Today's AFL-CIO press clips
MUST READ
U.S. Labor Unions Demand 'Brother' Kilmar Abrego Garcia's Return From El Salvador
HuffPost
By Dave Jamieson
May 1, 2025
The letter was signed by Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO labor federation; James Williams, Jr., president of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, or IUPAT; Gwen Mills, president of the hospitality union Unite Here; and Michael Coleman, president of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, or SMART, which is Abrego Garcia’s union.
Trump’s attack on federal unions a ‘test case’ for broader assault, warn lawyers
The Guardian
By Michael Sainato
May 1, 2025
President of the AFL-CIO, the largest federation of labor unions in the US, Liz Shuler, said Trump’s executive order “breaks federal law with an alarming and dangerous escalation of attacks on our most fundamental freedoms” and claimed it is a direct attack on every union, every union contract, and the right to collective bargaining in the US. “This executive order is the very definition of union-busting,” Shuler said.
Maine veterans and union workers speak out against planned DOGE cuts
WABI
By Keenan Mills
April 30, 2025
Potential federal cuts led to Maine veterans, union workers, and others to spoke out in Augusta on Wednesday against what they say would be the biggest layoff of veterans in U.S. history. “Does it make sense to anybody here to gut jobs at the Togus V.A. Medical Center,” asked President of A.F.L.-C.I.O Liz Shuler. The statistic repeated numerous times at Wednesday’s press conference speaking against the Department of Government Efficiency. “One in three federal workers is a veteran,” commented President of A.F.L.-C.I.O. Maine Cynthia Phinney.
Mainers speak out against DOGE’s attempts at the largest layoff of veterans in US history
Maine Beacon
By Channa Steinmetz
May 1, 2025
The event featured a roundtable discussion with national AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler as part of the Department of People Who Work for a Living’s national listening tour.
POLITICS
Trump Loses Bid to Void Federal Worker Union Deals During Appeal
Bloomberg Law
By Courtney Rozen
May 1, 2025
The Trump administration must continue to recognize collecting bargaining rights for hundreds of thousands of federal employees while it appeals a court loss. Judge Paul Friedman of the US District Court for the District of Columbia denied on Thursday the government’s bid to stay his April 25 preliminary injunction, which temporarily barred agencies from stripping employees of their collective bargaining rights. The ruling is a setback for President Donald Trump’s effort to weaken unions as his administration seeks to shrink the federal workforce.
The Fight Against Trump Isn’t a Movement, but It’s Gaining Momentum
The New York Times
By Lisa LererKatie Glueck and Reid J. Epstein
May 1, 2025
But just over 100 days into his second term, seeds of dissent to Mr. Trump’s agenda, governing style and expansion of executive power have grown in fits and starts across the country. The opposition is sturdier than it once appeared. Demonstrations have increased in size and frequency. Town halls have become unruly and combative, pushing many Republican lawmakers to avoid facing voters altogether. And collective efforts by universities, nonprofit groups, unions and even some law firms have slowly started to push back against the administration.
Trump administration discontinues $1 billion in school mental health grants
ABC News
By Arthur Jones II
May 1, 2025
But American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten called it a "direct attack" on the safety and well-being of children. "They may not have agreed on everything, but Congress secured $1 billion in bipartisan mental health grants to help kids better understand themselves and the world around them," Weingarten wrote in a statement. "The benefits were obvious. Now, with the stroke of a pen, that halting progress has been wiped away, even as the president and his allies insist that improving mental health is the only way to fix the gun violence epidemic."
A small Montana town has thrived on federal jobs. Now come Trump’s cuts.
The Washington Post
By Karin Brulliard
May 1, 2025
But many people worry that the future is at risk. Hamilton has depended for decades on what seemed a reliable economic foundation — the federal government, which employs hundreds at a world-renowned scientific laboratory and in the Bitterroot National Forest. Now staff and funding cuts at both are shaking this pocket of deep-red Montana, prompting its leaders to warn the Trump administration of “dangerous safety and economic consequences” and sending citizens into the streets to protest. All comments were on one side: Protect federal jobs.
