Karla Walter

Women Are Driving the Rise in Union Member Support for Democrats Working-class and college-educated union women increasingly support Democratic Party presidential candidates, but support is lower among working-class union men.

Our new report analyzes why union member support for Democrats reached a recent high during the 2024 election after falling to a low point during Donald Trump's first presidential election in 2016. www.americanprogressaction.org/article/wome...

Oregon labor bureau gets $19M budget boost to tackle wage claim backlog • Oregon Capital Chronicle Oregon’s labor bureau says it will stop prioritizing wage claims based on income by the end of 2025 after a significant funding boost.

More resources to fight #WageTheft. A very good outcome from the 2025 Oregon legislative session

Trump’s Department of Labor is dismantling key workplace protections Congress has failed workers for decades. Policymakers have not raised the minimum wage in nearly 20 years. They have not passed legislation to fix our nation’s broken labor law, leaving the National L...

Trump’s Dept of Labor is dismantling key workplace protections. They include:
❌ Weakening protections from asbestos & other harmful chemicals on the job
❌ Letting companies pay home care workers less than the minimum wage
❌ Rolling back protections for farmworkers

www.epi.org/blog/trumps-...

After a child care worker is detained by ICE, a community is left reeling Nicolle Orozco Forero is one of the thousands of immigrant women who provide child care for American children, and one of the few who cares for children with disabilities. Now she and her seriously il...

Beautiful story by @chabeli.bsky.social about the many horrible ripples caused by ICE's detention of one childcare provider 19thnews.org/2025/07/chil...

With the @nlrbgov.bsky.social sidelined and workers under attack, should states step in to protect organizing rights? Lynn Rhinehart unpacks the promise and peril of opening the door to more state labor policy in a new @poweratwork.bsky.social piece! Read now at poweratwork.us/opening-door...!

Disinvestment in the public sector undermines opportunities for Black women across the South: Trump cuts further threaten key services for working people across the nation In many states across the South, the public sector is a key driver of economic growth and improvements in most Southerners’ quality of life. The public sector includes workers in federal, state, and l...

Disinvestment in the public sector undermines opportunities for Black women across the South: Trump cuts further threaten key services for working people across the nation www.epi.org/blog/disinve...

@jdscholten.bsky.social is right. Republicans like Trump are too cozy with billionaire CEOs to call them out on their B.S.

State Legislators Fighting for the Working Class Please join the Center for American Progress Action Fund and State Innovation Exchange (SiX) Action for a discussion with state lawmakers on how to promote a policy agenda to support the working…

Trump is ready to throw the working class under the bus to nab a tax break for billionaires. State legislators who fight for the working class are more important now than ever. Join us tomorrow for a virtual event w/ experts across the country!

Despite Musk’s Departure, Trump’s War Against Unions and Workers Will Continue While DOGE made headlines for firing tens of thousands of federal workers, Elon Musk’s departure will not slow down the Trump administration’s efforts to end collective bargaining for more than 1 mill...

Despite Musk’s Departure, Trump’s War Against Unions and Workers Will Continue www.americanprogress.org/article/desp...

State Legislators Fighting for the Working Class Please join the Center for American Progress Action Fund and State Innovation Exchange (SiX) Action for a discussion with state lawmakers on how to promote a policy agenda to support the working class...

Hey friends: You can RSVP now to attend a CAPAction and SIX online conversation (Tues, 6/25, 12-1 ET) with state lawmakers on fighting for an economic agenda to support working class residents.

Former NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo testified in front of the @democrats-edworkforce.house.gov.

"At the same time that corporations and billionaires are pushing for more tax cuts at the expense of working families, they're also trying to squelch worker action, worker power, worker voice."

Democrats, Stop Talking at Workers. Start Listening to Them | Opinion To learn what keeps workers up at night all one must do is ask them. Just #Listen2Workers.

"Only through consistent, personal engagement will legislators regain trust at a moment when trust in government is steadily declining, and less than half of working class people still believe in the American Dream."

www.newsweek.com/democrats-st...

Rep. Budzinski says passing the PRO Act is the way to connect with working-class voters — from my discussion with @repcasar.bsky.social and @budzinski.house.gov last week on the future of working-class voters.

