Today's AFL-CIO press clips
POLITICS
AFL-CIO’s ‘It’s Better in a Union’ bus tour coming to St. Louis
Labor Tribune
By Staff
July 17, 2025
The AFL-CIO’s “It’s Better in a Union” bus tour is coming to the St. Louis area July 25. Union leaders, members and allies held a kickoff rally July 9 at AFL-CIO headquarters in Washington, D.C., just a block away from the White House, where President Trump is waging an all-out assault against working people, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler rallied the crowd around how a union contract gives workers the freedom, fairness and security that working people need and deserve. “We’re here today because we believe that change can happen,” Shuler said. “And the answer is not a political party — the answer is not more of the broken status quo — the answer is a good union job!”
She looked like a pro-worker Trump cabinet appointee. But now she’s gutting the Labor Department
The Los Angels Times
By Michael Hiltzik
July 17, 2025
The union leaders tempered their optimism with concerns about the anti-labor policies emanating from the Trump White House: Weingarten said she hoped the appointment signaled that “the Trump administration will actually respect collective bargaining and workers’ voices,” and Shuler said the AFL-CIO was “clear-eyed” that Chavez-DeRemer would be “joining an administration that’s been openly hostile to working people on many fronts in its first two months.”
Democrats press discharge petition to restore federal worker union rights stripped by Trump
The Hill
By Mike Lillis
July 17, 2025
“They claim it endangers national security. That’s outrageous, and it’s just plain wrong,” said Matt Biggs, the head of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers. “What that executive order does — actually, it’s contrary, we’re living in a kind of Orwellian country right now. It’s actually going to hurt national security.”
Rep. Golden, union leaders seek to force House vote on bill restoring collective bargaining
Maine Public
By Kevin Miller
July 17, 2025
Matthew Biggs, president of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, which represents 2,000 workers at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, said unions and frontline workers also often reveal problems in federal agencies. "And so when you take away collective bargaining rights you are attempting to destroy our unions, obviously, and it will hurt transparency and accountability to the U.S. taxpayer," Biggs said.
Golden attempting to force vote to restore federal worker union rights revoked by Trump
Maine Morning Star
By Emma Davis
July 17, 2025
Democratic U.S. Rep Jared Golden of Maine is attempting to force a vote on his bill that would nullify President Donald Trump’s executive order stripping union rights from about two-thirds of the federal workforce. On Thursday, Golden and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York announced they are urging members of both parties to endorse a discharge petition, a procedure that would force a vote on the House floor, though such petitions have historically rarely been successful.
Rep. Golden touts bill to restore union rights for federal employees
WPFO
By WGME Staff
July 17, 2025
Congressman Jared Golden continues his push to overturn what he calls a union busting executive order. Golden spoke alongside other members of Congress Thursday morning, calling for a vote on the Protect America's Workforce Act. He says the bill would restore collective bargaining rights for unionized federal employees.
Dems 'Huge Opportunity' (Video)
CNN
July 17, 2025
Speaking yesterday at South Carolina’s AFL-CIO convention in Greenville, Kentucky Governor - and possible 2028 presidential candidate - Andy Beshear said Democrats have a "huge opportunity" to claw back power from the GOP. But the big question remains: How?
US court seem poised to lift block on Trump curbing union bargaining for federal workers
Reuters
By Daniel Wiessner
July 17, 2025
Judges on a U.S. appeals court on Thursday said they likely lacked the power to second-guess President Donald Trump's decision to strip hundreds of thousands of federal employees of the ability to unionize and collectively bargain. A three-judge 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel in San Francisco heard arguments on whether to pause pending an appeal of a judge's ruling that temporarily blocked 21 agencies from implementing an executive order that said many union contracts could interfere with national security.
EPA nudges out more staff, announces ‘next phase’ of reorg
E&E News
By Robin Bravender and Hannah Northey
July 17, 2025
Justin Chen, president of the American Federation of Government Employees Council 238, which represents EPA employees, called Thursday’s push to oust more employees a “continued assault upon the workforce that’s serving the public safety of this country by increasing the hostile atmosphere of the workplace.”
