025
NPR's cybersecurity correspondent Jenna McLaughlin recently broke a story about a whistleblower inside the federal government who says DOGE representatives appear to have taken sensitive data, then covered their tracks. Daniel Berulis works for the National Labor Relations Board and he has shared evidence that DOGE engineers disabled security protocols, exported reams of sensitive data and used a "hacker's toolkit" to hide their activities. And he thinks his agency is not alone.
DOGE's deepest cuts to federal jobs are still to come — with or without Elon Musk
Business Insider
By Ayelet Sheffey and Juliana Kaplan
April 27, 2025
Elon Musk said he's backing away from DOGE in May, but that doesn't mean the federal worker firings are over. In fact, they're only heating up. While the first era of DOGE firings continues to face legal issues, the next set could be on stronger footing. That's because agencies have the chance to craft more methodical plans. In particular, many are offering buyout-like deferred resignation plans for workers to voluntarily quit in exchange for months of paid administrative leave.
How Libraries Are Faring Under the Trump Administration Amid Detrimental Funding Cuts
Time
By Rebecca Schneid
April 26, 2025
In early April, the American Library Association (ALA) and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the largest union representing museum and library workers, sued the Trump Administration, for its IMLS cuts, citing the importance of local libraries as trusted public institutions, and stating that the IMLS’ closure had already caused a domino effect of harm the operations of libraries across the nation.
IMMIGRATION
Public isn’t buying Trump’s message about Kilmar Abrego García, polls show
The Washington Post
By Dan Diamond, Clara Ence Morse and Emily Guskin
April 25, 2025
For nearly a month, the White House has tried to tell a story about Kilmar Abrego García, the undocumented immigrant who the Trump administration conceded was mistakenly deported from Maryland and imprisoned in El Salvador. He’s a dangerous criminal, President Donald Trump has claimed. He’s a symbol of Trump’s crackdown on immigration, the kind of character Americans should want deported. And he isn’t coming back.
UNION NEGOTIATIONS
Martz Gold Line workers strike amid alleged unfair contract disputes
WUSA9
By Samantha Gilstrap
April 25, 2025
Martz Gold Line workers, represented by ATU Local 689, went on strike early Thursday after months of unsuccessful contract negotiations. The strike is a response to the company’s alleged refusal to negotiate fairly, including rejecting workers’ proposals and engaging in union-busting tactics. ATU International President John Costa joined the picket line at 10 a.m. Friday in Hyattsville to stand in solidarity with workers. Costa emphasized that the workers did not want to strike but were left with no choice after Martz Gold Line refused to improve its final offer, which workers had already overwhelmingly rejected.
Wellesley faculty end their strike, with no union contract in hand
Boston Globe
By Diti Kohli
April 25, 2025
Dozens of professors at Wellesley College returned to the classroom Friday, ending a weeks-long strike without their first union contract in hand. Union members chose to cease the walkout of roughly 100 non-tenure-track faculty to prevent vulnerable professors — including those on temporary visas and in cancer treatment — from potentially losing access to health insurance, said Erin Battat, Wellesley senior lecturer and a bargaining committee member.
LA County prepares libraries for strike this week
ABC7
By Staff
April 27, 2025
Temporary interruptions or library closures across Los Angeles County could be possible this week when employees represented by the Service Employees International Union go on strike. The strike by SEIU 721 is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Monday and end at 6:59 p.m. Wednesday.
JOINING TOGETHER
Statewide strike May 1 over UC’s hiring freeze
KION546
By Jeanette Bent
April 26, 2025
A statewide strike is planned on May 1 with over 20,000 UC healthcare researchers and technical workers in protest against the system's hiring freeze. According to the University Professional and Technical Employees (UPTE), the ongoing staffing shortages is harming patient care and research.
STATE LEGISLATION
Striking workers could soon get unemployment benefits under bill House approved
The Olympian
By Simone Carter
April 25, 2025
Washington lawmakers on Thursday agreed to a six-week compromise on Senate Bill 5041; the original Senate bill floated a maximum of 12 benefit weeks, while the House proposed up to four weeks. Stefan Moritz, secretary-treasurer with the hospitality-workers union UNITE HERE Local 8, told McClatchy that he thinks the bill would help to resolve disputes faster.
Ben Albritton says bill to lower minimum wage is dead
Florida Politics
By Gabrielle Russon
April 26, 2025
Senate President Ben Albritton said a controversial bill that sought to pay some workers below the minimum wage is dead. “To tell you the truth, I think if somebody works, whether they’re being an apprentice or whatever, minimum wage is actually in the Constitution for a reason,” Albritton told reporters. “Does that mean it’s dead?” a reporter asked Albritton about the bill. “I would expect so,” the Senate President said in the final days of Session.
IN THE STATES
Workers Decry Trump Cuts at West Charlotte Town Hall
Queen City Nerve
By Ryan Pitkin
April 24, 2025
“We said, ‘If Elon Musk can have his Department of Government Efficiency, we can have our own damn department,” said Liz Shuler, president of the national AFL-CIO organization, who flew into Charlotte to speak at Wednesday’s meeting. “We’re the ones who know what’s going on. “These hearings that we’ve been having all across the country over the last couple of weeks — hundreds and hundreds of working people coming forward, courageously by the way, to tell their stories — have been so incredibly impactful,” Shuler continued. “And that’s what tonight is all about. This is about hearing from you and this is about bringing the voices of working people into the conversation.”
