Featured Stories
Flight Attendants Cheer Call for Historic Vote for Union Pacific Train Dispatchers to Join ATDA
WASHINGTON, Oct. 31 -- The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA issued the following news release:
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Flight Attendants Cheer Call for Historic Vote for Union Pacific Train Dispatchers to Join ATDA
Washington, D.C. (October 29, 2026) -- Following the determination by the National Media Board (NMB) that Train Dispatchers at Union Pacific Railroad collected enough cards to trigger an election for union representation under the Railway Labor Act, Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA) International President Sara Nelson released the following statement:
"Flight Attendants stand shoulder-to-shoulder
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Oct. 31 -- The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA issued the following news release:
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Flight Attendants Cheer Call for Historic Vote for Union Pacific Train Dispatchers to Join ATDA
Washington, D.C. (October 29, 2026) -- Following the determination by the National Media Board (NMB) that Train Dispatchers at Union Pacific Railroad collected enough cards to trigger an election for union representation under the Railway Labor Act, Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA) International President Sara Nelson released the following statement:
"Flight Attendants stand shoulder-to-shoulderwith the Train Dispatchers at Union Pacific, and we can't wait to officially welcome them as Union members with the American Train Dispatchers Association (ATDA).
"Train Dispatchers have done the hard work to build solidarity in the face of corporate opposition, and Flight Attendants stand with them as they move to a vote to secure what every worker deserves: democracy in the workplace and the right to negotiate over pay, job security, due process, working conditions, and benefits, along with a legal voice at work for their future at Union Pacific. Our union stands shoulder to shoulder with Train Dispatchers every step of the way as they secure their union and negotiate their contract.
"As Flight Attendants at Delta Air Lines move ever closer to filing for their union election, we are inspired to see other workers doing the same. The working class needs unions to tackle the massive inequality that's choking our economy and democracy. And we're going to get them and build the power we need to take back our money, our time, and our fair share of the profits we create."
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The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA is the Flight Attendant union. AFA has been the leader in advancing the Flight Attendant profession for over 80 years. Serving as the voice for Flight Attendants in the workplace, in the aviation industry, in the media and on Capitol Hill, AFA has transformed the Flight Attendant profession by raising wages, benefits, working conditions, and public awareness about the role of aviation's first responders. Over 55,000 Flight Attendants come together to form AFA, part of the 500,000-member strong Communications Workers of America (CWA), AFL-CIO. Visit us at www.afacwa.org.
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Original text here: https://afacwa.org/flight-attendants-cheer-call-for-historic-vote-for-union-pacific-train-dispatchers-to-join-atda/
[Category: Union]
AFSCME: DOJ and DHS Sued Over Baseless Threats to Prosecute Election Workers
WASHINGTON, Oct. 31 -- The AFL-CIO AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees) issued the following news release:
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DOJ and DHS Sued over Baseless Threats to Prosecute Election Workers
Unions representing election workers, nonprofit voter organizations challenge DOJ's attempt to intimidate and coerce election workers into disenfranchising eligible voters.
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Washington, D.C. (October 30, 2026)--A coalition of unions, voting, civil rights, and immigrants rights groups sued the U.S. Departments of Justice (DOJ) and Homeland Security (DHS) to stop the administration's
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Oct. 31 -- The AFL-CIO AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees) issued the following news release:
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DOJ and DHS Sued over Baseless Threats to Prosecute Election Workers
Unions representing election workers, nonprofit voter organizations challenge DOJ's attempt to intimidate and coerce election workers into disenfranchising eligible voters.
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Washington, D.C. (October 30, 2026)--A coalition of unions, voting, civil rights, and immigrants rights groups sued the U.S. Departments of Justice (DOJ) and Homeland Security (DHS) to stop the administration'sescalating efforts to intimidate election workers and interfere with state administration of the upcoming midterm elections. The groups also asked the court to issue a temporary restraining order blocking the DOJ from further actions until the suit is resolved. The lawsuit alleges that the administration's threats violate a slew of federal laws, including prohibitions against efforts to "intimidate, coerce, or threaten" election workers.
In a letter on Oct. 13, Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter demanded that the California Secretary of State and Los Angeles County Registrar of Voters sequester the ballots of approximately 20,000 registered voters. DOJ then followed that demand with similar letters to county officials across the state threatening the criminal prosecution of any election worker who participated in processing a ballot cast by people on DOJ's list of suspected ineligible voters.