Government Executive
By Sean Michael Newhouse
May 1, 2025
Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., who represents more than 72,000 federal workers, is introducing legislation to make it easier for government employees removed under the Trump administration to rejoin agencies and to deter a future president from undertaking a mass firing of the workforce. The Restoring Employment and Hiring Incentives for Removed Employees (REHIRE) Act would deem any federal employee who was involuntarily removed during the period between Jan. 1, 2025, and Jan. 1, 2027, as preference eligible for competitive service appointments, a special candidate consideration in the federal hiring process normally afforded to veterans or their family members.
Amid DOGE-induced turmoil, National Science Foundation in crisis
The Washington Post
By Carolyn Y. Johnson and Joel Achenbach
May 1, 2025
From Antarctic research stations to telescopes high in the Andes to research submarines miles below the waves — and in laboratories and classrooms across the United States — the fingerprint of the National Science Foundation is vast and consequential. The 75-year-old government agency has one function: keep the U.S. science enterprise at the leading edge. In the last two weeks, however, the $9 billion agency, which exists entirely to fund science researchers, projects and facilities outside its Alexandria, Virginia, headquarters, hit reverse on its main mission.
Looking Back at 101 Days, Elon Musk Sounds Less Confident
The New York Times
By Jonathan Swan
May 1, 2025
Seated at the head of a large conference table inside the West Wing’s Roosevelt Room on Wednesday afternoon, Elon Musk, dressed in his signature T-shirt and blazer, ducked the question of whether his Department of Government Efficiency would meet his pledge of slashing $1 trillion from the federal budget. “I think it’s possible to do that, but it’s a long road to go, and, you know, it’s really difficult,” he said of the trillion-dollar goal. “It’s sort of, how much pain is, you know, are the cabinet and is Congress willing to take? Because it can be done, but it requires dealing with a lot of complaints.”
As Musk steps back, DOGE looks to Congress to finish what it started
The Washington Post
By Cat Zakrzewski, Matt Viser, Emily Davies and Elizabeth Dwoskin
May 1, 2025
Elon Musk arrived at the White House prepared to take a chainsaw to the federal government, promising to slash $2 trillion in spending. A little more than 100 days later, the world’s richest man is retreating from Washington far short of that goal after an often painful education in the mechanics of the U.S. government. As Musk prepares to return to his private companies in coming weeks, he and his allies are increasingly pressing for Congress to take up the mantle of their government cost-cutting. But that effort faces an uncertain future in a largely frozen Congress that has passed few bills since President Donald Trump took office in January.
Musk defends his work as he prepares to wind down at DOGE but gives hazy answers on future
AP
By Michelle L. Price
May 1, 2025
Elon Musk, preparing to step back from his work leading the Department of Government Efficiency, had a request of the reporters gathered at the White House to interview him: Before he would answer any questions, he wanted someone to tell him a joke. The tech billionaire’s request in the Roosevelt Room on Wednesday underscored the surreal and idiosyncratic presence of the world’s richest man at the highest echelons of American power. Over the past few months, his work of downsizing the workforce has sent shocks through the federal government and drawn intense pushback, including protests of his electric vehicle company, Tesla.
Is the Federal Reserve Headed for a Showdown with DOGE?
Bloomberg
By Amara Omeokwe and Christopher Condon
May 1, 2025
Elon Musk has his sights set on the Federal Reserve, suggesting that his government-efficiency team should examine the nation’s central bank. Musk, speaking to reporters April 30, pointed to the Fed’s renovation of its headquarters in Washington as a potential point of inquiry for the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
Harris returns to national stage praising Trump opponents' courage
Reuters
By Judith Langowski
May 1, 2025
Former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris called on Wednesday for Americans to stand up together against U.S. President Donald Trump and what she called "the greatest man-made economic crisis in modern presidential history". Harris made the remarks in her biggest speech since leaving office, marking something of a political re-emergence for the Democratic presidential candidate since she lost the election to Trump last year. She is seen as a strong candidate for California governor next year, if she runs, and could be a presidential contender again.
Trump signs order seeking to end federal funding for NPR and PBS
The Washington Post
By Frances Vinall
May 2, 2025
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday evening seeking to prohibit federal funding for NPR and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). The order, which could be subject to legal challenge, called the broadcasters’ news coverage “biased and partisan.”
These judges ruled against Trump. Then their families came under attack.