Consistent and outspoken action on policies to rebalance power in the U.S. economy will demonstrate who actually stands with workers.

And requires the rich to pay their fair share:

And fighting back against administration's attacks on unions:

A working class/college educated coalition that starts with defending Medicaid:

And defend against Trumps attacks on unions:

Republican Mega-Bill Charges Federal Workers for Basic Rights on the Job If the spending bill is passed, an estimated three-quarters of eligible federal workers may be coerced into at-will employment.

Important story from American Prospect's ‪@emmarjanssen.bsky.social‬ on reconciliation bill's sneaky provision that could undermine federal workers' ability to defend themselves and stand up against cuts to critical services

Stellantis battery joint venture workers in Indiana authorize UAW representation StarPlus Energy, the partnership between Stellantis and Samsung SDI, has agreed to recognize the union in representing the 420 workers at the site.

"StarPlus Energy joins battery workers under the UAW at Ultium Cells LLC, the joint venture between General Motors Co. and LG Energy Solution Ltd."

www.detroitnews.com/story/busine...

Representing Working-Class Voters Please join the Center for American Progress Action Fund for a discussion with congressional representatives about how best to promote an agenda for today’s working class.

Join us on June 4 for a discussion about today’s working class with Representative Greg Casar (D-TX), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and Representative Nikki Budzinski (D-IL), vice chair for policy of the New Democrat Coalition.

www.americanprogressaction.org/events/repre...

Check out my clip on C-SPAN's Washington Journal talking about Trump admin's efforts to undermine unionized workers and worker protections:
www.c-span.org/program/wash...

The Trump Administration Ended Collective Bargaining for 1 Million Federal Workers The Trump administration claims to speak for American workers, but it took away the collective bargaining rights of 1 in every 15 workers protected by a union contract.

New analysis from my colleague Aurelia Glass @jaureliaglass.bsky.social: Administration is revoking bargaining rights of more than 80 percent of unionized federal workers - including workers who inspect food, protect mine workers, and keep nuclear power plants

New from me: the House GOP bill would cut Medicaid & CHIP by 12-14%, growing higher over time - the largest in history.

There's $792 bn of gross Medicaid & CHIP cuts (mostly Medicaid). There are $76 bn of total health offsetting interactive effects (mostly Medicaid), so the true cut is $716-792 bn.

DOGE went looking for phone fraud at SSA — and found almost none Since SSA installed new anti-fraud checks on claims made over the phone, only two claims out of over 110,000 were found to likely be fraudulent, according to internal documents obtained by Nextgov/FCW...

This is a HUGE scandal.

Elon Musk, JD Vance, and Trump are lying about Social Security fraud.

Internal documents show DOGE found "no significant fraud"—but did slow retirement claim processing by 25%.

Nothing efficient about making it harder for people to get their benefits.

Group photo of Sesame Street workers holding their firsts high with graphics showing the logo of their new union and the winning vote tally, 55-19

Sesame Street is officially UNION! Workers at Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit behind Sesame Street, have voted 55-19 to join @opeiulocal153.bsky.social

Huge congrats to @sesameworkersunion.bsky.social! “We can officially say that today, May 15th, is brought to you by the letter U!”

Kennedy Center employees announce plans to unionize Staffers asked the National Labor Relations Board to oversee a union vote. They criticized leaders at the arts center for layoffs and a lack of transparency under President Donald Trump.

Workers at the Kennedy Center have faced layoffs, censorship and uncertainty from management about their jobs. Now, they’re organizing.

Congrats to the Kennedy Center United Arts Workers on announcing their intent to unionize.

We’re walking out this week. And it’s not simply over a shirt color.

It’s about respect, rights, and a real contract.

How software giant Workday is driving state legislation to regulate AI Workday, a top developer of human resources tools that harness AI, has drawn the attention of civil liberties advocates for its efforts to promote its own model for AI legislation in multiple state le...

Yep
therecord.media/human-resour...

Per Garafolo: "It’s only when states are seeking to protect consumers or workers that, suddenly, state laws become a problem and a national standard becomes imperative."