On Oct. 28, a federal judge roundly rejected the administration's threats to election workers and effort to invalidate ballots from voters on its list, writing that it "would wreak havoc and disrupt the election that is already underway, create a chilling effect on election workers and voters alike, and discount the votes of United States citizens." In that same ruling, the judge advised DOJ that "these threats must stop."
Despite that warning, DOJ intensified its intimidation campaign by reportedly opening a criminal investigation, "issuing grand jury subpoenas to local election officials," and sending letters to all 50 states warning them that they could be criminally prosecuted for violating federal election laws.
The plaintiffs in the newly filed litigation are American Federation Of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the League Of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). They are represented by Altshuler Berzon LLP, Democracy Defenders Fund, Protect Democracy, and the Legal Defense Fund.
"AFSCME members in California and many other states are proud to serve their communities as election workers, carrying out their nonpartisan civil service faithfully to help ensure free and fair elections for our democracy. They deserve better than threats of criminal prosecution from this administration simply for following the law. It's essential that the court acts to ensure that elections workers can do their jobs without these threats hanging over their heads. Our democracy and futures depend on it," said AFSCME President Patrick Moran.
"No one should go to work fearing that doing their job could land them in jail. Election workers deserve to feel safe and respected while making sure every eligible voter can cast a ballot and have it counted," said SEIU International President April Verrett. "SEIU represents more than 3,000 workers across the country who help run elections. They're our family, neighbors and friends, putting in long hours to make sure our elections are safe. We will not stand by while the DOJ threatens our members and our democracy, and targets communities because of their race or how they vote. Voters--and voters alone--will decide our elections. We will not be intimidated."
"The current DOJ is attempting to use the levers of our nation's legal system to threaten and intimidate local election officials in an attempt to disrupt our free and democratic elections," said Kristen Clarke, General Counsel of the NAACP. "As it has for over a century, the NAACP is taking a stand to protect the fundamental right to vote."
"The Trump administration is threatening California election workers with criminal prosecution to frighten them into setting aside ballots cast by registered voters," said Juan Proano, CEO of LULAC. "Latino voters have seen governments draw up lists of supposed noncitizens before, and those lists have swept up eligible citizens and cost them their votes. LULAC is in court so every eligible Californian's ballot gets counted and the people who process those ballots can do their jobs without fear."
"The hard-working civil servants who administer elections for state and local governments across the country do not deserve to be threatened with criminal prosecution for doing their jobs according to state and federal law, and the U.S. Constitution," said Danielle Leonard, Altshuler Berzon LLP."We are asking the Court to apply the law and protect these important workers and voters from these unlawful actions."
"It's illegal to intimidate, threaten, or coerce election workers or voters," said Jared Davidson, Counsel & Program Lead of Free and Fair Elections for Protect Democracy. "That's as true for federal law enforcement as it is for anyone else. These mob-style intimidation tactics by our nation's top law enforcement officials are just the latest in the Trump administration's ongoing efforts to disenfranchise voters, disrupt the election, and prevent state and local election officials from doing their jobs."
"Voter intimidation, including threats made against election officials, is not only reprehensible, but also downright illegal," said John Cusick, Assistant Counsel at the Legal Defense Fund. "We are witnessing a coordinated campaign to pressure civil servants into knowingly disenfranchising eligible voters. When election officials are forced to carry out their duties under the threat of frivolous and malicious prosecution simply for doing their jobs, it hurts voters and it hurts democracy."
"Two federal courts have already shut down their efforts to set aside the ballots of 20,000 California voters without any credible reason, and now the administration is coming after the folks on the front lines," said Tianna Mays, legal director for Democracy Defenders Fund. "These election workers are just doing their jobs and we will stand with them against these unwarranted and unlawful attacks."
The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, argues that the recent threats of prosecution by DOJ and DHS represent an escalation of a coordinated effort by the federal government to coerce election workers to stop processing and counting ballots cast by lawfully registered voters.
As the 2026 midterm election approached, and in recent weeks and days, as states and counties began administering the election, Defendants' efforts escalated dramatically. Defendants sent states and counties new lists of names of voters whom Defendants assert are registered to vote but "likely" ineligible non-citizens.
The plaintiffs are asking the court to put a stop to the administration's efforts to disqualify registered voters, end the campaign to intimidate election workers, and reassure public officials that they will not be prosecuted for faithfully carrying out their duties under state and federal election laws.
