Today's AFL-CIO press clips
MUST READ
Union rally in Newport News launches national AFL-CIO Bus Tour opposing Trump's labor policies
13 News Now
By Jordie Clark
July 12, 2025
A major union rally brought together steelworkers, veterans and labor leaders in Newport News Saturday, kicking off a nationwide campaign opposing what organizers describe as dangerous threats to worker protections, veterans’ benefits and core labor rights. The AFL-CIO’s “It’s Better in a Union: Fighting for Freedom, Fairness & Security” bus tour made its first stop at USW Local 8888’s union hall, just blocks from the shipyard where thousands of steelworkers build nuclear-powered submarines and aircraft carriers for the U.S. Navy. Many of those workers are also military veterans. “The 10,000 members of Local 8888 truly understand the power of solidarity and collective action,” said Local 8888 President Charles Spivey, addressing a crowd of union members, elected officials and supporters.
MUST WATCH
Union bus tour rally visits Newport News Shipbuilding
13 News Now
July 12, 2025
The National AFL-CIO bus tour stopped in Newport News Saturday morning, bringing attention to what organizers call attacks on worker protections, veterans’ benefits.
POLITICS
Union workers' rights bus tour stops in Newport News
WTKR
By Danielle Saitta
July 12, 2025
A bus tour advocating for union workers' rights made a stop in Newport News on Saturday, giving voice to employees who fear for their job security and benefits. The tour, titled "It's Better in a Union: Fighting for Freedom, Fairness, and Security," is organized by the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO). Its goal is to highlight the importance of unions in protecting workers and to address proposed funding cuts to key agencies that support them, including the National Labor Relations Board, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
AFL-CIO bus tour protests Trump’s labor policies in Newport News
WAVY
By Chrysnel Banzouzi
July 12, 2025
The AFL-CIO’s “It’s Better in a Union: Fighting for Freedom, Fairness & Security” bus tour made its first stop at USW Local 8888 in Newport News on Saturday for a union rally opposing President Trump’s labor policies. The movement involved more than 100 members of the United Steelworkers. Organizers say the rally’s purpose was to express concerns over Trump’s proposed cuts to workplace safety regulations and veteran services. The reduction would affect thousands of shipbuilders at the Newport News shipyard if implemented. “People are paying attention to what is happening around this country,” said USW International Vice President at Large Roxanne D. Brown. “People are paying attention to what is happening to them at their workplaces, at their kitchen table in terms of the food that they are not able to provide for their family, the cost of living. Everything is crazy for people right now.”
State Department starts firing more than 1,350 workers in Trump's shake-up of diplomatic corps
Reuters
By Humeyra Pamuk
July 11, 2025
The State Department began firing more than 1,350 U.S.-based employees on Friday as the administration of President Donald Trump presses ahead with an unprecedented overhaul of its diplomatic corps, a move critics say will undermine U.S. ability to defend and promote U.S. interests abroad. The layoffs, which affect 1,107 civil service and 246 foreign service officers based in the United States, come at a time when Washington is grappling with multiple crises on the world stage: Russia's war in Ukraine, the almost two-year-long Gaza conflict, and the Middle East on edge due to high tension between Israel and Iran.
State Department fires more than 1,300 employees in downsizing plan
The Washington Post
By John Hudson and Hannah Natanson
July 11, 2025
The State Department began firing more than 1,300 employees via email on Friday as a part of the Trump administration’s plans to downsize government and cut back on what it called “bloat” and inefficiencies. The move has come under criticism from current and former diplomats who say the cuts will degrade America’s standing in the world and curb U.S. soft power.
Rubio’s Cuts at State Department Demote Longtime U.S. Values
The New York Times
By Michael Crowley
July 11, 2025
The Trump administration began firing more than 1,000 State Department employees on Friday, as it moves to downsize the federal government’s diplomatic arm in what critics say is a risky retreat from America’s global engagement. The layoffs are part of a reorganization plan devised by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who says his department is too costly, cumbersome and ideological. Continuing President Trump’s drive to slash a federal work force he inherently distrusts, the job cuts will drain the department of expertise and batter the morale of those who remain, critics say.