NIOSH workers demonstrate outside Rep. Warren Davidson's office
WVXU
By Bill Rinehart
April 25, 2025
Soon to be unemployed government workers and their supporters gathered in Bridgetown Friday afternoon to protest dramatic cuts by the Trump administration. Micah Niemeier-Walsh says she's one of the unionized employees who's been told she'll be let go from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in Cincinnati. The end date could be as soon as May 1. She’s the vice president of the American Federation of Government Employees, Local 3840. The cuts come from Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency.
Governor Wes Moore signs the Protect Our Federal Workers Act
WMDT
By Tierra Williams
April 25, 2025
Governor Wes Moore signed numerous bills into law this week, causing many to applaud the way he’s stood up for Marylanders. Since President Trumps budget cuts have put millions of federal employees’ jobs at risk, Americans have protested across the country. With the new executive order making it easier to fire probationary workers. Governor Wes Moore didn’t hesitate to respond by signing House Bill 1424 into law. Known as the Protect our Federal Workers Act.
Congresswoman Lee warns federal cuts could hurt Nevada services
News3LV
By Jenelle Vannoy
April 25, 2025
Today, Congresswoman Susie Lee (NV-03) joined American Federation of State County Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 4041 members at their Southwest area office for a roundtable to discuss how federal cuts to public services will have a devastating effect on hardworking Nevada families. In Nevada, AFSCME represents more than 17,000 public sector workers.
Southern Arizona workers speak out about federal cuts
KOLD
By Renee Romo
April 27, 2025
Local workers continue to voice their concerns on federal funding and job cuts. Labor workers across southern Arizona, and across a variety of industries, gathered in Downtown Tucson to speak out against decisions by the Trump administration. The room was crowded with a variety of workers – and they all spoke on the issues that deeply impact Arizonans – which included Medicare, Social Security, veterans benefits and much more. The Arizona State AFL-CIO, one of the largest labor federations in the country, was in Tucson to hold a hearing as part of the labor movement “The Department of People Who Work for a Living.”
APPRENTICESHIPS & TRAINING
Ironworkers Local 549 holds student welding competition
The Weirton Daily Times
By Derek Redd
April 26, 2025
Some of the top welding students from around the Ohio Valley were able to test their skills and compare themselves to other regional students Wednesday morning, as the Ironworkers Local 549 in Wheeling held a welding contest for high school and vocational school welders.
WORKPLACE SAFETY AND HEALTH
‘A gut punch’: Trump admin cuts wipe out firefighter health and safety programs
Politico
By Alice Miranda Ollstein and Sophie Gardner
April 25, 2025
A 10-person team of federal health workers was helping Iowa firefighters limit their exposure to fumes from idling vehicles when news broke earlier this month that all but one team member had been fired. The Cincinnati-based team of scientists traveled to Iowa last August after three fire stations requested their help out of concern that their workers were being exposed to diesel exhaust. They were preparing for a follow-up visit this summer to test the levels of various pollutants in different rooms — including where firefighters eat and sleep — and recommend the best form of ventilation.
STUDENT DEBT
Federal student financial assistance programs in jeopardy, AFT reacts
KRQE
By Bela Olague
April 26, 2025
Several federal student financial assistance programs are in jeopardy after recent federal funding cuts to the Department of Education. Teachers said it’s a move that’s making it even harder to repay their student loans. “Saving on a Valuable Education,” better known as the SAVE plan, is one of those programs in hot water. Earlier today, members of the American Federation of Teachers New Mexico explained how they’re navigating the confusion surrounding their loans.
RETIREMENT SECURITY
Former US social security head predicts ‘interruption of benefits’ amid Doge cuts
The Guardian
By Robert Tait
April 25, 2025
Social security, the sacred cow of the US welfare system dating back to Franklin Roosevelt’s 1930s New Deal, faces significant threat as it reels under the stress of Elon Musk’s aggressive incursions, its former head has said. Martin O’Malley, former commissioner of the social security administration (SSA) under Joe Biden, said such a breakdown could result in disruption to benefit payments on which more than 70 million Americans depend, sending shock waves across the economic and social landscape and posing a political challenge to Donald Trump, who has repeatedly vowed that social security will be left untouched in his radical remake of US government.
House GOP Drafts Cuts to Federal Employee Pension System
Bloomberg
By Billy House and Erik Wasson
April 25, 2025
Federal employee pension benefits are set to be pared back in Republicans’ giant tax and spending package working its way through the US House, another slap at a workforce roiled by Elon Musk’s cost-cutting efforts. The proposal, which House Oversight Committee and Government Reform Committee Chairman James Comer announced on Friday night, would force many federal civilian employees to pay higher premiums for retirement benefits and to lower their eventual benefits by changing the formula for calculating payments.
IN MEMORIUM
Alexis Herman, the first Black secretary of labor in U.S. history, dies at age 77
WVFT
By Tom Dreisbach
April 26, 2025
"We join the entire labor movement in mourning the loss of Alexis Herman," said the AFL-CIO in a statement. "Secretary Herman was a trailblazer and relentless advocate for working people."
Alexis Herman, labor secretary raised in segregated South, dies at 77
The Washington Post
By Brian Murphy
April 26, 2025
Alexis Herman, who as a child in Alabama watched Ku Klux Klan members assault her father and who rose to become the nation’s first Black labor secretary in a tenure that included intense mediation to end a strike by United Parcel Service workers in 1997, died April 25 at age 77. The death was announced in a statement from the Labor Department, which Ms. Herman led from 1997 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. No other details were given.