To learn more, visit protectdemocracy.org.
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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.
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Original text here: https://afscme.org/press/releases/doj-and-dhs-sued-over-baseless-threats-to-prosecute-election-workers/
[Category: Union]
AFL-CIO's Final GOTV Push Engages Millions of Union Voters Who Will Make the Margin of Difference in Key Elections
WASHINGTON, Oct. 31 -- The AFL-CIO issued the following news release:
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AFL-CIO's Final GOTV Push Engages Millions of Union Voters Who Will Make the Margin of Difference in Key Elections
October 30, 2026
The Labor Movement's Leaders Will Join Union Members, Volunteers and Labor-Endorsed Candidates Throughout the Country in the Final Weekend
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(Washington, D.C.)--In the final weekend before Election Day, the AFL-CIO is building on its largest-ever midterm operation and getting out the vote across the country, mobilizing tens of thousands of volunteers to reach the millions of union voters
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Oct. 31 -- The AFL-CIO issued the following news release:
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AFL-CIO's Final GOTV Push Engages Millions of Union Voters Who Will Make the Margin of Difference in Key Elections
October 30, 2026
The Labor Movement's Leaders Will Join Union Members, Volunteers and Labor-Endorsed Candidates Throughout the Country in the Final Weekend
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(Washington, D.C.)--In the final weekend before Election Day, the AFL-CIO is building on its largest-ever midterm operation and getting out the vote across the country, mobilizing tens of thousands of volunteers to reach the millions of union voterswho will be the difference-makers in key races to determine control of the House and Senate.
The AFL-CIO's internal polling shows 83% of union members are "extremely motivated" about voting in this election--10 points higher than in 2022 and at least 12 points higher than any voting group polled in the latest from NPR/PBS News/Marist. Turning that off-the-chart enthusiasm into votes will demand the unique union trust and relationships with members that are built through labor's year-round organizing. That is exactly what the AFL-CIO's voter mobilization program has done for months and will do as it deploys tens of thousands of volunteers in the final days: real conversations with union members and their families at the doors, on the phones and at worksites that are laser-focused on economic concerns.
"For months, workers have been talking to their fellow workers and families. And in every community, we hear the same thing: sh*t is too expensive, and working people are sick and tired of the failed economic status quo that prioritizes billionaires over the people who make this country run," said AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler. "These conversations are at the heart of what we do--and with union members being the most credible messengers in the country, they are singularly capable of turning out the vote. Working people are ready to elect a pro-worker Congress, and we're leaving nothing to chance in the final weekend."
So far, the AFL-CIO's program has reached more than 16 million union voters and is on track to reach at least 1 million more in the final four days. It's these working people who will be decisive in determining control of Congress. Union voters will make up the margin of difference in districts from Maine to Alaska, in the South, West and Midwest. Labor-backed candidates--especially those who are union members themselves--have made once-safe seats competitive, and forced billionaires to dig deep into their pockets.
This weekend, Shuler will join union members and volunteers in Iowa and Michigan to get out the vote (GOTV) and campaign for pro-worker candidates. AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Fred Redmond will campaign in Pennsylvania and Georgia. They will be available for interviews, and media will have the opportunity to join canvasses across the battleground states during the final days.
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Original text here: https://aflcio.org/press/releases/afl-cios-final-gotv-push-engages-millions-union-voters-who-will-make-margin
[Category: Union]
Weingarten v. McMahon: Major Class Action Lawsuit Launched Against Education Secretary Over Student Loan Crisis
WASHINGTON, Oct. 30 [Category: Union] -- The AFL-CIO American Federation of Teachers issued the following news release:
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Weingarten v. McMahon: Major Class Action Lawsuit Launched Against Education Secretary Over Student Loan Crisis
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WASHINGTON--A landmark class action lawsuit filed today in federal court documents how Education Secretary Linda McMahon systematically prevented tens of thousands of public service workers from securing millions in student debt relief they are owed under federal law.
The nationwide suit, Weingarten v. McMahon, lays bare the gross mismanagement of the buyback
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Oct. 30 [Category: Union] -- The AFL-CIO American Federation of Teachers issued the following news release:
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Weingarten v. McMahon: Major Class Action Lawsuit Launched Against Education Secretary Over Student Loan Crisis
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WASHINGTON--A landmark class action lawsuit filed today in federal court documents how Education Secretary Linda McMahon systematically prevented tens of thousands of public service workers from securing millions in student debt relief they are owed under federal law.