US judge grants Trump admin request to scrap Biden-era medical debt rule
Reuters
By Reuters
July 11, 2025
A federal judge in Texas on Friday granted a request from the Trump administration and industry groups to scrap regulations adopted during the final days of Joe Biden's presidency that would have removed consumers' medical debts from their credit reports, court papers showed. U.S. District Judge Sean Jordan, whom Trump appointed in 2019, agreed with current leadership of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and financial industry trade groups that the rule, adopted in January, exceeded the CFPB's legal authorities and should be vacated.
Trump Administration Fires More D.O.J. Employees Who Worked for Special Counsel
The New York Times
By Alan Feuer and Devlin Barrett
July 12, 2025
The Trump administration fired another batch of nearly 10 Justice Department employees who once worked for the special counsel’s office that twice indicted President Trump, some in relatively minor roles, according to two people familiar with the matter.
White House reviews mass federal layoff plans, aims for swift action
Reuters
By Nandita Bose
July 11, 2025
The White House is scrutinizing layoff plans by federal agencies in an effort to limit further court challenges after the Supreme Court cleared the way for a sweeping downsizing of the government workforce, according to two senior White House officials with knowledge of the matter. The White House Counsel's Office and the Office of Personnel Management are coordinating with federal agencies to ensure their plans comply with the law, one of the officials said. That includes meeting requirements set by Congress, such as rules for how layoffs must occur and the minimum number of staff an agency must retain.
Union calls for reinstatement of EPA workers suspended over letter
Government Executive
By Erich Wagner
July 11, 2025
The union that represents workers at the Environmental Protection Agency this week called on Administrator Lee Zeldin to reinstate the nearly 140 employees who were put on leave last week in retaliation for signing a letter critical of the agency’s new direction under the Trump administration. Last month, nearly 300 EPA employees sent an open letter to Zeldin entitled "Declaration of Dissent", accused the Trump administration of “recklessly undermining” EPA’s mission for ignoring science, abandoning environmental justice efforts and promoting a “culture of fear” within the agency. More than 100 of the initial signatories endorsed the letter anonymously, a number that has since grown to more than 600 as of Friday afternoon.
Hospitals across nation brace for Medicaid cuts under ‘big, beautiful’ law
The Hill
By Nathaniel Weixel
July 13, 2025
Hospitals are bracing for the impact from the Medicaid cuts in President Trump’s sweeping spending and tax cut law. While most of the cuts won’t happen immediately, rural facilities in particular say they likely will have to make difficult financial decisions about which services they can afford to keep and which may need to be cut.
'Betrayal of rural America': Beshear speaks to Medicaid cuts inside spending bill on Meet the Press
WLWT
By Fletcher Keel
July 13, 2025
For a second-straight week, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear is on the Sunday morning talk show circuit to discuss how changes to Medicaid that will be seen under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will impact rural Americans. After speaking with CNN's State of the Union last week, Beshear doubled down on saying Medicaid changes will, disproportionately, affect those in rural America while contributing to tax breaks for those who live in cities.
Hassett says White House probing Fed renovation costs, authority to fire Powell
Reuters
By David Lawder
July 13, 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump has the authority to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell for cause if evidence supports that, White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said on Sunday and that the Fed "has a lot to answer for" on renovation cost overruns at its Washington headquarters. Hassett told ABC's "This Week" program that any decision by Trump to try to fire Powell over what the Trump administration calls a $700 million cost overrun "is going to depend a lot on the answers that we get to the questions that Russ Vought sent to the Fed."