Trump admin. tells judge it can fire at least some career feds at any time for any reason
Government Executive
By Eric Katz
July 17, 2025
The Trump administration is formally arguing before a federal oversight body that it has unilateral authority to fire many federal employees at any time, seeking to unwind decades of precedent and current federal law. President Trump can fire employees at will and without cause by the powers vested to him in the Constitution, Justice Department attorneys told an administrative judge within the Merit Systems Protection Board, the quasi-judicial agency that hears appeals of personnel actions from federal employees. Federal workers are typically not considered at-will and current statute requires that agencies provide notice, cause and an opportunity to rebut allegations before a firing can take place.
Trump plows ahead with plans to dismantle Department of Education
NPR
By Domenico Montanaro, Tamara Keith and Sequoia Carrillo
July 17, 2025
Two dozen states are suing the Trump administration over its decision to withhold about $6 billion in federal education grants. And the Supreme Court says the administration can go ahead with layoffs at the Department of Education. We discuss the impacts these developments have on local school districts. This episode: senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith, education reporter Sequoia Carrillo and senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro.
Congress Agrees to Claw Back Foreign Aid and Public Broadcast Funds
The New York Times
By Catie Edmondson
July 18, 2025
Congress approved a White House request to claw back $9 billion for foreign aid and public broadcasting, after Republicans bowed to President Trump in an unusual surrender of congressional spending power. The House’s 216-to-213 vote early Friday morning sent the package to Mr. Trump for his signature. Two Republicans, Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Michael R. Turner of Ohio, opposed the measure.
US House Republicans pass Trump plan to cut foreign aid, public broadcasting
Reuters
By Bo Erickson and Patricia Zengerle
July 18, 2025
The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives early on Friday passed President Donald Trump's $9 billion funding cut to public media and foreign aid, sending it to the White House to be signed into law. The chamber voted 216 to 213 in favor of the funding cut package, altered by the Senate this week to exclude cuts of about $400 million in funds for the global PEPFAR HIV/AIDS prevention program.
House gives final approval to Trump’s $9 billion cut to public broadcasting and foreign aid
AP
By Kevin Freking and Mary Clare Jalonick
July 18, 2025
The House gave final approval to President Donald Trump’s request to claw back about $9 billion for public broadcasting and foreign aid early Friday as Republicans intensified their efforts to target institutions and programs they view as bloated or out of step with their agenda. The vote marked the first time in decades that a president has successfully submitted such a rescissions request to Congress, and the White House suggested it won’t be the last. Some Republicans were uncomfortable with the cuts, yet supported them anyway, wary of crossing Trump or upsetting his agenda.
House passes $9 billion in spending cuts after fight over Epstein files
The Washington Post
By Marianna Sotomayor and Kadia Goba
July 18, 2025
The House passed a bill to slash $9 billion in federal spending early Friday and sent it to President Donald Trump’s desk for his signature. But not before a detour aimed at containing the political fallout from the Trump administration’s failure to release the files of convicted sex-offender Jeffrey Epstein. The House had to claw back the funds for foreign aid and public broadcasting by Friday under the law that Republicans are using to undo spending that Congress previously approved, known as rescissions. The vote was 216-213, with two Republicans — Mike Turner (Ohio) and Brian Fitzpatrick (Pennsylvania) — opposing it.
House passes public media, foreign aid clawbacks after Epstein scramble
Politico
By Katherine Tully-McManus and Jennifer Scholtes
July 18, 2025
Six months into Donald Trump’s presidency, Congress finally codified a small piece of the hundreds of billions of dollars his Department of Government Efficiency pinpointed as “waste.” House Republicans gave final approval just after midnight Friday to Trump’s proposal to claw back $9 billion in public media and foreign assistance, greenlighting the Senate’s changes to the measure that will bake in proposed DOGE cuts to public media and foreign aid. The package now heads to the president’s desk.
White House aide on skipping full budget: It ‘wasn’t in our interest’
The Washington Post
By Jeff Stein
July 17, 2025
White House Office of Management and Budget chief Russell Vought said Thursday that it “wasn’t in our interest” to release a full federal budget proposal, explaining a decision that defied decades of bipartisan tradition and that some experts say broke the law. At a Christian Science Monitor breakfast with reporters, Vought said the administration opted not to release an entire budget plan because it would have been confusing to do so during debate over the Republican tax law, which was approved by Congress earlier this month. Under a 1974 law, the president is required to submit a budget to Congress no later than the first Monday in February, although there is typically a delay for the first year of a president’s term. The GOP’s One Big Beautiful Bill is separate from annual spending legislation, which the budget usually addresses. The White House has said the partial plan it released in effect represents a budget.
