The Weekly Download

“In this blogcast, Burnes Center for Social Change Senior Fellow Seth Harris is joined by Dr. Heather Boushey, a member of Biden’s Council of Economic Advisers, to discuss the implications of the Trump economy on workers and worker power. Watch now to hear Heather and Seth discuss Trump’s industrial policies, the impact of tariffs and tax cuts on income inequality, the role of unions in addressing economic inequality, and more! Also, listen to Heather stress the importance of a holistic approach to economic policies that would address issues faced by working-class families.”

“Unions and the workers they represent find themselves at a perilous moment in 2025. After a few years of hard-fought progress with the vocal support of the most pro-union president in modern American history, organized labor is again under siege from the White House and its hallelujah chorus of billionaire businessmen and corporate bosses. Put aside forever the empty, laughable rhetoric about a new populist Republican agenda. This President is leading a multi-front campaign to destroy unions, diminish worker protections, and roll back decades of labor rights. From Washington, D.C., to Tallahassee, Florida, the assault on worker power and worker solidarity is goosestepping forward. President Trump has proven conclusively he is the most rabidly anti-union president since Grover Cleveland called out the U.S. Army to crush the American Railway Union’s strike against the Pullman Company in the summer of 1894. Yet even at this moment of peril, new opportunities to build worker power are emerging. In other words, the battle has begun, but workers can win the battle.”

“Workers Memorial Day is April 28, and right on schedule, the AFL-CIO has released its annual Death on the Job report — the bible of workplace safety and health.  This is the 34th edition of DOTJ, as it’s affectionately called.  And as expected, the report delivers a well-deserved condemnation of President Trump’s anti-worker, anti-health & safety agenda, along with the facts you need to fight against the widespread DOGE-MAGA attacks on America’s working people.”

“A federal judge could soon block the White House’s move to strip collective bargaining rights from hundreds of thousands of federal workers. U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman appeared skeptical during a hearing Wednesday of the administration’s arguments that a little-known provision in federal labor law allows it to exclude several agencies from unionization rights because their work is primarily focused on national security. Friedman said the White House’s determinations about the nature of the agencies’ work seem implausible.”

“The Biden administration was more pro-labor than any administration in decades, yet unfortunately, under its watch, union membership and collective bargaining coverage continued to decline as a share of the workforce—even as public support for unions reached near record highs. This failure of the labor movement to grow during auspicious times makes it clear that the movement needs a new path forward. It is not much of an exaggeration to say that the fate of America’s middle class and democracy depends on getting the path right, as few things will do more to help the country than a renewed labor movement. The right path forward includes a much more ambitious policy agenda. While things may seem bleak with union density at a 100-year low and President Donald Trump ripping up union contracts and destroying many of the modest improvements that workers have made, there is opportunity in this moment. The public is hungry for change and is looking for answers. Labor and its allies should use this moment to craft a set of bold reforms and figure out a way to get them enacted.”

“The Department of Veterans Affairs told employees Tuesday it was creating a task force on ‘anti-Christian discrimination’ and urged them to report any such incidents involving co-workers over a tip line…The memo comes at a time when employees throughout the federal government feel they’re being watched closely and their jobs are on the line. The administration has tried to fire tens of thousands of workers through legally dubious mass terminations and is developing plans for more large-scale “reductions in force.” Many federal workers have chosen to accept deferred resignation offers rather than face more upheaval and uncertainty.”

“U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Mark Warner (D-Va.), and Susan Collins (R-Maine) Thursday urged President Donald Trump to reinstate federal workers’ collective bargaining rights after he issued an executive order to end collective bargaining at several federal agencies. The order strips more than 1,000,000 federal workers across the country of their collective bargaining rights. ‘The presence of collective bargaining rights has created a more stable and productive workforce and has allowed the federal government to better meet the needs of our constituents,’ the bipartisan group of senators wrote to the president. ‘Further, sudden changes to labor-management relations are disruptive to the work of the federal workforce and will result in the loss of valuable federal workers with knowledge and skills critical to completing their respective agency’s missions.’”

“U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco late Friday said, opens new tab claims by six agencies that nearly 17,000 probationary workers were fired in February because of their individual performance was ‘a total sham’ that could hobble their careers. Alsup in March had ordered the agencies to reinstate the workers, but the U.S. Supreme Court paused that ruling earlier this month. On Friday he declined a request by a group of unions and the state of Washington to order reinstatement a second time. The judge ordered the agencies to provide workers with written statements by May 8 stating that their terminations were not based on performance or fitness but were made as part of a government-wide mass termination.”