IMMIGRATION
Judge Signals She Will Protect Abrego Garcia From Hasty Second Deportation
The New York Times
By Alan Feuer and Minho Kim
July 11, 2025
A frustrated federal judge signaled on Friday that she would issue an order protecting Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, the immigrant who was wrongfully deported to El Salvador, from being hastily expelled from the United States again after he was brought back last month to face criminal charges. The suggestion by Judge Paula Xinis, who is handling the original civil case emerging from the wrongful deportation, came during a hearing in Federal District Court in Maryland where she exploded at the Justice Department for having badly damaged the bonds of trust that are normally afforded by the courts to lawyers for the government.
Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Ban Faces New Peril: Class Actions
The New York Times
By Adam Liptak
July 12, 2025
When the Supreme Court ruled in President Trump’s favor two weeks ago in a case arising from his efforts to ban birthright citizenship, he called the decision “a monumental victory.” But the victory may turn out to be short-lived. To be sure, the 6-to-3 ruling severely limited a key tool federal trial judges had used in checking executive power — universal injunctions that applied not only to the plaintiffs but also to everyone else affected by the challenged program nationwide.
SUPREME COURT
Federal workers face mass firings this summer after Supreme Court ruling
Axios
By Emily Peck
July 13, 2025
It's shaping up to be a summer of firings for tens of thousands of federal workers, now that the Supreme Court cleared the way for agencies to conduct layoffs. Why it matters: Opponents of the White House chainsaw approach say the federal government's capabilities will be forever damaged by these cuts. The Trump administration says this is just a step toward better government efficiency.
Federal employees bracing after Supreme Court greenlights widespread layoffs
WJBF
By Rebecca Beitsch and The Hill
July 12, 2025
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest federal government union, described the news as devastating for government services as it is for employees’ careers. “There is a lot of legitimate concern among our members not just for their own jobs, but for the Americans who rely on the services they provide — from small businesses, veterans, and Social Security recipients to everyday American consumers,” AFGE president Everett Kelley.
“It’s a life-altering decision for tens of thousands of American families. Federal employees across the country will sit at their dinner tables tonight with their layoff notice next to a pile of bills, knowing the Supreme Court’s action just changed their lives forever, and they’re wondering what they’re going to do next to make ends meet. They didn’t ask for this – all they wanted to do was serve their country.”
LABOR AND TECHNOLOGY
Microsoft, Open AI and Anthropic Are Investing Millions to Train Teachers how To Use AI
WKTV
By Clare Duffy
July 11, 2025
“AI holds tremendous promise but huge challenges—and it’s our job as educators to make sure AI serves our students and society, not the other way around,” AFT President Randi Weingarten said in a statement. “The academy is a place where educators and school staff will learn about AI—not just how it works, but how to use it wisely, safely and ethically.”
ORGANIZING
Norfolk Botanical Garden workers seek union representation amid workplace concerns
WTKR
By Jay Greene
July 12, 2025
Workers at the Norfolk Botanical Garden are pursuing union representation, citing concerns over wages, benefits, and having a greater voice in workplace decisions. According to a union organizer with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers who spoke with News 3, more than 70 percent of eligible employees signed authorization cards in support of unionization by June 18 — just over a month after organizers began collecting signatures.
UNION NEGOTIATIONS
The Philadelphia Inquirer
By Fallon Roth
July 12, 2025
Another Philadelphia city workers union is going head-to-head with Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s administration at the bargaining table. Representatives of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees District Council 47, which represents white-collar workers, spent approximately nine hours in contract negotiations with the city on Friday before walking out, DC 47 president April Gigetts told The Inquirer on Saturday. Gigetts said the union does not have a date to return to the bargaining table.
Southern California grocery workers celebrate major contract victory
CBS 8
By CBS 8 Staff
July 11, 2025
In a major labor victory for essential workers, more than 45,000 grocery employees across Southern California — including over 7,400 in San Diego County — have overwhelmingly voted to ratify new three-year contracts with Ralphs, Albertsons, Vons, and Pavilions. The agreements were finalized after months of tense negotiations between the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union and the major grocery chains.
DC 33 members will vote on the union’s tentative deal with the city this week. Here’s what to know.