Democratic attorneys general sue to block HHS changes to ACA health insurance marketplaces
Reuters
By Diana Novak Jones
July 17, 2025
A group of Democratic attorneys general sued Thursday to block the implementation of portions of a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services rule set to go into effect next month that they say could lead to nearly 2 million people losing their health insurance. The attorneys general of 20 states, including New Jersey, California and Massachusetts, joined with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, to file the lawsuit in federal court in Massachusetts. They argue that the department's actions illegally change the rules governing state and federal health insurance marketplaces created under the Affordable Care Act and therefore will push more healthcare costs onto the states. The final rule creates barriers to enrollment for health insurance sold on marketplaces and will increase insurance premiums, co-pays and other out-of-pocket costs they claim. The Trump administration has said that up to 1.8 million people could lose their health insurance as a result, according to the lawsuit. The attorneys general are asking the court to block portions of the rule from taking effect next month.
Trump signs proclamations granting two-year relief from Biden-era EPA regulations
Reuters
By Reuters
July 17, 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday signed four proclamations granting two years of regulatory relief from Biden-era Environmental Protection Agency regulations, the White House said. The proclamations cover coal plants, taconite iron ore processing facilities and certain chemical manufacturers that produce chemicals related to semiconductors, medical device sterilization, advanced manufacturing, and national defense systems, according to the White House.
‘Good Trouble’ protests nationwide mark 5 years since John Lewis’s death
The Washington Post
By María Luisa Paúl, Anumita Kaur and Sophia Solano
July 17, 2025
In Atlanta, demonstrators will march toward a memorial to Martin Luther King Jr. In New York City, they’ll circle a federal building downtown. In Los Angeles, they’ll hold a candlelight vigil alongside portraits of people killed by police or swept up in recent immigration raids. Across the country, protesters are expected to rally on Thursday under a shared refrain inspired by former U.S. congressman and civil rights icon John Lewis: “Good trouble lives on.”
‘Good Trouble’ Protest Organizers Condemn Trump’s Cuts to Public Health, Immigration Policies
KQED
By Brian Krans
July 17, 2025
Nearly three dozen coordinated protests were held in the Bay Area on Thursday, commemorating the fifth anniversary of the death of Congressman John Lewis, a civil rights legend with a legacy of creating “good trouble.” Organized under the motto “Good Trouble Lives On,” the protests are in response to what organizers say are the Trump administration’s “extreme crackdown” on civil rights, from voting to free speech and protesting itself. Lewis coined the term “good trouble,” which protest organizers have translated to mean the act of coming together to take peaceful, nonviolent action to challenge injustice and create meaningful change. Lewis, of Georgia, served in Congress for three decades before his death in 2020.
IMMIGRATION
Trump administration hands over Medicaid recipients’ personal data, including addresses, to ICE
AP
By Kimberly Kindy and Amanda Seitz
July 17, 2025
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials will be given access to the personal data of the nation’s 79 million Medicaid enrollees, including home addresses and ethnicities, to track down immigrants who may not be living legally in the United States, according to an agreement obtained by The Associated Press. The information will give ICE officials the ability to find “the location of aliens” across the country, says the agreement signed Monday between the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Department of Homeland Security. The agreement has not been announced publicly.
Ripple effects of immigration fears being felt across Las Vegas hospitality industry
Fox5 Vegas
By Karla Salinas
July 17, 2025
Las Vegas runs on tourism, and the people behind that industry are overwhelmingly immigrants. But as immigration enforcement ramps up across Southern Nevada, Culinary Workers Union Local 226 leaders say workers are feeling the pressure and fear. “Immigrant workers are a big part of this, this is the biggest economy in the world and we need workers – they’re a key part of that,” said Ted Pappageorge, secretary treasurer of Culinary Workers Union Local 226. The Culinary Union represents 60,000 workers and says 45% of its members are immigrants, with more than half identifying as Latino.