Reuters
By Ned Parker, Mike Spector, Peter Eisler, Linda So and Nate Raymond
May 2, 2025
When U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ruled in April that Trump administration officials could face criminal contempt charges for deporting migrants in defiance of a court order, the blowback was immediate. The president’s supporters unleashed a wave of threats and menacing posts. And they didn’t just target the judge. Some attacked Boasberg’s brother. Others blasted his daughter. Some demanded the family’s arrest – or execution.
MAY DAY
Bernie Sanders headlines May Day protest in Philly
Axios
By Mike D'Onofrio
May 1, 2025
Sanders will join a coalition of labor unions, immigrant groups and workers' rights organizations during the event. The AFL-CIO Philly chapter is organizing the demonstration. What they're saying: "This rally is not necessary exclusively against Trump, it's against all the bad bosses, billionaires, and oligarchs who are attacking the working class to further line their own pockets," Philly chapter AFL-CIO spokesperson Maggie Mullooly tells Axios.
May Day Protests Are Expected to Mobilize Outcry Against Trump
The New York Times
By Katie Benner
May 1, 2025
Protesters are expected to gather in more than 1,000 cities and towns across the country on Thursday to oppose President Trump’s plans to cut education funding, rollback workers’ rights and carry out mass deportations. The protests, spearheaded by 50501, a loose coalition of grass-roots activist groups, will coincide with traditional May Day demonstrations by labor organizations. Large crowds are anticipated in major cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington, where police have already closed roads.
What to know about May Day and how it has grown over the years
The Washington Post
By Sophia Tareen
May 1, 2025
From worker rights rallies to marches for social justice, activists around the globe kicked off May Day demonstrations on Thursday. In some countries, it’s a public holiday honoring labor, but activists planning marches in the United States say much of their message is about fighting back against President Donald Trump’s policies targeting immigrants, federal workers and diversity programs. Thousands are expected at demonstrations from Tokyo to Chicago. In some parts of the U.S., though, fear sowed by the Trump administration is expected to keep some immigrants home.
Trump Policies Draw Outrage at May Day Protests Across the U.S.
The New York Times
By Orlando MayorquínRobert Chiarito and Aishvarya Kavi
May 1, 2025
Annual May Day rallies in cities across the country swelled with thousands of anti-Trump demonstrators on Thursday, as outcry continued to grow over the president’s agenda and expansion of executive power. Protesters denounced the administration’s effort to roll back workers’ rights — a particular sore spot on a day dedicated to celebrating organized labor — as well as plans to cut education funding and carry out mass deportations. “We’re here to support our workers and our union,” said Jena Olsen, 63, who has been a flight attendant for 39 years, at a large rally in Chicago’s Union Park. But demonstrators said they were also angry about the “threat to democracy” posed by President Trump.
Immigrants rally to show their worth during annual May Day celebration
The Washington Post
By Teo Armus
May 1, 2025
For the crowd of hundreds assembled outside the White House on Thursday afternoon, the message displayed on a large banner onstage seemed to sum it all up: “Worker Rights, Immigrant Rights.” “May Day is our day,” Jaime Contreras, executive vice president of the union 32BJ SEIU, said while standing in front of the banner. “This day was born out of blood, sweat, tears and sacrifice, where workers refuse to be treated like machines.”
Protesters arrested after march through Center City, rally featuring Bernie Sanders
NBC Philadelphia
By Brendan Brightman and David Chang
May 1, 2025
Several demonstrators were arrested following a rally in Philadelphia that featured Bernie Sanders as well as a march through Center City on Thursday. Sen. Sanders, I-Vt., spoke outside Philadelphia's City Hall shortly after 4 p.m. for the "May Day Rally: Workers Over Billionaires." The event was organized by Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO and featured a mixture of union members and people who wanted to hear Sanders speak.
‘May Day' rallies around CT call for local and federal action on range of issues
NBC Connecticut
By Kevin Gaiss
May 1, 2025
Rallies and protests happened around the state Thursday on a slew of policies and plans coming out of both Washington and Hartford. Crowds flocked to the capitol city early Thursday to send a message to state leaders. “We are going to let the powers at be in the capital be know that the workers are fed up,” Ed Hawthorne, president of CT AFL-CIO, said. He was one of an arrays of unions and representatives of working-class people in Connecticut organizing on “May Day," or international workers day. “Working people are struggling, we can’t afford rent, we can’t afford to buy a home, we can’t afford health insurance and retirement insurance is a dream to some people,” Hawthorne said.