The Philadelphia Inquirer
By Fallon Roth
July 13, 2025
This week, members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees District Council 33 will vote on whether they will accept the tentative agreement the union reached with the city of Philadelphia, which ended their eight-day strike last week. Around 4 a.m. on July 9, DC 33 leadership and Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s administration struck a three-year tentative deal that, among other things, would provide members with a 3% wage increase each year of the contract. This was close to Parker’s proposal for wages and fell short of the 5% that DC 33 was striking for.
Members of Philadelphia union DC33 to begin voting on new contract Monday
ABC 6
By 6abc Digital Staff
July 11, 2025
Members of AFSCME District Council 33, the union representing blue-collar workers for the city of Philadelphia, will begin to vote on their new contract agreement starting Monday. If they don't approve it, leaders will have to go back to the drawing board. The union went on strike last week, and ended with a tentative agreement with the city just as the walkout was beginning its ninth day.
Champaign Co. workers vote to ratify new union contract
WCIA
By Ethan Holesha
July 12, 2025
Over the course of three days following an agreement reached between Champaign County workers and their employer, the employees overwhelming voted to ratify the new contract. Over the course of this past Wednesday to Friday, county workers represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 900 voted to ratify the new union contract agreement. This agreement was reached late Tuesday night, just before the workers were set to go on strike Wednesday morning.
Northern California Safeway workers vote to authorize strike
Times-Standard
By Robert Schaulis
July 11, 2025
This week, workers with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 5 voted to authorize a strike at Safeway locations throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and the North Coast, citing unfair labor practices and “bad faith bargaining.” Workers have been without a contract since April. “In a clear indication of their intent to back up their bargaining demands with action, Local 5 members have authorized an Unfair Labor Practice strike against Safeway by a margin of more than 95 percent,” the UFCW 5 said in a statement online. “Locals 8 and 648 members are voting as well with similar results anticipated.”
Beaumont, Firefighters Union make progress in contract negotiations, but key issues remain
12 News Now
By Gabby Gaspard
July 11, 2025
The City of Beaumont and Beaumont Firefighter's Union IAFF 399 (Local 399) resumed contract negotiations Thursday, making progress on several longstanding issues but leaving key matters unresolved. According to union and city officials, the two sides reached tentative agreements on seniority procedures, timelines for the paramedic program, and clarification regarding the status of EMS personnel. The union confirmed EMS staff are not part of the current bargaining unit and agreed to remove related language from the contract, while leaving the possibility open for future discussions should their status change.
WellSpan Chambersburg Hospital workers announce strike over staffing, wages
WGAL
By AJ Sisson
July 11, 2025
Healthcare workers at WellSpan Chambersburg Hospital in Franklin County have announced a strike set to begin on July 22, following unsuccessful negotiations with the hospital over staffing and wages. The union, representing over 1,400 nurses and healthcare workers, announced the strike will start at 7 a.m. on July 22 and end at 7 a.m. on July 27, while aiming to continue negotiations in the meantime. Nurses say the strike's goal is to avoid understaffing.
Third postal union ratifies new labor contract
Government Executive
By Sean Michael Newhouse
July 11, 2025
Membership of another postal union approved their collective bargaining agreement, as the U.S. Postal Service faces new leadership that could revamp recent modernization efforts that have been heavily criticized. The American Postal Workers Union on Thursday approved a three-year labor contract through Sept. 20, 2027, with 95% of members voting in favor. Union officials touted no-layoff protections, cost-of-living-adjustments and general wage increases for the next three years. "Every member should be very proud of this huge accomplishment," said APWU President Mark Dimondstein in a statement. "Our power at the bargaining table was driven by the strength of your solidarity and unity, the foundation of our union.”
