Featured Stories
AFSCME: Government Drops Appeal, Preserving Win for Plaintiffs in Challenge to Trump-Vance Administration's Weaponization of Public Service Loan Forgiveness
WASHINGTON, Oct. 23 -- The AFL-CIO AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees) issued the following news release:
* * *
October 22, 2026
Government Drops Appeal, Preserving Win for Plaintiffs in Challenge to Trump-Vance Administration's Weaponization of Public Service Loan Forgiveness
Broad Coalition of Nonprofit Organizations, Local Governments, and Labor Unions Successfully Stop Unlawful Effort to Punish Perceived Political Opponents
-
Boston - The Trump-Vance administration has abandoned its appeal in National Council of Nonprofits et al. v. McMahon, a case brought
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Oct. 23 -- The AFL-CIO AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees) issued the following news release:
* * *
October 22, 2026
Government Drops Appeal, Preserving Win for Plaintiffs in Challenge to Trump-Vance Administration's Weaponization of Public Service Loan Forgiveness
Broad Coalition of Nonprofit Organizations, Local Governments, and Labor Unions Successfully Stop Unlawful Effort to Punish Perceived Political Opponents
-
Boston - The Trump-Vance administration has abandoned its appeal in National Council of Nonprofits et al. v. McMahon, a case broughtby a broad coalition of nonprofit organizations, more than a dozen local governments, and labor unions against the U.S. Department of Education. The case stopped a new rule that would have allowed the Secretary of Education to disqualify government and nonprofit employers that disagree with the administration's policies from a program intended to support borrowers working in public service jobs.
Earlier this year, a federal court ordered the Trump-Vance administration to stop its unlawful rewriting of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program as a way of silencing nonprofit organizations and local governments that do work that runs counter to the administration's political agenda. The government had filed an appeal of the ruling, but on Wednesday submitted a joint stipulation of dismissal, which will formally end the matter and ensure the new rule will never take effect.
Plaintiffs in the case include the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), City of Albuquerque, City of Boston, City of Chicago, City and County of San Francisco, County of Santa Clara, Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, Legal Aid DC, National Association of Social Workers, National Council of Nonprofits, Oasis Legal Services, American Federation of Teachers, and National Education Association. The coalition is represented by Democracy Forward and Protect Borrowers in this matter; the County of Santa Clara and City and County of San Francisco represent themselves.
"The Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program was created so public service workers can pursue careers serving their communities without being burdened with debilitating debt," said AFSCME President Patrick Moran. "Countless essential workers rely on this program, and weaponizing it for political purposes would hurt not just these workers but the communities they serve. We're glad the administration is now following the law and abandoning this illegal scheme."
Quotes from additional plaintiffs included in the coalition about the court's ruling are available here (https://democracyforward.org/news/press-releases/statements-government-drops-appeal-preserving-win-for-plaintiffs-in-challenge-to-trump-vance-administrations-weaponization-of-public-service-loan-forgiveness/).
The legal team on this case includes Sarah Goetz, Victoria Nugent, Simon Brewer, Jennifer Fountain Connolly, and Robin Thurston from Democracy Forward, Persis Yu and Winston Berkman-Breen from Protect Borrowers, and attorneys from the County of Santa Clara Office of the County Counsel and San Francisco City Attorney's Office.
Read the opinion that decided the case here (https://democracyforward.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/ECF-113-Memorandum-Opinion.pdf) and learn more about the case here (https://democracyforward.org/work/legal/challenging-the-trump-vance-administrations-weaponization-of-public-service-loan-forgiveness-to-target-critics/).
* * *
AFSCME's 1.4 million members provide the vital services that make America happen. With members in communities across the nation, serving in hundreds of different occupations -- from nurses to corrections officers, childcare providers to sanitation workers -- AFSCME advocates for fairness in the workplace, excellence in public services and freedom and opportunity for all working families.
* * *
Original text here: https://afscme.org/press/releases/government-drops-appeal-preserving-win-for-plaintiffs-in-challenge-to-trump-vance-administrations-weaponization-of-public-service-loan-forgiveness/
[Category: Union]
Ford Plant Health Clinic Providers Vote to Join UAW
DETROIT, Michigan, Oct. 22 [Category: Union] -- The United Automobile Workers posted the following news:
* * *
Ford Plant Health Clinic Providers Vote to Join UAW
*
The nurses and providers who care for our members at Ford plants across the country are now joining UAW themselves.