Labor unions, activists rally against Delaware North on 'May Day'
WGRZ
By Alissa Clausell
May 1, 2025
Today's observance of International Workers' Day, also known as May Day, saw a gathering of protestors at the corner of Delaware and Chippewa. The demonstration included representation from a member of a labor union, chanting, "When union lives are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back." Local activist organizations were also present.
IMMIGRATION
The Story of the ‘Mistakenly Deported Maryland Man’
The New York Times
By Juliet Macur, Jazmine Ulloa, Annie Correal, Kirsten Noyes, Alan Feuer and Dan Barry
May 2, 2025
Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, all of 16, called his older brother in distant Maryland with startling news. He had made it to the Texas border. He had escaped. In his family’s telling, this is how his American journey began. They say that for years in El Salvador, a gang called Barrio 18 had terrorized them, extorting money from the mother’s small tortilla and pupusa business, threatening to leave them all dead in a ditch — and targeting young Kilmar, in and out of school, with increasing menace.
CNN
By Devan Cole, Priscilla Alvarez and Katelyn Polantz
May 1, 2025
US District Judge Fernando Rodriguez of the Southern District of Texas said Trump had unlawfully invoked the sweeping 18th Century wartime authority to speed up some deportations. His decision means Trump cannot rely on the law to detain or deport any alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua within his district. The ruling is a significant blow to Trump’s decision in March to invoke the Alien Enemies Act, which has faced numerous legal challenges and has been halted by several courts. But Rodriguez’s ruling is the first to conclude that the president exceeded his authority by relying on a law that was intended to be used during times when the US is at war.
Immigrants who came to the Texas Panhandle to work legally have been told they must leave
Minnesota Star Tribune
By Tim Sullivan
May 1, 2025
''We're going to be back in this situation of constant turnover," said Mark Lauritsen, who runs the meatpacking division for the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, which represents thousands of Panhandle workers. ''That's assuming you have labor to replace the labor we're losing.''
LABOR AND TECHNOLOGY
Google funding electrician training as AI power crunch intensifies
Reuters
By Laila Kearney
April 30, 2025
"This initiative with Google and our partners at NECA and the Electrical Training Alliance will bring more than 100,000 sorely needed electricians into the trade to meet the demands of an AI-driven surge in data centers and power generation," said Kenneth Cooper, international president of the IBEW labor union.
INFRASTRUCTURE
Alabama needs a real internet plan, not a shortcut (Opinion)
AL.com
By Jason James
May 1, 2025
In Alabama, we build things to last—family farms in the Tennessee Valley, ships in Mobile, and automobiles in Vance. That same grit drives our excitement for a once-in-a-generation chance to bring fiber-optic internet to every corner of our state. Federal and state funds through the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program have us on the cusp of reliable, high-speed broadband for all. But a Congressional bill—the so-called “SPEED for BEAD Act”—threatens to derail this dream. As a telecommunications worker from rural Baldwin County, I‘m urging Governor Kay Ivey and Alabama’s leaders to fight this bill and protect our state’s future.
LABOR AND ECONOMY
Trump struggles to explain weak economic data as he reaches 100-day mark
Reuters
By Trevor Hunnicutt
April 30, 2025
President Donald Trump on Wednesday counseled patience, cast blame and claimed victory in the face of a first-quarter U.S. economic contraction and tariffs that have taken a bite out of his popularity, saying a resurgence was around the corner. The U.S. Commerce Department's advance gross domestic product data on Wednesday pointed to the first quarterly decline in three years as businesses imported a flood of goods to avoid higher costs from Trump's pending tariffs. Some economists pointed to robust consumer spending and private investment as a sign that growth could soon rebound.
Trump ran on boosting prosperity. Now, economic uncertainty grows.
