Featured Stories
Statement From NEA President Princess Moss on the Trump Administration's Title IX Rollbacks
WASHINGTON, Oct. 1 -- The National Education Association issued the following news release:
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Statement from NEA President Princess Moss on the Trump administration's Title IX Rollbacks
Moss: Schools must be places where every young person can learn, grow and become who they are without fear
By: Celeste Fernandez
September 30, 2026
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Department of Education has rolled back Title IX protections for women and girls who are survivors of sexual assault, as well as LGBTQ+ students.
During the Biden administration, Title IX regulations explicitly extended protections
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WASHINGTON, Oct. 1 -- The National Education Association issued the following news release:
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Statement from NEA President Princess Moss on the Trump administration's Title IX Rollbacks
Moss: Schools must be places where every young person can learn, grow and become who they are without fear
By: Celeste Fernandez
September 30, 2026
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Department of Education has rolled back Title IX protections for women and girls who are survivors of sexual assault, as well as LGBTQ+ students.
During the Biden administration, Title IX regulations explicitly extended protectionsto students based on gender identity and sexual orientation and strengthened protections for survivors of sexual assault and harassment. The policy change rolls back those protections and directs schools to return to the framework used during the first Trump administration.
The following can be attributed to National Education Association President Princess Moss:
"Every student deserves to go to school knowing they are safe, valued, and protected from discrimination. The decision by the U.S. Department of Education to roll back Title IX protections for students moves us in the opposite direction.
"Title IX is a landmark civil rights law that has opened doors and expanded opportunities for generations of students. It should not be weakened or used to leave students without meaningful protections against discrimination and harassment.
"This rule takes us back to the 2020 Title IX regulations, putting the emphasis back on protections for those accused of sexual harassment and assault while rolling back protections for women, girls, survivors, and LGBTQ+ students. The Biden-era rules strengthened support for survivors, streamlined the process for resolving complaints, and made explicit what existing guidance and caselaw had already established: Title IX protects all students from sex discrimination, including discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. NEA supported those protections then, and we will continue to fight for them now.
"For educators, this is about something fundamental: Our schools must be places where every young person can learn, grow, and become who they are without fear. Protecting students from sexual harassment and assault means protecting women and girls from violence, while protecting LGBTQ+ students from discrimination means ensuring they have the same opportunity to learn and thrive as their classmates. Every student deserves both.
"Educators see every day what happens when students know they are supported. They are better able to engage, learn, build relationships, and thrive. We also know that discrimination and harassment can create barriers to success.
"NEA will continue to stand with women and girls, survivors, LGBTQ+ students, educators, and families. We will continue working for schools where every student, in every ZIP code, can learn free from discrimination and harassment.
"Our students deserve better than a retreat from civil rights protections. They deserve schools that affirm their humanity, protect their rights, and give every student the opportunity to thrive. NEA will keep fighting for that promise--without exception."
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The National Education Association is the nation's largest labor union, representing nearly 3 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators, students preparing to become teachers, healthcare workers, and public employees. Learn more at www.nea.org.
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Original text here: https://www.nea.org/about-nea/media-center/press-releases/statement-nea-president-princess-moss-trump-administrations-title-ix-rollbacks
[Category: Union]
National Education Union General Secretary Kebede Responds to U.K. P.M. Burnham Address at Labour Party Conference
LONDON, England, Oct. 1 -- The National Education Union issued the following news release:
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Andy Burnham Speech
30/09/2026
Commenting on the Prime Minister's speech at Labour Party Conference, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said:
"Andy Burnham is correct to say the country took a wrong turn in the 1980s. He is right to say the country needs a new economy and politics. He is also right to say things aren't working as they should for working people.
"If the hope and optimism that he talked about today is to become a reality then the Prime Minister will
... Show Full Article
LONDON, England, Oct. 1 -- The National Education Union issued the following news release:
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Andy Burnham Speech
30/09/2026
Commenting on the Prime Minister's speech at Labour Party Conference, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said:
"Andy Burnham is correct to say the country took a wrong turn in the 1980s. He is right to say the country needs a new economy and politics. He is also right to say things aren't working as they should for working people.