“Donald Trump’s tariff wars are tearing apart the world, including the world of American politics. Trade is an issue that divides both major political parties. Although Trump has cowed most inside his own party, in early April seven Republican Senators, including former majority leader Mitch McConnell, cosponsored a bill put forth by the Democratic caucus to limit Trump’s power to unilaterally declare tariffs. Braver than their colleagues, these senators voiced the position traditionally held by their party—and which many more Trump-fearing Republicans still privately hold. Wall Street, the traditional backer of both political parties, is clearly nervous about the global trade conflict Trump has initiated. Again, fear is keeping many quiet, but the rockiness of the stock market and especially the bond market is itself an anonymous vote of no confidence in the president’s policy.”

“As the Trump administration escalates its crackdown on campus dissent, unionized graduate students are increasingly caught in the crosshairs. Some, who are foreign students, have had their visas revoked. Others have seen vital research funding threatened. And student activists have become targets of online attacks, including from Trump supporters and a senior administration official…. Over the last few years, university campuses have become key battlegrounds for labor rights, with graduate student workers leading organizing drives aimed at improving working conditions. Many of those same union members have been among the most outspoken critics of Israel’s war in Gaza. Their activism has drawn the ire of lawmakers who often equate criticism of Israel with antisemitism. Critics describe the ongoing campaign targeting university budgets and pro-Palestinian student activists as a repressive attempt to silence dissent and chill political speech on campuses. The attack on universities comes amid a broader right-wing offensive — championed by the Trump administration and its allies — against so-called “woke ideology,” including diversity, equity and inclusion programs in higher education. Unions and their members are responding with protests, lawsuits and statements condemning the administration — and the universities they say are caving to pressure from the president and from Republican members of Congress and their donors.” 

“Power At Work is thrilled to announce that we will co-sponsor three films at the DC Labor FilmFest that begins on International Workers’ Day, May 1, 2025: “Lilly,” on the festival’s opening night–May 1st, “Clockwatchers,” on May 4th, and “La Cocina,” on May 14th. [...] The DC Labor FilmFest is organized and presented by the Labor Heritage Foundation and AFI Silver Theater and Cultural Center. The festival will run from May 1st to May 29th. [Power At Work] strongly encourage all our readers and subscribers who live in the greater Washington D.C. metropolitan area to buy their tickets for the festival’s movies to see films about work, workers, and the wider issues affecting workers' lives.”

“[AFSCME] welcome workers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium to the AFSCME family. On their Instagram page, workers announced they won their union election this week. ‘This has been an incredibly meaningful, cross-divisional effort that has made waves in the way our staff connect with each other — and with our mission,’ they wrote. ‘As we move into the next phase of organizing, we’re excited to continue working together to shape a more equitable and connected workplace.’”

“In response to the deals several large law firms have reached with the Trump administration, associates at many of these firms are discussing ways to object to the dealmaking. Some associates have quit. Others have written letters. But another option under consideration is unionization. And, indeed, unionization would offer associates important powers and protections. In the immediate term, and irrespective of whether a union drive ever gets off the ground, labor law would provide protection against discharge or discipline for a wide range of organizing activity the associates might engage in. As long as the associates are acting collectively, and are advocating on issues that concern the terms and conditions of their employment, labor law insulates them from employer retaliation. This means any collective protest that focuses on the deals’ impact on work and working conditions (including, for example, the type and scope of pro bono work associates are asked to do, and the firms’ promotion policies) would be protected by the National Labor Relations Act. Should a union drive succeed at any of the firms, the law would then give the associates’ union the right to bargain with firm management over the content of the deals it cuts with the Administration, and the effects of those deals on associate work life. Unionization, if it results in a collective bargaining agreement, would also likely lead to increased protection against discharge for associates who object to the deals or to the ways the deals are implemented.”

“Nurses at University Medical Center in New Orleans will strike for the third time on May 1 as negotiations over a first union contract with LCMC Health continue without resolution. The nurses, represented by National Nurses United, previously held strikes in October 2024 and February of this year, each time citing concerns over staffing, pay, and workplace safety.”

“Union members and their allies rallied outside of the State Capitol in Hartford Saturday to advocate for the passage of Senate Bill 8, which would financially support workers during contract negotiations. Local 217 – UNITE HERE sponsored the rally to bring focus to the growing disparity between the wealthy and the middle class, according to a report from the union that backs over 2,500 hotel, school cafeteria and corporate cafeteria workers in Connecticut. Josh Stanley, secretary-treasure of Local 217 – UNITE HERE, said that the goal Saturday was to push for a working-class agenda against a billionaire agenda.”