On October 20th, the three registered nurses at the Chicago Stamping Plant voted unanimously for their union in an NLRB election.
The previous day, the physician assistant at Kansas City Assembly voted in a self-determination election to be a part of the nurses bargaining unit at Kansas City. They are the first physician
... Show Full Article
DETROIT, Michigan, Oct. 22 [Category: Union] -- The United Automobile Workers posted the following news:
* * *
Ford Plant Health Clinic Providers Vote to Join UAW
*
The nurses and providers who care for our members at Ford plants across the country are now joining UAW themselves.
On October 20th, the three registered nurses at the Chicago Stamping Plant voted unanimously for their union in an NLRB election.
The previous day, the physician assistant at Kansas City Assembly voted in a self-determination election to be a part of the nurses bargaining unit at Kansas City. They are the first physicianassistant to be added to the Ford Salaried Agreement. Plant nurses are also salaried employees.
In April of this year, the nurses at Ford Chicago Assembly plant started this momentum by voting to join the UAW.
"I'm excited to welcome the nurses at the Chicago Stamping Plant to the UAW," Region 4 Director Lucas DeSpain said. "They work for Ford too, and they deserve the ability to protect their rights and interests just like their coworkers on the line do."
"The nurses, physician assistants, and other health care providers at Ford plants play a vital role in keeping our members healthy and safe at work. We are honored to have them join our union. We look forward to protecting their rights and ensuring they are also treated fairly by Ford," said UAW Vice President Laura Dickerson, Ford Department Director. "Ford plant clinic workers are welcome in the UAW, and we encourage them to join us."
***
Original text here: https://uaw.org/ford-plant-health-clinic-providers-vote-to-join-uaw/
Share your perspective in the 2026 Public Service Viewpoint Survey
WASHINGTON, Oct. 21 [Category: Union] -- The National Federation of Federal Employees issued the following news release:
* * *
Share your perspective in the 2026 Public Service Viewpoint Survey
*
As a federal employee, you have firsthand insight into what helps your team succeed, what challenges affect your work and how well your organization is positioned to serve the public. To gather those experiences, we are excited to partner with the Partnership for Public Service(opens in new tab) to administer the 2026 Public Service Viewpoint Survey.
We invite you to complete the Public Service Viewpoint
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Oct. 21 [Category: Union] -- The National Federation of Federal Employees issued the following news release:
* * *
Share your perspective in the 2026 Public Service Viewpoint Survey
*
As a federal employee, you have firsthand insight into what helps your team succeed, what challenges affect your work and how well your organization is positioned to serve the public. To gather those experiences, we are excited to partner with the Partnership for Public Service(opens in new tab) to administer the 2026 Public Service Viewpoint Survey.
We invite you to complete the Public Service ViewpointSurvey(opens in new tab):
The results(opens in new tab) of the Public Service Viewpoint Survey will provide an independent, standardized and publicly available view of federal government employees. The findings will help Congress, federal leaders, policymakers and the public better understand how management decisions are impacting mission delivery and workplace culture.
The Partnership for Public Service is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that has analyzed federal workforce data across four presidential administrations and has produced the Best Places to Work in the Federal Government rankings and analysis since 2003. Last year, in the absence of the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey, the Partnership administered the 2025 Public Service Viewpoint Survey and released the findings on their website(opens in new tab). The findings were also covered by dozens of media outlets including Politico(opens in new tab) and Bloomberg News(opens in new tab).
Your participation is voluntary and confidential. The Partnership's data team will only use personally identifiable information or demographic data for survey administration and analysis. Findings shared publicly will be anonymized to prevent individual employees or their responses from being identified, and data for demographic groups with fewer than 30 respondents will not be shared outside the Partnership.
Please complete the survey outside your normal working hours by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on Dec. 4, 2026. The survey should take about 10 minutes.
Finally, if you are interested in sharing information about the survey to your networks, please feel free to reference the survey's communications toolkit(opens in new tab).
Questions may be directed to psvs@ourpublicservice.org(opens in new tab).
***
Original text here: https://www.nffe.org/nffe_news/share-your-perspective-in-the-2026-public-service-viewpoint-survey/
National Education Union: IPPR Research Calls for SATs Rethink
LONDON, England, Oct. 21 -- The National Education Union issued the following statement:
* * *
IPPR research calls for SATs rethink
21/10/2026
Responding to new recommendations from the IPPR on reforms to primary assessment, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said:
"IPPR's recommendations would lay the foundations for a more equitable, accessible system where teachers can focus on supporting pupils, and children can focus on developing a love of learning.