"If the hope and optimism that he talked about today is to become a reality then the Prime Minister willneed to tackle the vested interests of those at the top of society who have enriched themselves at the expense of the majority in the country.
"The Prime Minister's call for a comprehensive education system, with parity between the academic and the technical, is welcome. But to deliver it will necessitate a new assessment and accountability system. It will require an end to the ideology that pits schools in competition against each other. It demands an end to the lack of democratic oversight of academies, and an end to the profiteering and excessive CEO pay. Above all else, schools need a cash injection to end 16 years of real terms cuts that has left 74 per cent of schools worse off in real terms than in 2010.
"Taxing the big tech giants and reform of the tax system should be part of the solution to funding education and public services.
"The NEU will support the Prime Minister in his endeavours where he delivers for education and working people, but we will continue to press this government where they fail to deliver.
"People need to see change. They need to feel change. Parents need to know that not only will their lives improve but the lives of their children will be better."
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Original text here: https://neu.org.uk/latest/press-releases/andy-burnham-speech?_locale=en
[Category: Union]
New York growers seek to kill farm worker union rights; court ruling protects labor rights for now.
KEENE, California, Sept. 30 [Category: Union] -- The United Farm Workers issued the following news release:
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New York growers seek to kill farm worker union rights; court ruling protects labor rights for now.
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Buffalo, NY -In a major victory for farm workers, a Magistrate Judge from the federal court for the Western District of New York rejected a motion for a preliminary injunction by New York growers who are challenging farm workers' union rights under New York State law. A lawsuit filed by the New York State Vegetable Growers Association, as well as A&J Kirby Farms, Lynn-Ette & Sons
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KEENE, California, Sept. 30 [Category: Union] -- The United Farm Workers issued the following news release:
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New York growers seek to kill farm worker union rights; court ruling protects labor rights for now.
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Buffalo, NY -In a major victory for farm workers, a Magistrate Judge from the federal court for the Western District of New York rejected a motion for a preliminary injunction by New York growers who are challenging farm workers' union rights under New York State law. A lawsuit filed by the New York State Vegetable Growers Association, as well as A&J Kirby Farms, Lynn-Ette & SonsFarms, and Porpiglia Farms -three individual farms whose workforces have unionized with the UFW -continues to challenge the constitutionality of New York's historic 2019 law expanding unionization rights to farm workers for the first time. The growers' lawsuit sought a preliminary injunction against enforcement of the 2019 law by state agencies, to effectively allow growers to ignore, deny, and retaliate against workers' unionization efforts with impunity. In rejecting the growers' motion, the judge's decision upholds the law and affirms farm workers' right to a union. Courts have repeatedly sided with the workers' rights under the law, but the opposition to farm worker unionization rights in New York continues.
"Since 2019, farm workers in New York have been organizing and winning first ever union contracts with better wages and stronger job protections. For just as long, New York growers have been fighting tooth and nail against the very idea of farm worker's right to a union," said UFW Secretary Treasurer Armando Elenes. "It's sad that in 2026, so many farm owners in New York continue to hold on to the fundamentally racist idea that farm workers don't deserve the same rights as other workers, simply because of the industry they work in as well as their national origin or immigration status. Growers have had their legal efforts stymied again and again but it's time for them to face facts and implement contracts that workers voted for."
"Growers' endless legal stalling tactics have caused real harm, as workers at many New York farms are still waiting for the protections of their first union contracts, in some cases for over two years now," continued UFW Secretary Treasurer Armando Elenes. "This has exposed farm workers to losing hundreds or even thousands of dollars a year due to denying workers the union benefits to which they are entitled."
The UFW is the largest farm worker union in the United States. Since 2022, farm workers have unionized with the UFW at 8 farms across New York State. The three farms that are individual plaintiffs in the newly defeated injunction request all continue to refuse to implement a first-ever union contract for their workers. Those farms are:
* A&J Kirby Farms, an apple producer in Orleans County, New York.
* Lynn-Ette & Sons Farms, a vegetable producer in Orleans County, New York
* Porpiglia Farms, an apple producer in Ulster County, New York.