The Washington Post
By Cleve R. Wootson Jr., Michael Birnbaum and Rachel Siegel
May 1, 2025
By Wednesday morning, new data showed the first deceleration of the U.S. economy in three years, and analysts said the country was inching closer to a recession — a contraction, they said, that was the direct result of Trump’s imposition of tariffs on foreign imports. Trump has spent this week claiming that his first 100 days have brought unparalleled economic opportunity in the face of clear data to the contrary. It is not a new strategy for a president who has publicly espoused the mantra of never admitting defeat.
ORGANIZING
In unusual move, doctors vote to unionize at N.J. healthcare giant
NJ.com
By Liz Rosenberg
May 1, 2025
A group of doctors who work for both RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers University voted to unionize earlier this week, union officials said. The physicians — who work for Rutgers 10% of the time and RWJBarnabas 90% of the time — were hired as “clinically focused university practitioners,” or CFUP. They are both physicians and faculty members at the state university.
Sharp hospital workers vote to unionize
Becker’s Hospital Review
By Kelly Gooch
May 1, 2025
Sharp Coronado (Calif.) Hospital workers voted April 30 to join Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West. Of 404 eligible voters, 318 ballots were tabulated, according to the National Labor Relations Board. The vote was 209-109 in favor of unionization. One ballot was challenged. The workers at Sharp Coronado will join more than 5,000 workers across San Diego-based Sharp HealthCare who previously voted to join SEIU-UHW, according to a union news release shared with Becker’s.
Whole Foods Union Victory Upheld by US Labor Board Official
Bloomberg
By Josh Eidelson
May 1, 2025
Whole Foods Market’s effort to overturn a unionization vote at a Philadelphia store was rejected by a US labor board official, a step towards requiring Amazon.com Inc.’s grocery chain to collectively bargain with US employees for the first time. In a Thursday filing, a National Labor Relations Board hearing officer concluded Whole Foods’ claims of election misconduct at the Philadelphia store should be overruled and the union should be formally certified. Workers at the store voted 130 to 100 in January to unionize with the United Food & Commercial Workers.
Writers Guild Voluntarily Recognizes Staff Union
The Wrap
By Jeremy Fuster
April 30, 2025
The Writers Guild of America West has voluntarily recognized its staff’s intent to unionize with the Pacific Northwest Staff Union, allowing the bargaining unit to move forward on its first labor contract. “We have an agreement on our first demand, and we’re excited to take this important step towards having a voice in improving our workplace and organizing without fear of retaliation,” WGAW Operations Coordinator II and Writers Guild Staff Union leader Doug MacIsaac said. “We’re happy to be able to advocate for ourselves and look forward to negotiating our first collective bargaining agreement.”
UNION NEGOTIATIONS
Free Press union members ratify 2-year deal with Gannett; win raises, additional benefits
Detroit Free Press
By Nour Rahal
May 1, 2025
Members of Detroit Newspaper Guild Local 22, which represents reporters, photographers, assistant editors, web editors and others at the Detroit Free Press, approved a new two-year contract with Gannett Co. Inc., owner of the publication. The agreement, passed Wednesday with more than 90% support, delivers across-the-board raises, improved benefits and increased starting wages for certain job classifications.
14 LA County workers were arrested in a massive strike and they say it’s more than about pay
Los Angeles Public Press
By Sean Beckner-Carmitchel and Mel Buer
April 30, 2025
Fourteen members of SEIU Local 721 were arrested by Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers at the end of a massive march in Downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday. According to a post-rally statement from SEIU, the civil disobedience and subsequent arrests were “an act meant to shine a light on County management’s rampant law-breaking throughout contract negotiations.” SEIU 721, which represents more than 55,000 members, is in the midst of a two-day Unfair Labor Practices strike that began Monday evening and ends Wednesday night.
On May Day, union members in San Diego will unite for fair contracts (Opinion)
Times of San Diego
By Todd Walters
April 30, 2025
May Day is a global day of action to recognize and uplift working people. Here in San Diego, it’s a moment to reflect on our progress and renew our fight for fairness, respect, and dignity on the job. At UFCW Local 135, our members are standing strong and united — whether they work in grocery stores, healthcare, cannabis, or anywhere else. They’re ready for the fight. And they’re rising together. Our grocery members — more than 7,000 strong — are currently in contract negotiations with Vons/Pavilions, Albertsons and Ralphs. These workers kept our communities fed through the pandemic and beyond. Now, they’re demanding a contract that reflects their hard work and the rising cost of living.