The nationwide suit, Weingarten v. McMahon, lays bare the gross mismanagement of the buybackand other key provisions of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program by McMahon and her Department of Education. Borrowers who have applied for debt relief have had their applications are stuck in limbo, with no updates for months on end.
The case, filed Friday in federal District Court for the District of Columbia, is brought as a class action and is seeking relief for all similarly situated borrowers, not just the named plaintiffs.
"Secretary McMahon has flagrantly ignored her responsibility to help teachers, nurses and first responders under the buyback provision her department is required to honor," said AFT President Randi Weingarten, the lead plaintiff. "This provision was adopted to help people hurt by the first Trump administration's mismanagement of student debt. Instead of processing applications in good faith, McMahon has left 90,000 dedicated public employees in the lurch, forcing them further into debt while their applications just sit there. This lawsuit demands that McMahon stop stalling and do her job--to help, rather than hurt, the people she is sworn to serve."
McMahon has made it her "final mission" to "put herself out of a job" by abolishing the department she runs. She has hobbled its key functions by trying to move them elsewhere, adding to the red tape and bureaucratic dysfunction she claims to want to eliminate.
PSLF is a bipartisan loan forgiveness plan signed into law by President George W. Bush. It enables qualifying public service workers--among them teachers, nurses and first responders--to discharge their student loan balances after 120 monthly repayments.
In recent years, following changes to federal repayment plans and during the COVID-19 pandemic, loan servicers and the department often placed borrowers into forbearance or deferment for several months at a time. Under the buyback provision, borrowers can elect to pay now the amount that they would have paid during those months, have them retroactively credited to their 120-payment total, and then have their remaining debt discharged. This opportunity builds on PSLF account review opportunities negotiated by the AFT as part of a previous legal settlement.
However, by April of this year, the buyback backlog had reached nearly 90,000 applications, from the previous total of 49,000 a year earlier, with the department refusing to give an updated processing timeline. The suit alleges that as a direct result of McMahon's mismanagement, those applications have been shelved, with little or no communication with borrowers about when they might be processed. Because borrowers can only apply for a buyback when they have already worked in public service for 10 years, the department's actions are all that is standing between these borrowers having their outstanding loan balances--often totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars--forgiven through PSLF.
The complaint also details a raft of other PSLF issues, including the department clawing back previously granted PSLF credit: In August, some borrowers saw their PSLF payment counts mysteriously drop, some by 15 months or more. The department initially dismissed the error, then admitted that some earlier waiver and account-adjustment credits were being purposely rolled back. The complaint details how, in addition to the department clawing back PSLF credits, it has withheld, without explanation, recently earned qualifying payments.
"I've dedicated my career to improving the lives of children in my community. I did everything right to earn relief from my student debt," said Elizabeth Schoepflin, a speech-language pathologist, AFT member and co-plaintiff from New York. "Meanwhile, the Department of Education has ripped away the loan forgiveness credit I earned without any explanation. Every month this drags on is another payment I shouldn't have to make. I kept my end of the deal. It's time for the department to keep theirs."
The suit cites repeated violations of the Administrative Procedure Act. Plaintiffs are seeking permanent injunctive relief compelling the department to comply with its statutory obligations under the Higher Education Act to forgive the loans of all borrowers who satisfy the PSLF requirements.
"PSLF is not a handout. It is a commitment to people who dedicate their careers to public service," said David Petley, a co-plaintiff and associate AFT member from Oregon. "As a rural Oregon hospital pharmacist, I have seen firsthand how this program helps bring skilled professional public servants to communities that need them. But now, after 10-plus years of public service, I have waited a year and a half for a response to my PSLF buyback request, with no information about when it will be resolved. I am expected to keep making more expensive monthly payments in the meantime. That is unacceptable. Public servants deserve better."
"The teachers, nurses and public service workers of this country deserve the debt relief Congress promised to them, and the AFT will fight to deliver on that promise," said Protect Borrowers Senior Counsel Laura C. Dismore. "The AFT is, once again, stepping up to hold Linda McMahon accountable in court for her blatant defiance of the law. From President Trump on down, this administration is so focused on destroying what's left of the Department of Education--and blaming borrowers for the consequences--that it has lost sight of its basic obligation to the American people: lower costs and fix the economy. Public service workers and the communities they serve deserve better than more dysfunction and broken promises. The law guarantees public service workers certain rights, and we will enforce those rights wherever and whenever they are violated."