"The United Farm Workers calls on the above growers to implement the contracts and pay the workers retroactively the union wages they should have been earning this whole time," concluded UFW Secretary Treasurer Armando Elenes. "The United Farm Workers also calls on the State of New York to do more to enforce the law as it exists and on the legislature to make New York's agricultural labor laws stronger. New York must ensure that agricultural employers are not allowed to continue these absurd and harmful stalling tactics which deny workers what the union wages and benefits they deserve."
The full decision from the Judge of the Federal Court for the Western District of New York can be viewed here.
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Original text here: https://ufw.org/new-york-growers-seek-to-kill-farm-worker-union-rights-court-ruling-protects-labor-rights-for-now/
Federal Workers Face Steep, Nearly 11% Health Premium Hike on Top of Proposed Pay Freeze, AFGE Says
WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 [Category: Union] -- The AFL-CIO American Federation of Government Employees issued the following news release:
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Federal Workers Face Steep, Nearly 11% Health Premium Hike on Top of Proposed Pay Freeze, AFGE Says
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Hardworking public servants face a second straight double-digit jump in what they pay for their own health coverage
WASHINGTON - Federal workers just got more bad news. The Office of Personnel Management announced today that employees' share of Federal Employees Health Benefits Program premiums will jump an average of 10.9% in 2027.
That is a painful
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 [Category: Union] -- The AFL-CIO American Federation of Government Employees issued the following news release:
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Federal Workers Face Steep, Nearly 11% Health Premium Hike on Top of Proposed Pay Freeze, AFGE Says
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Hardworking public servants face a second straight double-digit jump in what they pay for their own health coverage
WASHINGTON - Federal workers just got more bad news. The Office of Personnel Management announced today that employees' share of Federal Employees Health Benefits Program premiums will jump an average of 10.9% in 2027.
That is a painfulincrease, well above inflation and faster than the 9.3% rise in total premiums.
And it lands in the same year the White House has proposed freezing pay for civilian federal workers.
This is not a one-time spike. Employees' share of FEHBP premiums rose 12.3% in 2026. Stack the two years together, and hardworking public servants will pay roughly 25% more for the same coverage than they did two years ago.
Their paychecks have barely moved. Most civilian federal workers got a meager 1% raise in 2026. Next year, the White House wants to give them nothing.
Private-sector workers are doing far better. Private employers are budgeting raises of about 3.5 % this year, according to Mercer, and private-sector wages grew 3.1% over the past year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Why are federal workers hit so hard? The government only pays up to a rigid limit set by law, about 72% of the average plan's cost. Every dollar above that limit comes straight out of the worker's paycheck.
OPM's advice is to switch to a cheaper plan. For a real family, that can mean thousands of dollars in surprise out-of-pocket bills before insurance covers much of anything.
It can mean learning that a trusted family doctor or a child's longtime pediatrician doesn't take the new plan. It can mean an hour-long drive to find a specialist who does.
For a worker managing diabetes or expecting a baby, the "cheaper" plan can end up costing more by the end of the year.
And under new rules, a worker adding a newborn or a new spouse must prove it with paperwork, then wait for an agency HR office to approve it.
Many of those HR offices were gutted in Elon Musk's DOGE purge last year. Even OPM, the government's own HR agency, lost 35% of its staff, according to the Government Accountability Office. Now those skeleton crews stand between a newborn baby and health coverage.
"Federal workers face a pay freeze while their health premiums climb nearly 11%. That is a pay cut. Private employers are giving raises to keep up. Our members are getting nothing. Director Kupor can call this a good year. The nurses and officers writing the checks will not. Congress must pass a real raise and make the government pay its fair share," said AFGE National President Everett Kelley.
AFGE is urging members to take a hard look at their coverage during Open Season, which runs November 9 to December 14.
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Original text here: https://www.afge.org/link/6459e51f77c7447c8dbaaa3c2fb77171.aspx
Federal Judge Orders Bureau of Prisons to Reinstate Correctional Officers' Union Contract
WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 [Category: Union] -- The AFL-CIO American Federation of Government Employees issued the following news release:
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Federal Judge Orders Bureau of Prisons to Reinstate Correctional Officers' Union Contract
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Ruling restores workplace rights and protections for 30K BOP officers and staff represented by AFGE
WASHINGTON - A federal judge has ordered the Bureau of Prisons to reinstate the union contract covering about 30,000 correctional officers and staff represented by the American Federation of Government Employees.