Workers strike at Lockheed Martin
9 News
By Richard Cote
May 1, 2025
United Auto Workers Local 766 members at Lockheed Martin walked out on strike Thursday morning, according to the union. Union workers gathered outside the Lockheed Martin Waterton Campus on Thursday to rally. The union said unfair labor practices and refusal to present a fair economic proposal were reasons for the strike. Lockheed Martin said it values its employees and looks forward to reaching a fair labor agreement.
Strike on some MTA commuter bus lines ends as workers get new deal
The Baltimore Banner
By Daniel Zawodny
April 30, 2025
After a six-day strike, workers for a company that operates six Maryland Transit Administration regional commuter bus lines have a new labor deal. Roughly 80 drivers, mechanics and technicians for the company Martz Gold Line walked off the job last Thursday after months of contract negotiations in which their union said the company was bargaining in bad faith. They reached a deal after a daylong session Tuesday with the assistance of a mediator, according to a release from the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689, which represents the workers. Nearly all of the workers voted in favor of the new contract, which includes increased wages and benefits and a cost of living clause. The union says the deal will improve workers’ quality of life.
May Day protests planned in New Orleans
Axios
By Carlie Kollath Wells and April Rubin
April 29, 2025
Nurses at University Medical Center are holding a one-day strike Thursday amid a national protest movement on International Workers' Day. Why it matters: The strike is one of two "May Day" events being held in New Orleans as people rally against what organizers are calling President Trump's "war on working people." The big picture: It's the third time UMC nurses have been on strike during union contract negotiations, according to National Nurses United. The nurses, in a statement, say they are striking against workplace violence.
Machinists approve national rail contract
Trains.com
By David Lassen
May 1, 2025
Members of the International Association of Machinists have ratified a new national agreement with the National Carriers Conference Committee, bargaining group for the National Railway Labor Conference. The ratification announced today (May 1, 2025) makes the IAM the ninth union to finalize a contract during the current round of bargaining and means almost half of union employees at participating railroads have either a ratified or tentative agreement.
UC Santa Cruz union workers strike on International Workers’ Day
Santa Cruz Sentinel
By Aric Sleeper
May 1, 2025
A coalition of workers from UC Santa Cruz labor unions, including AFSCME 3299, UPTE-CWA 9119 and UC-AFT Local 1474, gathered at the base of the UCSC campus Thursday, International Workers’ Day, for an unfair labor practice strike. The labor strike was called in opposition of the University of California’s systemwide hiring freeze that was ordered in late March without notice to the labor unions and without bargaining despite ongoing staffing shortages and other issues, including rising costs for health care, according to Amelia Cutten with UCSC’s Counseling and Psychological Services.
Actors' Equity Association Issues Strike Threat At The Second City In Chicago
Broadway World
By A.A. Cristi
May 1, 2025
The National Council of Actors' Equity Association, the union representing more than 51,000 professional performers and stage managers working in live theatre across the country, has voted unanimously to authorize a strike for the workers of The Second City in Chicago at the discretion of their lead negotiator.
JOINING TOGETHER
U of California workers begin statewide strike: 6 things to know
Becker’s Hospital Review
By Kelly Gooch
May 1, 2025
Members of the University Professional and Technical Employees and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees unions will hold a statewide strike May 1 across University of California campuses, hospitals and laboratories, including Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Six things to know: The strike involves 19,201 UPTE-represented healthcare, research and technical employees and 36,683 AFSCME-represented university service and patient care workers. UPTE-represented workers include physician assistants, optometrists, pharmacists, case managers, rehabilitation specialists, mental health clinicians, clinical lab scientists, staff research associates, IT workers and other professionals. AFSCME-represented workers include those in custodial services, food preparation, building maintenance and groundskeeping, as well as respiratory therapists, pharmacy technicians and other technical staff.
Chattanooga rally supports VW employees amid contract negotiations
Chattanooga Times Free Press
By Sarah Dolgin
May 1, 2025
J.R. Hudson watched intently as his peers chanted "UAW" in a sea of signs expressing solidarity with union workers. Over 200 Chattanoogans rallied Thursday evening in Miller Park in a show of support for Volkswagen employees amid contract negotiations between the United Auto Workers and the auto manufacturer. At the same time, thousands participated in nationwide May Day protests against President Donald Trump.