Weingarten is the lead named plaintiff, alongside AFT members and public service workers.
"This is our third case in less than two years against the Trump administration, and the AFT will not stop fighting until every teacher, nurse and public worker gets the loan forgiveness they were promised," she said. "People who dedicate their careers to serving the public should be helped by the federal government; instead, McMahon has waged a war on affordability and retied the Gordian knot we forced Betsy DeVos to unravel. That's why we're suing again."
Today's filing marks the AFT's eighth lawsuit over a decade to protect student loan borrowers from predatory loan servicers and politicians determined to make it harder for young people to pay for college. The case is effectively a successor suit to 2019's Weingarten v. DeVos, settled in October 2021, that gave applicants who had been denied a path to re-review through a PSLF reconsideration process that was ultimately codified by the Biden-era Education Department, leading to over 1 million public workers receiving $78 billion in forgiveness. In AFT v. McMahon, filed in March 2025, the union sued after McMahon blocked access to more affordable repayment plans. In November 2025, the AFT joined the National Council of Nonprofits to restore access to PSLF for work that the administration disagreed with politically.
Weingarten v. McMahon seeks to be certified as a class action to represent the interests of borrowers across the country with pending buyback applications, whose PSLF credits have been clawed back, or whose recent payments are not being counted toward PSLF.
All plaintiffs and the proposed class of borrowers are represented by Protect Borrowers and Berger Montague.
A link to the filing can be found here.
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Original text here: https://www.aft.org/press-release/weingarten-v-mcmahon-major-class-action-lawsuit-launched-against-education-secretary
UAW Members Drive Ambitious Political Operation to Oust Commissioner Responsible for 8-Month Strike
DETROIT, Michigan, Oct. 30 [Category: Union] -- The United Automobile Workers posted the following news:
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UAW Members Drive Ambitious Political Operation to Oust Commissioner Responsible for 8-Month Strike
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After months of organizing that began in the summer, the UAW is on track to knock the doors of tens of thousands of union members in Lorain County to turn out the vote against County Commissioner Jeff Riddell.
Since February 18, UAW Local 2192 members from Lorain County Job and Family Services have been out on strike due to Commissioners like Riddell refusing to bargain in good faith
... Show Full Article
DETROIT, Michigan, Oct. 30 [Category: Union] -- The United Automobile Workers posted the following news:
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UAW Members Drive Ambitious Political Operation to Oust Commissioner Responsible for 8-Month Strike
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After months of organizing that began in the summer, the UAW is on track to knock the doors of tens of thousands of union members in Lorain County to turn out the vote against County Commissioner Jeff Riddell.
Since February 18, UAW Local 2192 members from Lorain County Job and Family Services have been out on strike due to Commissioners like Riddell refusing to bargain in good faithand denying the $1 per hour raises the workforce needs to afford to survive today's affordability crisis.
Already the longest public-sector strike in Ohio's history, the Lorain Country Job and Family Services strike is weeks from becoming the longest public-sector strike in U.S. history. In May's primary, Riddell defeated his Republican opponent by only 18 votes - after initially making it into the seat in 2022 by just over 100 votes.
"We have dozens of UAW canvassers in the field across Lorain County knocking doors to elect Amy Acton, Sherrod Brown, and Carolyn White for Lorain County Commissioner," said Gina Jones, UAW Local 2192 bargaining committee co-chair and case worker on strike at Lorain County Job and Family Services. "Voters in Lorain County are sick of elected officials like Jeff Riddell who are bad at their jobs. We're facing too much of an affordability crisis that all of us are hurt by. Our strike is the clearest example of how important it is to elect people who represent the interests of the working class. We need to elect candidates of all levels of government that aren't driven by big money interests."
UAW canvassers knocking doors in Lorain County come from various workplaces represented by the UAW in the area. UAW Local 2192 members on strike during the week have been volunteering on Saturdays to join the large-scale canvass walks to reach out to UAW voters and their families about why Commissioner Jeff Riddell needs to be ousted on November 3.
