SCOTUS Allows Trump's Mass Firings
And the Philadelphia DC33 strike has ended with a deal
The Supreme Court ordered Tuesday that the Trump administration can carry out mass layoffs at federal agencies. A lower court had previously stopped President Donald Trump’s February executive order to lay off tens of thousands of federal workers from taking effect. The lawsuit against that February executive order was brought by the American Federation of Government Employees and other unions.
The Supreme Court’s Tuesday order is not a final decision on the case – but it allows the administration to carry out firings while the lawsuit is heard by lower courts. Only Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, a Biden appointee, dissented from the order.
“The case represents a key test of the extent of President Trump’s power to reorganize the government without input from Congress,” the New York Times reports. “The justices’ order is technically only temporary, guiding how the administration can proceed while the challenge to Mr. Trump’s plans continues. But in practice, it means he is free to pursue his restructuring plans, even if judges later determine that they exceed presidential power.”
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District Council 33 and the city of Philadelphia have reached a deal to end the municipal workers strike, which lasted just over a week. Workers will get 3 percent annual raises – which is the amount the city had sought. “I’m not happy or satisfied with the outcome,” DC33 president Greg Boulware said about the deal. It remains to be seen if membership will vote to ratify the contract.
Connecticut Democratic Governor Ned Lamont continues to piss off the state’s labor unions, fresh off vetoing unemployment benefits for striking workers.
The United Federation of Teachers voted to endorse Zohran Mamdani for mayor.
The National Education Association Representative Assembly voted to cut ties with the Anti-Defamation League over the group’s steadfast support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza. It is now up to the NEA Executive Committee to adopt the proposal.
The Fifth Circuit reversed the Biden NLRB’s finding of union busting by Apple.
As the Teamsters Republic sanitation workers strike in Massachusetts continues, more Teamsters in Washington state and in Georgia walk off the job, also at Republic.
Today’s Win
NewsGuild journalists are pursuing a grievance against Politico for violating their contract’s AI provisions – some of the first in the industry. More context on the fight from Wired.