On Tuesday, Sept. 29, U.S. District Judge Vernon Oliver
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 [Category: Union] -- The AFL-CIO American Federation of Government Employees issued the following news release:
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Federal Judge Orders Bureau of Prisons to Reinstate Correctional Officers' Union Contract
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Ruling restores workplace rights and protections for 30K BOP officers and staff represented by AFGE
WASHINGTON - A federal judge has ordered the Bureau of Prisons to reinstate the union contract covering about 30,000 correctional officers and staff represented by the American Federation of Government Employees.
On Tuesday, Sept. 29, U.S. District Judge Vernon Oliverof the District of Connecticut granted a preliminary injunction setting aside the Federal Bureau of Prisons' termination of the collective bargaining agreement and ordered the agency to immediately reinstate the union contract. The case was brought by the National Council of Prison Locals (AFGE Council 33) and AFGE Local 1661, which represents employees at the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut.
"We look forward to BOP promptly complying with Judge Oliver's decision and reinstating our contract," AFGE Council 33 National President Brandy Moore White said. "Our members believe in the mission of this agency and in the protections the contract provides to advance that mission. We are hopeful that management will work with us in a productive, good-faith partnership going forward to make our institutions safer for staff and the public alike."
BOP Director William Marshall III terminated the contract on Sept. 25, 2025, stripping protections from employees at the agency's 122 facilities across the United States. The same day, Marshall posted a public "Message from the Director" on BOP's website indicating that his decision to terminate the contract was based on his view of the union council.
On Nov. 13, 2025, Council 33 and Local 1661 filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut challenging the termination. The lawsuit alleges that the termination violated the Administrative Procedure Act because it was arbitrary and capricious, and that it violated the First Amendment because it was unlawful retaliation for the union's protected activity. On Dec. 22, 2025, the unions moved for a preliminary injunction on their APA claim, arguing that the termination was causing irreparable harm to the employees they represent, including by eliminating contract provisions that protect employee health and safety.
In granting the motion, Judge Oliver found that the unions are likely to succeed on their claim that the termination was arbitrary and capricious. In particular, the court found that BOP's stated justification was pretextual. BOP "published two incongruent explanations for the termination" on the same day, the court wrote, and while "an agency may have multiple reasons for its action, it cannot offer an entirely pretextual explanation that is undermined by its own contradictory assertions made the same day."
Judge Oliver also found that the unions and their members are suffering irreparable harm. He cited evidence that since the termination, BOP has disciplined and fired employees without due process protections, forced employees to work overtime in dangerous conditions, blocked union representatives from traveling to Capitol Hill to meet with members of Congress, and barred them from speaking with the media.
The court ordered BOP to immediately reinstate the contract for the remainder of its term and rejected the government's demand that the unions post an $8.75 million bond, requiring a nominal $1,000 bond instead.
"I am proud of our brothers and sisters in the Council of Prison Locals for fighting for their members' rights and safety," AFGE National President Everett Kelley said. "The court's decision rightly restores a contract that protects our correctional officers and the public. The government's termination of this contract was nothing more than an arbitrary attack on hardworking Americans, and the court saw it for exactly what it was."
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Original text here: https://www.afge.org/link/f8959227ce8a4c87ac5cb625c6a3faf1.aspx
Denver Public Sector Workers Join Teamsters
WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 [Category: Union] -- The International Brotherhood of Teamsters posted the following news release:
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Denver Public Sector Workers Join Teamsters
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Press Contact: Maura Drumm Phone: (215) 510-3735 Email: MDrumm@teamster.org
(DENVER) - Nearly 750 public sector workers in the city and county of Denver have joined the Teamsters. A group of 67 workers in the Audit Services Department and Clerk and Recorders Office have joined Teamsters Local 455, and 682 workers in the Crime Lab and Department of Transportation and Infrastructure have joined Teamsters Local 17.