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Original text here: https://uaw.org/uaw-members-drive-ambitious-political-operation-to-oust-commissioner-responsible-for-8-month-strike/
National Education Union Comment on Budget Speech
LONDON, England, Oct. 30 -- The National Education Union issued the following news release:
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NEU comment on Budget Speech
28/10/2026
Commenting on the Chancellor's statement to the Commons, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said:
"The Chancellor has failed to acknowledge that investment in our schools and colleges is a necessity, not a choice. Since 2010 schools have had their spending power cut by pound sterling4.5bn. They are at breaking point.
"The impact on children and young people's education is shocking. The list is endless, from the SEND funding
... Show Full Article
LONDON, England, Oct. 30 -- The National Education Union issued the following news release:
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NEU comment on Budget Speech
28/10/2026
Commenting on the Chancellor's statement to the Commons, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said:
"The Chancellor has failed to acknowledge that investment in our schools and colleges is a necessity, not a choice. Since 2010 schools have had their spending power cut by pound sterling4.5bn. They are at breaking point.
"The impact on children and young people's education is shocking. The list is endless, from the SEND fundingcrisis to the dilapidated state of classrooms, cuts to staffing and the courses on offer. Heads, teachers, support staff and parents are sick and tired of having to accommodate successive governments' refusal to fund our education system properly.
"Staff are trying their best to hold things together, but they are swimming against the tide.
"Money can be found. The government must halt plans to claw back the pound sterling3.3bn from reduced employer contributions to the Teachers' Pension Scheme and keep the money in school budgets.
"The value of teacher pay has already been cut by around a fifth since 2010, while support staff pay has fallen by around 26 percent in real terms over the same period with many facing in-work poverty due to low wages and term-time only contracts.
"Teacher pay cuts drive teacher shortages and therefore damage our education service. Investing in the skills of our children and young people is vital to our economy, so the government must provide the investment needed to properly value, recruit and retain the teachers we need.
"To put their money where their mouth is, the government has now to deliver the additional investment needed for schools. That is the only way to ensure every child has the education they deserve.
"We know that misogyny, sexual harassment and sexual violence have a devastating impact on the lives of too many girls, affecting every aspect of their lives including their education. The additional money to address the issue not just in schools but in wider society is welcome."
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Original text here: https://neu.org.uk/latest/press-releases/neu-comment-budget-speech?_locale=en
[Category: Union]
AFT President Weingarten Celebrates Court Order Blocking Transportation Department's Demand for CDL Drivers' Data
WASHINGTON, Oct. 30 [Category: Union] -- The AFL-CIO American Federation of Teachers issued the following news release:
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AFT President Weingarten Celebrates Court Order Blocking Transportation Department's Demand for CDL Drivers' Data
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WASHINGTON, DC-- AFT President Randi Weingarten issued the following after the United States District Court for Eastern District of Virginia stayed the federal government's demand for the private data of commercial driver's license holders in every state, in State of Illinois et al., Plaintiffs, v. U.S. Department of Transportation.
"No one's private information
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Oct. 30 [Category: Union] -- The AFL-CIO American Federation of Teachers issued the following news release:
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AFT President Weingarten Celebrates Court Order Blocking Transportation Department's Demand for CDL Drivers' Data
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WASHINGTON, DC-- AFT President Randi Weingarten issued the following after the United States District Court for Eastern District of Virginia stayed the federal government's demand for the private data of commercial driver's license holders in every state, in State of Illinois et al., Plaintiffs, v. U.S. Department of Transportation.
"No one's private informationshould be seized and weaponized as part of this administration's war on hard working immigrants. Our members -- school bus drivers, maintenance drivers, inspectors -- handed over their private information to do their jobs, not to be tracked by the federal government. This ruling is an important step forward to not only protecting the privacy of CDL drivers but a real check on the Trump administration's pattern and practice of illegal overreach.
"An earlier ruling protected drivers in only some states, but because AFT stepped in, the court has now blocked the entire federal data demand, protecting drivers in every state while this case proceeds.
"We know why the administration wants this data: the Department of Homeland Security has twice subpoenaed the same records for immigration enforcement. We implore the administration to focus on fixing our broken immigration system to create pathways to residency and citizenship, rather than using private data to detain and disappear workers who simply want to build a better life for themselves and their families."x
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Original text here: https://www.aft.org/press-release/aft-president-weingarten-celebrates-court-order-blocking-transportation-departments