NLRB
Trump nominates two lawyers to seal Republican control of US labor board
Reuters
By Daniel Wiessner
July 17, 2025
President Donald Trump has moved to install a Republican majority at the federal board that hears private-sector labor disputes and oversees union elections, which has been paralyzed by his unprecedented firing of a Democratic member. The White House sent the nominations of Scott Mayer, chief labor counsel at Boeing Co (BA.N), and James Murphy, opens new tab, a career lawyer at the National Labor Relations Board, to the U.S. Senate on Wednesday.
Trump Names NLRB Nominees, Paving Path to Functioning Quorum
Bloomberg Law
By Robert Iafolla
July 17, 2025
President Donald Trump tapped a pair of National Labor Relations Board nominees who, if confirmed, would give the agency enough board members to fully function. The administration Thursday nominated Scott Mayer, chief labor counsel at the Boeing Co., and James Murphy, a former career NLRB lawyer, to fill the two open Republican board seats. The NLRB has been unable to issue decisions for most of Trump’s second term because his January firing of Democratic member Gwynne Wilcox dropped the board below the three-member minimum necessary for a quorum. The US Supreme Court blocked a federal judge’s order to reinstate Wilcox as litigation over her termination proceeds.
Trump pushes for control of NLRB by Morgan-Lewis union-buster
People’s World
By Mark Gruenberg
July 17, 2025
Crystal Carey, a top attorney at the anti-union law firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, and now Donald Trump’s nominee as General Counsel of the NLRB, ran into flak from senators who questioned her yesterday. Worker rights advocates note that her conformation and placement in the position of General Counsel will severely weaken the ability of workers everywhere in the country to unionize. Carey has been with the firm for at least seven years, after eight years as a National Labor Relations Board staff attorney. She spent much of the Senate Labor Committee confirmation session saying she would “carefully review” controversial issues—including the NLRB’s budget and staffing.
UNION NEGOTIATIONS
WNBA, players’ union have ‘spirited conversations’ in next step toward CBA
The New York Times
By Ben Pickman and Sabreena Merchant
July 17, 2025
A record number of players attended Thursday’s meeting between the WNBA and WNBPA as part of the next step in collective bargaining negotiations. The group of more than 40 players included union leadership, like Nneka Ogwumike, Breanna Stewart, Kelsey Plum, and Napheesa Collier, as well as young stars such as Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and Paige Bueckers. Weeks removed from receiving a counterproposal from the WNBA that frustrated players, WNBPA executive director Terri Jackson said that players “had spirited conversations” with the league about revenue sharing, among other topics. When asked if the meeting was successful, Jackson said, “Negotiations are hard. They have hard conversations. … That’s what today was, no different from any other negotiation.”
WNBA has failed to meet players' priorities in CBA talks, union says
Reuters
By Amy Tennery
July 17, 2025
The Women's National Basketball Players Association and the WNBA appeared no closer to finding common ground on a labor agreement on Thursday, as negotiations continued amid fears over a potential work stoppage. The two sides, including more than 40 players, met on Thursday ahead of the All-Star Game this weekend in Indianapolis amid reports of serious discord between players and the league in their labor negotiations.
WNBA players say league’s proposal for new CBA falls short after All-Star bargaining meeting
The Washington Post
By Doug Feinberg
July 17, 2025
Backed by what they said was their largest attendance ever for collective bargaining negotiations, WNBA players met with the league Thursday with the sides far apart in discussions for a new deal.
WellSpan Chambersburg Hospital reaches contract agreement with union
WGAL
By Katelyn Smith and AJ Sisson
July 17, 2025
WellSpan Chambersburg Hospital and the union representing 1,400 hospital employees have reached an agreement, averting a strike. The hospital released a statement Thursday morning, announcing the new three-year contract with union workers. The deal includes a wage package of 3.5% in each of the three years.
1199SEIU, Kaleida Health employees set to vote on 3-year agreement
WGRZ
By Zachary Penque
July 17, 2025
Around 8,000 hospital workers at Kaleida Health are expected to vote on a three-year agreement next week. The tentative agreement was reached earlier this month, just two hours before a strike authorization vote was set to begin. Hospital workers were demanding better wages and benefits that would entice more people to apply at Kaleida Health's hospitals, nursing homes, and clinics across WNY. 1199SEIU, the union representing the staff, says they will publicly release details of the agreement if it's ratified.