"We started
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 [Category: Union] -- The International Brotherhood of Teamsters posted the following news release:
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Denver Public Sector Workers Join Teamsters
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Press Contact: Maura Drumm Phone: (215) 510-3735 Email: MDrumm@teamster.org
(DENVER) - Nearly 750 public sector workers in the city and county of Denver have joined the Teamsters. A group of 67 workers in the Audit Services Department and Clerk and Recorders Office have joined Teamsters Local 455, and 682 workers in the Crime Lab and Department of Transportation and Infrastructure have joined Teamsters Local 17.
"We startedorganizing with the Teamsters to hold the city of Denver accountable for years of conditions getting worse and failing to look out for our best interests," said Jesus "Chuy" Lopez, a member of Local 17 and a solid waste collection operator. "We need a Teamsters contract not just for us but for future workers. When workers have the dignity and respect we deserve, we have the resources to treat and serve Denver the way it deserves."
"I chose to organize so my colleagues and I could have real decision-making power, fair wages, and meaningful benefits. Denver residents deserve an Auditor's Office that provides rigorous, independent oversight regardless of who leads it," said Jordon Monk, a member of Local 455 and internal senior auditor. "Elected auditors come and go, but our commitment to Denver does not. A union contract honors that dedication and allows our office to continue producing award-winning audits year after year because the people who produce them have a reason to stay."
These organizing victories come on the heels of an over 20-year battle to get collective bargaining rights for these hardworking city and county workers. For public sector workers in Denver to have the right to organize a union, a change to the city's charter was needed. In November 2024, voters overwhelmingly supported the ballot measure allowing these workers to form a union.
"For decades, Teamsters fought alongside these workers to secure them the right to collectively bargain," said Peter Finn, Director of the Teamsters Public Services and Health Care Division and International Vice President At-Large. "With those rights secured, they were finally able to take action and work to secure a better future for themselves by joining the Teamsters. We look forward to helping this group negotiate their long awaited first contract."
Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.3 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Visit Teamster.org for more information. Follow us on X @Teamsters and on Facebook at Facebook.com/teamsters.
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Original text here: https://teamster.org/2026/09/denver-public-sector-workers-join-teamsters/
Actors' Equity Association Endorses Rebecca Bennett for United States Congress
NEW YORK, Sept. 30 [Category: Union] -- The AFL-CIO Actors Equity Association issued the following news release:
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Actors' Equity Association Endorses Rebecca Bennett for United States Congress
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New York- Actors' Equity Association's National Council has voted to endorse Rebecca Bennett's campaign for the United States House of Representatives (NJ7), on behalf of more than 51,000 actors and stage managers working in live entertainment.
"Rebecca Bennett is deeply qualified to serve the people of New Jersey in the House" said Al Vincent Jr., executive director of Actors' Equity Association.
... Show Full Article
NEW YORK, Sept. 30 [Category: Union] -- The AFL-CIO Actors Equity Association issued the following news release:
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Actors' Equity Association Endorses Rebecca Bennett for United States Congress
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New York- Actors' Equity Association's National Council has voted to endorse Rebecca Bennett's campaign for the United States House of Representatives (NJ7), on behalf of more than 51,000 actors and stage managers working in live entertainment.
"Rebecca Bennett is deeply qualified to serve the people of New Jersey in the House" said Al Vincent Jr., executive director of Actors' Equity Association."And crucially, she is a supporter of workers' rights. It's time to deliver this district into the hands of a pro-labor candidate, and we at Equity are excited to partner with her in this work."
Equity's public policy priorities include defending and protecting the right to collectively bargain, stronger federal and state arts funding, a prevailing wage in the arts, a strong minimum wage, universal federal health care, tax fairness, racial justice, gun violence prevention and LGBTQ non-discrimination protections.
Equity's ongoing list of 2026 candidate endorsements can be found here.
ACTORS' EQUITY ASSOCIATION, founded in 1913, is the U.S. labor union that represents more than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers. Equity endeavors to advance the careers of its members by negotiating wages, improving working conditions and providing a wide range of benefits (health and pension included). Member: AFL-CIO, FIA. www.actorsequity.org #EquityWorks
September 30, 2026
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Original text here: https://www.actorsequity.org/news/PR/2026/09/30/actors-equity-association-endorses-rebecca-bennett-for-united-states-congress
