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Labor News

May Day Matters Now More Than Ever

May Day, International Workers' Day, was born on American soil — yet for over a century, it’s been treated like a foreign import. But in truth, it’s a day rooted in the blood and bravery of working-class people in this country, particularly in Chicago, 1886, when workers stood up for something radical at the time: an eight-hour workday.

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Today is May Day, or International Workers’ Day, the day the world celebrates the bravery of workers throughout history who have sacrificed for safety, dignity and justice on the job.aflcio.org/2025/5/1/may-day-means-solidarity

May Day as ‘Workers Day’ is backIt’s time to celebrate everyone who actually works for a living

USA Today: Thousands rally against Trump, Musk in nationwide May Day protests: Live updatesProtests against what organizers called a "billionaire takeover" were planned in every U.S. state.By Christopher Cann and Karissa Waddick

Why Everyone Should Be Preparing For May Day 2028If we’re going to build enough collective power to win universal healthcare and the right to retire with dignity, then we need to tighten up.

How Unions Benefited My Mom—and MeThis May Day, we join with workers across the country as they lift their voices in solidarity with working people, families, and communities.

Union goes on strike at Lockheed Martin after rejecting contract offerAbout 320 union employees at Lockheed Martin’s Waterton Campus in Jefferson County walked off the job Thursday after voting down a contract offer.

Exclusive: JetBlue's plan for domestic partnership faces union backlashA plan by JetBlue Airways to sign a domestic partnership with another airline faces opposition from its pilot union, which has warned the move could "fundamentally reshape" the U.S. carrier and impact the future of its workers.

CT nursing home workers set May 19 deadline to avoid strikeSEIU 1199NE wants to boost starting pay for nursing home workers in CT to $25 per hour and, over several years, to about $30 per hour.

Union bus drivers in Md. get new contract, ending 6-day strike - WTOP NewsThe Martz Gold Line bus that provides service from various locations in Southern Maryland to D.C. is running again after a six-day strike.

WNBA players union director prepared for work stoppage, will negotiate 'as long as it takes'A work stoppage in the WNBA is a possibility, and players union director Terri Jackson said players will negotiate "as long as it takes" to get a fair deal.

I Went Undercover at Starbucks and Helped Launch a Union MovementJaz Brisack shares how they got Starbucks Workers United off the ground.

Our latest roundup of worker wins includes numerous examples of working people organizing, bargaining and mobilizing for a better life.aflcio.org/2025/5/1/worker-wins-pivotal-opportunity

Government & Politics

Trump’s attack on federal unions a ‘test case’ for broader assault, warn lawyersExecutive order cites national security to strip bargaining rights from more than 1 million federal workers

ICYM: The blatant Trump attack on workers you may not have heard aboutCutting the wages of hundreds of thousands of workersIn a move that starkly exposes just how disingenuous the Trump administration’s pro-worker rhetoric really is, President Trump rescinded the Biden administration’s executive order that increased the minimum wage for workers on federal contracts.

House Republicans advance plan to cut federal worker benefits and undermine civil service protectionsOne Republican who voted against the measure said efforts to reduce existing federal workers’ pension benefits will fail if put to a vote before the full House.

TNG-CWA Journalist Fired To Appease President TrumpLast week, reporting revealed that a NewsGuild-CWA-represented journalist at The Hill was fired as part of an effort by the company to appease President Donald Trump.

Even Trump Officials Are Hoarding Supplies Thanks to His TariffsPeople connected to Trump are afraid of the consequences of his trade wars.

Workers Can Say Goodbye to Heat Protections Under TrumpFor years, David Keeling oversaw health and safety operations at companies where workers fell ill and died in extreme heat. If confirmed as the head of OSHA, he could help their campaign to block federal heat protection rules.

AFL-CIO President on Trump’s First 100 Days: ‘The Labor Movement Does Not Fall in Line for Autocrats’(Washington, D.C.)—AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler provided the labor movement’s view on the first 100 days of the Trump administration today at The 100 Days Conference.

Think cuts to Medicaid won’t hurt? Check out this graphic.Here’s all the groups that are covered by Medicaid – and I bet it’s more than you knew.

How Trump promotes a radical, unscientific theory about sex and gender in the name of opposing ‘gender ideology extremism’The Trump administration is pursuing, in essence, its own gender ideology masked as anti-gender ideology.