"The primary school assessment and accountability system fails all children, particularly disadvantaged
... Show Full Article
LONDON, England, Oct. 21 -- The National Education Union issued the following statement:
* * *
IPPR research calls for SATs rethink
21/10/2026
Responding to new recommendations from the IPPR on reforms to primary assessment, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said:
"IPPR's recommendations would lay the foundations for a more equitable, accessible system where teachers can focus on supporting pupils, and children can focus on developing a love of learning.
"The primary school assessment and accountability system fails all children, particularly disadvantagedpupils and those with SEND. NEU members know that change is long-overdue and cannot wait.
"The government cannot possibly hope to address the causes of disengagement from learning without recognising that this begins in primary school.
"SATs have a devastating impact on disadvantaged children and those with SEND by labelling many a 'failure', narrowing the curriculum, reducing enrichment, and failing to capture what pupils know and can do.
"While we still need to see SATs scrapped, the NEU supports IPPR's recommendation to remove the draconian, universally unpopular SPaG test and the recommendation to end the publication of school-level data.
"The education secretary recently said we need to go beyond a one-size-fits-all system that sets too many up to fail. It's time to put words into action."
* * *
Original text here: https://neu.org.uk/latest/press-releases/ippr-research-calls-sats-rethink?_locale=en
[Category: Union]
How NFFE-IAM Union Members Can Get Involved in This Critical Election
WASHINGTON, Oct. 21 [Category: Union] -- The National Federation of Federal Employees issued the following news release:
* * *
How NFFE-IAM Union Members Can Get Involved in This Critical Election
*
The Nov. 3 Election Day is approaching quickly, and we need all hands on deck to help elect candidates who will actually work for working people.
If you've been waiting to get involved, now is the time! Here are a few things you can do right now:
1. Sign up to be a poll worker, and help your community vote safely and easily!
Our elections depend on people like us who make sure voting runs smoothly
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Oct. 21 [Category: Union] -- The National Federation of Federal Employees issued the following news release:
* * *
How NFFE-IAM Union Members Can Get Involved in This Critical Election
*
The Nov. 3 Election Day is approaching quickly, and we need all hands on deck to help elect candidates who will actually work for working people.
If you've been waiting to get involved, now is the time! Here are a few things you can do right now:
1. Sign up to be a poll worker, and help your community vote safely and easily!
Our elections depend on people like us who make sure voting runs smoothlyand everyone's vote is counted. You can make sure we have safe, fair and efficient elections for all. Step up today to become a poll worker for the next election in your community.
Training will be provided, and some local jurisdictions may pay poll workers a stipend! Learn more: go.aflcio.org/ptp(opens in new tab)
2. Find a volunteer event, either in person or virtual.
Early and absentee voting is underway in many states, and IAM Union members are already on the ground knocking on doors, staffing community events, making phone calls and sending text messages. If you are not able to attend an event in person, you can join a national virtual event like a phone bank. IAM Union members are a trusted part of our communities, so we need every member and supporter talking to their neighbors about the importance of voting in 2026. Find an event: mobilize.us/aflcio/(opens in new tab)
3. Not sure how you want to help? Fill out the volunteer form.
If you're not sure what you want to do yet, but you still want to be involved, sign the AFL-CIO's volunteer form and someone will reach out to connect you with opportunities that work for you. Sign up here: go.aflcio.org/volunteer(opens in new tab)
People are engaged and excited, and we're seeing sky-high energy and optimism across the country as we fight for real change for working people. IAM Union members have the power to make a difference. Please join us.
***
Original text here: https://www.nffe.org/nffe_news/how-nffe-iam-union-members-can-get-involved-in-this-critical-election/
Houlton Regional Hospital's Board of Trustees fail to respond to nurses' vote of no confidence in CEO Jeff Zewe
SILVER SPRING, Maryland, Oct. 21 [Category: Union] -- National Nurses United posted the following news release:
* * *
Houlton Regional Hospital's Board of Trustees fail to respond to nurses' vote of no confidence in CEO Jeff Zewe
*
Nurses release their letter of no confidence, detailing numerous examples of declining standards under Zewe's tenure
Registered nurses at Houlton Regional Hospital (HRH) in Houlton, Maine, released their letter of no confidence, following the Board of Trustees' failure to respond to their concerns about CEO Jeff Zewe. The nurses, who are members of Maine State Nurses
... Show Full Article
SILVER SPRING, Maryland, Oct. 21 [Category: Union] -- National Nurses United posted the following news release:
* * *
Houlton Regional Hospital's Board of Trustees fail to respond to nurses' vote of no confidence in CEO Jeff Zewe
*
Nurses release their letter of no confidence, detailing numerous examples of declining standards under Zewe's tenure
Registered nurses at Houlton Regional Hospital (HRH) in Houlton, Maine, released their letter of no confidence, following the Board of Trustees' failure to respond to their concerns about CEO Jeff Zewe. The nurses, who are members of Maine State NursesAssociation/National Nurses Organizing Committee, had sent a petition of no confidence in Zewe to the board of trustees in July 2026.