IN THE STATES
“I’ve Seen Tears in the Hallway”: Federal Workers Decry Human Toll of Funding Cuts at AFL-CIO Event
Indy Week
By Lena Geller
May 1, 2025
The event—organized by the satirically named “Department of People Who Work for a Living,” a movement that the AFL-CIO formed in response to Elon Musk’s DOGE initiative—brought together more than 100 federal employees, union members, and supporters to document the human cost of sweeping federal cuts hitting North Carolina. The testimonies and stories collected at the event and others nationwide will be compiled into a report for elected officials in Washington. Throughout the evening, speakers directed their ire almost exclusively at Tillis and did not make mention of North Carolina’s junior senator, Ted Budd, despite Budd’s similarly lackluster response to federal cuts. When asked afterward about this focus, Jeremy Sprinkle, communications director for the North Carolina State AFL-CIO, said that “Tillis happens to be up for re-election next year, and this is the only moment that we have to stop this train wreck from happening.”
Union leaders push back against anticipated VA cuts
Maine Public
By Kaitlyn Budion
April 30, 2025
Union leaders said the Trump administration's planned cuts at the Department of Veterans Affairs will affect veterans in Maine and around the country. The administration reportedly plans to cut more than 80,000 jobs from the VA at a time when claims have skyrocketed. Scott Surette, a Marine Corps veteran and president of the southern Maine branch of the postal mail handlers union, said the effects will be wide ranging.
Union leaders rally against VA cuts in Augusta
News Center Maine
By Donovan Lynch
April 30, 2025
On the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, labor leaders, including several veterans, gathered at a union hall in Augusta to speak out against a plan by the Trump administration to eliminate tens of thousands of jobs from the Department of Veterans Affairs. 80,000 positions would be cut, according to an internal memo obtained by the Associated Press earlier this spring. The layoffs would undo a period of VA expansion under the Biden administration, which began during the pandemic.
‘We need a Hail Mary now’: DC workers lobby Congress to pass budget fix
DC News Now
By Liberty Simmons
April 30, 2025
District of Columbia and federal workers rallied together Wednesday to lobby members of Congress to restore D.C.’s budget. Workers with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) took to Capitol Hill to meet with Congressional leaders to put the DC Local Funds Act up for a vote, which would allow D.C. to spend its own funds. Though the Senate already passed the bill, some House representatives say they won’t support it. If it does not pass, the District will need to cut about $400 million from its budget.
GOP takes over N.C. elections board, boosting chances of reversing high court race
The Washington Post
By Patrick Marley
May 1, 2025
Republicans took over North Carolina’s elections board Thursday, boosting their chances of reversing the results of a November election and expanding their majority on the state Supreme Court. The swing state has been riven by political and legal fights since last fall, when Republicans won the state’s presidential electoral votes but lost the races for governor, attorney general and a seat on the state’s high court. Just after the election, Republicans who control the state legislature passed a law shifting the power to appoint elections board members from the Democratic governor to the Republican state auditor.
LIUNA’s impact on Sacramento’s infrastructure and community development
Sacramento Business Journal
By LECET Southwest
April 30, 2025
The Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) plays a crucial role in shaping the infrastructure of Sacramento, with its dedicated membership contributing to major construction projects across the region. With 5,710 members spanning 20 counties from Sacramento to the Oregon border, LIUNA Laborers Local 185’s presence in Sacramento is a testament to the union's commitment to local hiring, community engagement, and career development.
WORKPLACE SAFETY AND HEALTH
Unions: Trump Attack on Labor Safety Agency 'Will Take Working Conditions Back Centuries'
Common Dreams
By Jessica Corbett
May 1, 2025
The AFL-CIO and 27 labor unions on Thursday marked May Day with a letter calling on members of Congress to push U.S. President Donald Trump to reverse his gutting of a key federal agency. The Trump administration last month made major cuts to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), a "small but mighty agency" that "aims to ensure safety in a wide variety of occupations, such as mining, construction, agriculture, firefighting, and among healthcare, service, and office workers," according to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.