Every week, we bring you a roundup of the top news and commentary about issues and events important to working families. Here’s the latest edition of the Working People Weekly List.
AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler on the Value of Trump: ‘The Best Organizer Is a Bad Boss’: “Liz Shuler has a tough job. It’s not just tough to do. It’s tough even to define. As the president of the AFL-CIO, a 70-year-old federation of 63 national and international unions representing more than 15 million workers, she is the leader of the American labor movement. But ‘labor’ is not a monolith. She represents NFL players, government workers, Hollywood writers, hotel janitors. Shuler, who became the first woman to run the AFL-CIO when she was elected in 2021, doesn’t negotiate pay rates or mediate disputes between workers and management.”
Shuler: Trump Killing Energy Projects Will Kill Thousands of Union Jobs : “The Labor Movement condemns the Department of Energy’s decision to cut $3.7 billion in funding for new energy projects and take away tens of thousands of good union jobs from America’s workers. President Trump promised a new era of American dominance in energy and manufacturing, but his administration is now taking away the jobs that are critical to making that happen. In states like Alabama, Ohio and Texas, workers have lost their jobs; their families have had the rug ripped out from under them; and we will all lose out on the environmental, economic and national security benefits of the cutting-edge technology they were going to build. Their work would have boosted the economies in those states, provided consumers with affordable energy, developed our fast-growing clean energy economy, and advanced America’s technological competitiveness on the world stage. The Trump administration must reverse course and bring back these energy projects, for the good of America’s working families, our communities, and our global competitiveness.”
How Immigrants and Labor, Long Joined in L.A., Set the Stage for Protest: “‘Our country suffers when these military raids tear families apart,’ said Liz Shuler, the president of the AFL-CIO, standing in a cluster of signs reading, ‘Free David.’ ‘One thing the administration should know about this community is that we do not leave anybody behind!’ Mr. Huerta was released on bail later in the day and still faces charges.”
L.A. Labor Stands Up for Immigrants After Huerta Arrest: “On Monday, June 9, labor unions, elected officials, advocacy groups, and community members rallied in Gloria Molina Grand Park in downtown Los Angeles to protest the arrest of David Huerta, president of Service Employees International Union California (SEIU). But as April Verrett, president of SEIU International, said in a statement condemning Huerta’s arrest, ‘this struggle is about much more than just one man.’”
Government Workforce Reductions Hit Black Employees Hardest: “Recent federal workforce reductions are having a disproportionate impact on Black employees, raising concerns about long-term economic stability and representation in public service, according to new reports. Black workers make up nearly 19% of the federal workforce, despite accounting for about 14 percent of the overall U.S. population, according to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Historically, federal employment has provided a critical pathway to the middle class for Black Americans, offering stable wages, benefits, and protection from private-sector discrimination.”
Ohio Electrical Workers Unite to Support Solar Jobs, Federal Tax Credits: “‘Clean energy tax credits are putting IBEW members to work in every state—and there are still hundreds of billions of dollars in projects ahead,’ said IBEW International President Kenneth W. Cooper. ‘Stripping these investments now hands the advantage to foreign competitors, particularly China, and tells American workers their jobs don’t matter.’”
They Served the Nation. Now, These Veterans Say They’re Protesting to Save It: “Later in the afternoon, Cecil Roberts, a sixth-generation coal miner and combat veteran of the Vietnam War, climbed upon the stage, the bright white dome of the Capitol gleaning behind him. ‘I’m glad people recognize the service of people who were in the Army,’ said Roberts, president of the United Mine Workers of America. ‘But we shouldn’t be having a parade until every veteran has the health care they deserve.’”
U.S. Added 139,000 Jobs in May as the Labor Market Steadily Cools: “The United States added 139,000 jobs in May, more than expected but pointing to a labor market that continues to slow. The employment data released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics exceeded forecasts for about 120,000 payroll gains but marked a decline from the revised 147,000 jobs added in April. The unemployment rate held steady at 4.2%, remaining near historic lows.”