Deadline
By Katie Campione
July 17, 2025
The journalists at New York’s 1010 WINS radio station presented management at Audacy with a petition Thursday amid a new round of contract talks. The petition, signed by more than 90% of the Writers Guild of America East bargaining unit, demands station management negotiate a fair deal ahead of the current contract expiration on July 22— specifically one that addresses growing concerns about worker safety.
‘1010 WINS’ Workers Petition Audacy As Contract Expiration Nears.
Inside Radio
By Staff
July 17, 2025
Writers Guild of America East (WGAE) members at Audacy news “10-10 WINS” WINS-AM/FM New York (1010/92.3) on Thursday presented a petition to management calling for a new collective bargaining agreement before the current deal expires July 22. According to a WGAE news release, the petition, which was presented during a negotiating session, was signed by more than 90% of the bargaining unit and reads, “We, the undersigned journalists of 1010 WINS, proudly stand with our colleagues on the bargaining committee as they renegotiate our union contract. We support all their demands, and we ask that Audacy bargain respectfully and in good faith as we work to improve our salaries, benefits, pathways to promotion, workplace safety, remote work options, preserve severance, and protect against the growing threat of artificial intelligence. We call on management to reach a fair deal before our contract expiration date: July 22, 2025.”
Solitude Ski Patrol Union ratifies first contract with resort
KPCW
By Sydney Weaver
July 17, 2025
The vote this week follows eight months of negotiations and two ski seasons. The contract includes a base wage increase of 10% with a starting wage of $24 an hour. Patrollers will also receive $100 monthly stipends for both healthcare and wellness, according to a social media post by the union. Additionally, full time patrollers will get $1,300 for equipment each season. This is the Solitude Ski Patrol Union’s first ratified contract since voting to unionize in April 2024, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.
JOINING TOGETHER
Community rallies against Kroger closure as petition to save beloved store gains traction
WCHSTV
By Joseph Dicristofaro
July 16, 2025
Tammy Lowry has dedicated over 40 years of service to the Kroger in Gassaway, and over time she and her coworkers have made countless connections all while providing groceries to the small community in Braxton County. "We've seen generations now that the older ones have passed on and now their kids and their kids are coming in shopping," Lowry said. "Everybody's pretty good friends and we have a good time with them."
IATSE pickets for Yacht Club Festival stagehands
KARE11
By KARE 11 Staff
July 17, 2025
Minnesota's Yacht Club Festival kicks off with Hozier and the Alabama Shakes headlining as local labor union members picket outside. Members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 13 (IATSE) are protesting what they say are unfair wages and benefits for festival workers. Among their other complaints are a lack of health insurance and what they call subpar overtime.
WORKPLACE SAFETY AND HEALTH
IAFF highlight Act against violence towards first responders
Fire & Safety Journal Americas
By Isabelle Crow
July 17, 2025
IAFF General President Edward Kelly said: “The loss of Graham Hoffman was horrific. Firefighters and emergency medical workers put their lives on the line to help others and they deserve to return home safely after their shifts. “The Graham Hoffman Act will ensure that anyone who attacks a first responder is held fully accountable. I want to thank Senators Schmitt and Hassan for their leadership on this vital issue.” While responding to what seemed to be a routine medical call, Hoffman and his partner took their patient in the ambulance to head to the hospital. But during their trip, the patient turned violent, stabbing Hoffman and attacking his partner. Hoffman later died at the hospital from his injuries.
NIOSH mobile lung screenings back on the road following DOGE pause
WV Metro News
By Mike Nolting
July 17, 2025
United Mine Workers of America President Cecil Roberts said the mobile unit screenings are an essential lifeline. “For too many miners, the nearest facility capable of diagnosing black lung is hours away, making early detection nearly impossible. With cases of black lung disease, especially the most severe forms, continuing to rise in Appalachia, it’s more important than ever that we are proactive in protecting miners’ health,” Roberts said in a statement obtained by MetroNews. “These mobile screenings are a critical step, but prevention must be our priority. That’s why it is so troubling that the Silica Standard, established and finalized to help prevent black lung in the first place, has yet to be implemented. We strongly urge MSHA and the administration to recognize the urgency of this issue and enforce the silica rule without delay. Our miners deserve not just treatment, but protection.”