“More than 140 union workers at Caesar’s Southern Indiana Hotel & Casino, led by Teamsters Local 89, are on strike after the company failed to offer a fair contract that matches the property’s record-breaking profits…Owned and operated by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), Caesars Southern Indiana raked in more than $240 million in revenue last year, ranking among the most profitable casinos in the state. Workers are demanding a fair contract with retirement benefits and pay that reflects their essential contributions to the property’s success.”

“For nearly a century, the right to form and join unions has been established by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). That right is imperiled by recent actions at the federal level,1 along with legal challenges to the constitutionality of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). This issue brief describes options for state and local government officials, elected and appointed, who wish to support the right to unionize and collectively bargain, a right enshrined in federal law and international law, and in some cases also guaranteed by state statutes and in state constitutions.”

“On a warm, still evening this month, Corey Trammel, a counselor at the Oakdale Federal Correctional Institution in central Louisiana, was at his 11-year-old son’s baseball game when the calls and emails started pouring in from dozens of his colleagues, worried about the latest threat to their union. Mr. Trammel is the president of Local 3957 of the American Federation of Government Employees, the country’s largest union of federal workers. Until recently, Local 3957 had nearly 200 dues-paying members, all at Oakdale, including officers, teachers, case managers and food service workers. Many, if not most, supported President Trump in the 2024 election, said Mr. Trammel, a registered Republican. And many were 'in denial,' he said, as the new administration, with tacit support from a Republican Congress, moved quickly to slash and reshape the federal government. The union, which represents some 800,000 workers across more than a dozen federal agencies, has been at the forefront of resistance to that effort. At a moment of peril for the civil service, the union has tried to assert itself as a countervailing force. In doing so, it has also become a target.”

“After months of uncertainty, National Grid workers officially have a new contract. The union representing roughly 1,200 National Grid employees who work in Long Island’s natural gas and power plants, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, or IBEW, Local 1049, voted 590-90 to approve a new contract Friday evening. The successful vote ends a months-long contract negotiation period where employees found themselves temporarily without a contract in February, voting down a previous tentative agreement 617-252 on March 6 and on the verge of a strike multiple times.”

“Amazon is obligated to collectively bargain with warehouse workers at its San Francisco distribution facility, the federal labor board says. A complaint issued Monday by a regional director of the National Labor Relations Board accused Amazon of illegally refusing to negotiate with employees after a majority signed union authorization cards in the fall. The complaint relies on a precedent set by the NLRB during the Biden administration. A 2023 decision found that if a union gains a majority of support in the workplace, an employer has the choice to voluntarily recognize the union, or it must challenge the action and file a petition with the labor board to hold a formal election.”

“When a private equity firm bought Anodyne Coffee Roasting Co. in 2023, workers at the Milwaukee coffee company were hopeful it would be a chance to grow. ‘At first, there were some positives,’ said Danielle Williams, a training manager for Anodyne. ‘Now, especially in the last year, we’ve just seen things go in the opposite direction.’ Workers at the popular coffee company are forming a labor union.”

“This month, 85 percent of the Chicago Teachers Union’s 27,000 active members voted on a tentative agreement covering 500 public schools across the city. A record 97 percent voted yes. The contract will run from 2024 to 2028, expiring at the same time as the UAW’s contracts with the Big Three. The negotiation drew the greatest level of member participation and support in the CTU’s history and was achieved without a strike or a strike vote. The new contract addresses both bread and butter concerns and common-good demands. Said CTU president Stacy Davis Gates, a member of the union’s Caucus of Rank and File Educators: “It was the whole buffet.”

“After a month of organizing to oppose Utah’s collective bargaining ban, union members and supporters dropped off boxes on boxes of signature packets at county clerks’ offices across Utah. The Protect Utah Workers coalition said Wednesday morning these mounds of paper contain about 320,000 signatures — more than double the amount they needed. The group of 19 labor unions wants to repeal the state’s new ban on public sector collective bargaining through a ballot referendum. To get the issue before voters, they had to get 140,748 valid signatures from Utah voters and those voters needed to represent at least 8% of voters in 15 of the state’s 29 Senate Districts.”

“About 2,500 workers represented by the Marine Draftsmen’s Association (MDA) UAW Local 571 union might go on strike if the union and shipbuilder General Dynamics Electric Boat [GD] do not reach a new agreement.”

“SEIU Local 2015 has reached a tentative agreement with Fresno County to boost thousands of home care workers’ wages and benefits, potentially putting a cap on strenuous negotiations that dragged on for over two years. If approved by union membership and the Fresno County Board of Supervisors, the three-year deal would raise hourly wages for the county’s roughly 25,000 In-Home Supportive Services workers from $17.10 to $18.35 as soon as August, SEIU leadership said.”