Posts tagged Trump Administration

    Trump Just Saved Thousands of Disabled Americans’ Jobs

    August 5, 2025 // Disability-rights advocates have long insisted that, as a matter of public policy, disabled people’s lives should resemble those of nondisabled people to the greatest extent possible. They have argued, for example, that “segregated” environments, which primarily or exclusively serve disabled people, violate the principle of normalization and ought to be abolished. And for decades, they have called for the repeal of Section 14(c), a provision of the Federal Labor Standards Act (FLSA) of 1938 that allows certified employers to pay disabled workers a subminimum wage commensurate with their productivity. Congress created the 14(c) program to enable people with severe disabilities to remain in the job market after the passage of the federal minimum wage. The Biden administration published a proposed rule in 2024 that would have phased out the program, claiming that it was “no longer necessary to prevent curtailment of employment opportunities.” But last month, the Trump administration announced it was withdrawing the proposal. In doing so, it preserved the jobs of thousands of severely disabled Americans who would have lost one of the staples of a “normal” life.

    Union Reporting Threshold Threatens Worker Transparency

    August 3, 2025 // Another issue is the lack of plain language on the LM 2 forms themselves. For example, they categorize money coming into the union as “receipts” — yet to most union members, a receipt is something someone receives after paying for something. The forms should be at a grade 10 reading level and broken down in one line, a simple explanation

    Supporters of Trump’s agency cuts still favor nonpartisan federal workforce, survey shows

    July 24, 2025 // In a recent survey, the Partnership for Public Service found that among individuals who approve of the Trump administration’s cuts to federal agencies, there is little support for a politicized federal workforce. The survey results showed that 83% of supporters of the Trump administration’s cuts agreed that having an expert and non-political federal workforce was “critical” to the country’s wellbeing.

    Unions rally in Pittsburgh against Trump’s cuts to worker protections and research funding

    July 23, 2025 // The event was a stop on the AFL-CIO’s “It’s Better in a Union: Fighting for Freedom, Fairness & Security” bus tour. Labor leaders including AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, USW International President David McCall and Allegheny/Fayette Central Labor Council President Darrin Kelly took the mic to address the impacts of the administration’s cuts to university research funding, Medicaid and the firing of workers at the Department of Veterans Affairs, both in Pittsburgh and across the country. After the speeches, volunteers handed out a sheet of paper with a phone number to reach the House of Representative and a QR code with a prewritten email in support of a discharge petition to force a vote in that chamber on the Protect America’s Workforce Act, a bill that aims to reverse Trump’s executive order that eliminated collective bargaining rights for federal workers.

    Trump’s Labor Department proposes more than 60 rule changes in a push to deregulate workplaces

    July 22, 2025 // The U.S. Department of Labor is aiming to rewrite or repeal more than 60 “obsolete” workplace regulations, ranging from minimum wage requirements for home health care workers and people with disabilities to standards governing exposure to harmful substances.

    United States Announces Successful Resolution of Rapid Response Labor Mechanism Matter at Modern Metal Alloys, S.A. de C.V.

    July 22, 2025 // Department of Labor: United States has resumed liquidation of tariffs on goods from the MMA facility, which manufactures aluminum for the production of auto parts. The RRM, developed under the first Trump Administration, is an unprecedented trade tool that helps to level the playing field for American workers and businesses, by preventing Mexican businesses from gaining a competitive advantage by violating labor laws

    Democratic governors face off with unions at home

    July 22, 2025 // Democratic governors who may be eyeing 2028 presidential runs have been at odds with public sector-unions in their states over a variety of issues, including return-to-office policies and the impact of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. In Colorado, state workers sought to join a lawsuit after Gov. Jared Polis allegedly instructed employees to provide Immigration and Customs Enforcement with information on undocumented immigrants. Unions have also sparred with California Gov. Gavin Newsom over his order calling state workers back to the office for at least four days a week, with three of them securing eleventh-hour temporary exemptions. And Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s office has been engaged in a tense bargaining process with state employees over health care benefits and paid parental leave.

    President Trump Taps Two GOP Nominees for NLRB, But Uncertainty Remains

    July 21, 2025 // President Trump nominated Scott Mayer (chief labor counsel at Boeing Co.) and James Murphy (former NLRB attorney) to fill two vacant Republican seats on the NLRB, potentially restoring the Board’s ability to issue decisions. Mayer’s work experience demonstrates a strong management background, having worked at InterContinental Hotels Group, MGM Resorts International, Aramark, and several law firms prior to his current role at Boeing. Meanwhile, Murphy was selected by Kaplan to serve as his chief counsel in 2017 and has spent his career at the Board, having served as staff counsel or supervisor on the staffs of dozens of Board members.

    Democrats press discharge petition to restore federal worker union rights stripped by Trump

    July 20, 2025 // Golden’s proposal has been endorsed by 221 other House lawmakers, including co-sponsor Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and six other Republicans. And the discharge petition already has two GOP signatures attached: Fitzpatrick and Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.). To force a vote on the bill requires 218 signatures, meaning supporters will need four more Republicans to endorse the petition for it to be successful, assuming all 212 House Democrats sign on. Golden said he’s in conversations with the other Republican co-sponsors of the underlying bill — singling out New York Reps. Mike Lawler and Nick LaLota by name — in hopes of getting them to endorse the petition, as well.