Polk County and firefighter union agree to 3-year contract with raises and overtime cuts
Lakeland Ledger
By Paul Nutcher
July 11, 2025
Polk County commissioners approved a new three-year collective bargaining agreement with the Polk County Professional Firefighters IAFF Local 3531, according to a July 8 county press release. The commission had placed the agreement in its consent agenda for items voted on in bulk during its July 1 regularly scheduled meeting. The union voted in favor of the contract June 6.
Los Alamos Daily Post
By Carol A. Clark
July 12, 2025
The United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) Local 1564 announced that members at Albertsons and Smith’s Food and Drug Stores voted by overwhelming majorities to ratify new contracts with both employers. UFCW Local 1564 President Greg Frazier released the following statement: “I’m proud of all UFCW 1564 members for ratifying this strong new contract. They held tough and stayed united throughout our negotiations with Albertsons and Smith’s. By using their voices and power, they won the wage increases and benefits that they deserve. “Our hard-working members are essential to their communities. This contract reflects the incredible value and importance they have to these companies and families across New Mexico.”
IN THE STATES
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear making stops in South Carolina
Spectrum News
By Erin Kelly
July 11, 2025
The Palmetto State was the first to hold its Democratic primary last year, and Beshear’s trip follows visits by some of the party’s other possible White House contenders, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif. and Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn. “South Carolina has long played a critical role in the nominating battle for Democratic candidates for president,” said political analyst Stephen Voss. “For a Democrat to break through and have a good chance at a presidential nomination, they probably need to do well in South Carolina.” Beshear is planning to stop in four cities, his team said. The AFL-CIO, a federation of labor unions, confirmed he will speak at its South Carolina convention in Greenville.
Allegheny County creates new way for workers to report threats to union rights
Trib Live
By Jack Troy
July 11, 2025
Allegheny County launched a web page Thursday for workers to report violations or threats to their union organizing rights. The move comes at a time of local labor flare-ups and gridlock at the National Labor Relations Board. This new, confidential Right to Organize Incident Report Form asks for information about the filer and a summary of their grievance. A disclaimer notes the reports are “for informational purposes only” so the office of County Executive Sara Innamorato can “understand the experiences of workers expressing their right to organize throughout Allegheny County.”
APTIV lays off workers at automotive wiring plant, leaving concerns about future
WFMJ
By Corey McCrae
July 11, 2025
One of four APTIV plants in Trumbull County, better known as Packard Electric Plant 10 is closed for good. The last few remaining workers walked out Friday afternoon after the company outsourced jobs. 28 workers were permanently laid off, about half of the 63 jobs lost. Others received early exit incentives, negotiated by the IUE-CWA Local 717. "These are just normal, hard-working, everyday people just coming in, working a normal job, trying to make ends meet," said union leader Joseph Ferradino.
Milwaukee Art Museum Union Responds To Sudden, Unexpected Layoffs
Urban Milwaukee
By International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers’ Lodge 66
July 11, 2025
On Monday, leadership of the Milwaukee Art Museum (“MAM”) informed the Museum’s union shop committee, organized with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers’ Lodge 66 as “IAMMAM”, that eight positions would be cut or significantly reduced in scope and compensation through a combination of layoffs and reductions in hours and benefits. Additionally, several long vacant, unposted roles would be permanently eliminated. Of the filled positions impacted, six of eight are union-eligible.
WORKPLACE SAFETY AND HEALTH
OSHA fines Tyson Foods subsidiary after boiler room explosion
Meat + Poultry
By Rachael Oatman
July 11, 2025
RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum provided a statement following the DOL’s announcement, in which he criticized the “meager fine” issued against the processor. “What we’ve learned today is that Tyson Foods was in fact at fault for our members’ near life ending injuries,” he said. “While a worker's life can never be monetarily valued, it certainly cannot be valued at a few thousand dollars. OSHA’s decision to issue only modest fines in the wake of the devastating boiler explosion at Tyson’s Camilla, Ga., poultry plant is the true embodiment of a broken system that lacks the teeth and incentives to protect workers.” Appelbaum also took issue with OSHA’s timeline for conducting its investigation.