UMWA, USW Disappointed by Court’s Denial of Motion to Intervene in Silica Rule Case - United Mine Workers of America FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE APRIL 30, 2025 UMWA, USW Disappointed by Court’s Denial of Motion to Intervene in Silica Rule Case United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) and the United Steelworkers (USW) issued the following statement today regarding the Eighth Circuit Court’s decision to deny their motion to intervene in the lawsuit brought […]

Learning From the 1990s Labor PartyAs capital ratcheted up its assault on labor in the 1990s and Democrats embraced a neoliberal agenda, some labor unions launched their own political party.

Big Tech Wants Free Rein to Sell Your DataTech companies accused of exposing consumers to fraud want the Trump administration to let them freely buy and sell your personal information.

Starving the poor (literally) to feed the richWhy is food for children, families, people with disabilities, workers, and seniors on the chopping block? To fund tax breaks for the rich.

In the States

Kentucky teachers almost last in terms of payEducators continue to be undervalued and underpaid across the commonwealth, as average teacher pay drops from 41st to 42nd, and average starting pay falls from 45th to 48th among states

Did the VA breach its contract with a Cleveland union?'I don't even think we're at the eye of the storm. We're on the edge of it and it's coming upon us. I do believe that if things continue the way they are the VA is going to be in very bad shape.'

Referendum against anti-union bill gains 320,000 signatures for validationCounty clerks are using “a very, very manual process” to ensure the signatures submitted by pro-labor union groups are valid.

Some AmeriCorps operations in West Virginia hit by DOGE cuts - WV MetroNewsU.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito says "we're going to help them through this."

New Teamsters facility set to open in South CharlestonA ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, May 3, at 11:30 a.m. at the new building for the Employer Teamsters Local 175 & 505 Trust Funds, located at 269 Staunton

NLRB News & Decisions

NLRB Petitions & Charges for Wednesday, April 30, 2025Total Entries filed Tuesday, April 29, 2025: 40

Jobs, Business & Economy

Are UPS layoffs because of Trump's tariffs? What we knowThe company announced that it will be reducing its workforce by around 20,000 positions in 2025, while closing over 70 buildings.

National Grocers Association Issues Bleak Warning Over TariffsGrocery leaders say we’re heading toward déjà vu—and this time, it might be worse.

Tariffs threaten a pharmaceuticals shortage, as 95% of ibuprofen comes from ChinaApollo chief economist Torsten Sløk predicted “empty shelves” in the next few weeks as a result of tariff-induced supply chain disruptions.

Retailers Fear Toy Shortages at Christmas as Tariffs Freeze Supply ChainToy makers and stores are freezing holiday orders, predicting shortages and higher prices. Some are consulting bankruptcy lawyers, fearing their firms won’t survive.

America’s economy may actually be even weaker than it appears | CNN BusinessPresident Donald Trump’s aggressive tariff plan was largely expected to impact the US economy’s first-quarter performance as companies loaded up on imported goods ahead of higher levies. But what few failed to anticipate was how much worse off the economy would have appeared without stockpiling.

Upcoming Events & Useful Links

50501 — 50 protests, 50 states, 1 movementJoin the movement to uphold the Constitution and end executive overreach. 50 protests, 50 states, 1 day: #50501.

Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger<sup>®</sup> Food DriveThe Letter Carriers’ “Stamp Out Hunger” Food Drive—the nation’s largest all-volunteer one-day food collection effort—is held annually on the second Saturday in May and is a community outreach effort of the National Association of Letter Carriers.

2025 UAW-Union Built Vehicle Guide - UAW | United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of AmericaThese vehicles are made in the United States or Canada by members of the UAW and Canada’s Unifor union, formerly the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW). Because of the integration of vehicle production in both countries, all of the vehicles listed as made in Canada include significant UAW made content and support the jobs of UAW members.

Form a Union!

Organizing a union in your workplace is about getting more rights and more power. Thousands of working people—all across the country and in all kinds of jobs—organize unions every year because unions are the best way to secure the things you care about.

Labor History in 2:00

May 1 May Day | Labor History in 2:00On this day in Labor History the year was 1886. This was the day that began events in Chicago that would make May First the most important day on the calendar for the labor movement across the world.

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