Nurses held a two-day strike in Nov. 2025 and a four-day strike in May 2026 to protect their staffing language. Zewe continues to demand that nurses give up this language, which would keep patients safe by a) limiting the number of patients each nurse can be required to take care of and b) requiring a minimum number of nurses remain available for emergency department patients.
"We are greatly saddened that the Houlton Regional Hospital Board of Trustees didn't keep its word to listen to employees," according to a statement provided by MSNA's bargaining committee at HRH, which includes: Tori Quint, RN in the operating room, Mary Howland, RN in the acute care department, Erin Mitchell, RN in the emergency department, Cassidy Hardy, RN in acute care, Brooke Howland, RN in acute care, Christina Schimdt, RN in the operating room, and Kelli Lawlor, RN in the operating room.
The bargaining committee continued, "We presented the Board of Trustees with a letter of no confidence and invited the Board to a meeting to hear from nurses. They didn't show up. All we've heard is silence."
The nurses of Houlton Regional Hospital overwhelmingly signed a petition of no confidence in CEO Jeff Zewe for the following reasons:
* Failure to provide continuity of care;
* Failure to retain staff and local expertise;
* Diminishing security capacity;
* Failure to staff appropriately;
* Failure to reach a fair contract;
* Reliance on outside consultants; and
* Creating an unhealthy culture.
The complete letter of no confidence expanding on the above details can be found here.
Jeff Zewe is also CEO of Northern Maine Medical Center, in Fort Kent, Maine, where more than half of the ER nurses have resigned due to the unsafe and unsustainable conditions set by the management.
MSNA/NNOC represents 55 nurses at Houlton Regional Hospital.
Maine State Nurses Association is part of National Nurses Organizing Committee, representing 4,000 nurses and other caregivers from Portland to Fort Kent. NNOC is an affiliate of National Nurses United, the largest and fastest-growing labor union of registered nurses in the United States with more than 225,000 members nationwide.
***
Original text here: https://www.nationalnursesunited.org/press/houlton-regional-hospitals-board-of-trustees-fail-to-respond-to-nurses-vote-of-no-confidence (TNSmlt)
2027 IAM Scholarship Competition is Accepting Applications!
WASHINGTON, Oct. 21 [Category: Union] -- The National Federation of Federal Employees issued the following news release:
* * *
2027 IAM Scholarship Competition is Accepting Applications!
*
The 2027 IAM Scholarship Competition opened on Oct. 1, 2026 and will be accepting applications through Feb. 5, 2027. Entries are accepted online. The competition is open to members of NFFE-IAM with two years of continuous service and their children who are current high school seniors throughout the United States and Canada.
Interested parties can find a link to the online applications, rules, and general
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Oct. 21 [Category: Union] -- The National Federation of Federal Employees issued the following news release:
* * *
2027 IAM Scholarship Competition is Accepting Applications!
*
The 2027 IAM Scholarship Competition opened on Oct. 1, 2026 and will be accepting applications through Feb. 5, 2027. Entries are accepted online. The competition is open to members of NFFE-IAM with two years of continuous service and their children who are current high school seniors throughout the United States and Canada.
Interested parties can find a link to the online applications, rules, and generalinformation on the IAM Scholarship Competition page or you can download the official calls below.
2027 Scholarship Competition Official Call and Eligibility: English | French | Eligibility
The IAM has a vocational-technical two-year scholarship for members and their children, which is also included in the scholarship awards.
The IAM Scholarship Fund, used exclusively to make these awards possible, was established by the 1960 IAM Grand Lodge Convention delegates.
You can learn more and apply online at the IAM Scholarship website.
***
Original text here: https://www.nffe.org/nffe_news/2027-iam-scholarship-competition-is-accepting-applications/
