Worker Policy Watch
Your source for accurate and reliable information on how federal policies are shaping workers’ rights—and what’s at stake for working people nationwide under the Trump administration.
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U.S. DOL To Consider Black Lung Protection Rollback
The U.S. Department of Labor informed the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals that the Secretary of Labor intends to reconsider portions of the Silica Rule. The rule reduced exposure limits for miners to airborne silica — crystals that can reach deep into the lungs when inhaled — to 50 micrograms. The rule also called on companies to conduct more testing for silica in all types of mines and expand medical surveillance programs that are available to coal miners.
Impact: The DOL had estimated the rule would prevent more than 1,000 deaths and 3,700 cases of black lung. Mine workers are contracting black lung at younger ages, and the DOL found that disease occurs at exponentially higher rates in regions like Appalachia where intensive coal mining has been practiced for decades.
Trump Nominates Carter Crow to be EEOC General Counsel
President Trump nominated Carter Crow to be General Counsel of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Crow is a Houston-based attorney whose career has focused on representing corporations in employment cases, with an emphasis on wage and hour claims. In a recent interview, Crow stated that he is “strongly supportive of all of the priorities” of EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas.
Impact: The EEOC general counsel plays a critical role in enforcing our federal civil rights laws in the workplace. EEOC Chair Lucas and Commissioner Panuccio have made it clear that they see President Trump, not the law, as their highest authority. They have followed Trump's lead in targeting LGBTQ workers, immigrant workers, and more. If confirmed, Carter Crow must follow the law and the agency’s mission, not Trump, Lucas, and Panuccio. The Senate must scrutinize Crow’s record and hold him accountable to that responsibility.
Federal Judge Indefinitely Blocks Mass Layoffs of Federal Workers During Shutdown
U.S. District Judge Susan Illston, who had issued the emergency order to block the Trump administration from issuing new layoff notices or implementing layoff notices during the government shutdown, indefinitely barred the Trump administration from doing so by issuing a temporary restraining order.
Impact:
Federal agencies are enjoined from issuing layoff notices or acting on notices issued since the government shut down Oct. 1.
Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks Mass Layoffs of Federal Workers During Shutdown
U.S. District Judge Susan Illston issued the emergency order to block the Trump administration for issuing new layoff notices or implementing layoff notices sent out last Friday to federal workers.
Impact: The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and other federal labor unions had asked Judge Illston for a temporary restraining order, saying the layoffs are an illegal abuse of power by the Trump administration.
Trump Begins Unlawful Layoffs of Federal Workers During Government Shutdown
The Trump administration has begun laying off thousands of federal workers in an effort to reduce the federal workforce during the government shutdown and pressure Democrat members of congress to accept his demands.
Impact:
An estimated four thousand federal workers across seven major departments and agencies received layoff notices on Friday, October 10. Unions representing federal workers quickly denounced the attempted firings as illegal and criticized the Trump administration for trying to use federal workers as a bargaining chip for Republicans in the government shutdown.
The Trump Administration Threatens to Withhold Backpay from Federal Employees Once the Shutdown Ends
In spite of the very clear language of The Government Employee Fair Treament Act of 2019, which Trump himself signed into law, he and his administration claim they don't have to give federal employees backpay once they return to work.
Impact:
This is the latest example of the administration using hard working public servants as pawns in their political fights. There is no basis in law, fact, or historical tradition to deny backpay.
The Senate Confirms James Woodruff as a Member of the Merit Systems Protection Board
Woodruff was confirmed on a straight party line vote.
Impact:
The MSPB now has a quorum, which means it can take up the cases of federal employees who believe their rights have been violated, but with a Republican majority, there are worries that the MSPB will rubber-stamp the Trump administration's actions in firing so many workers.
The Senate Confirms Brittany Panuccio as a Commissioner on the EEOC
Panuccio has virtually no relevant professional experience and as she made clear in her confirmation hearing, she will be a rubber stamp for the Trump administration's attack on civil rights.
Impact:
The EEOC now has a quorum, which means it can start reversing important guidance that protects LGBTQ+ workers, people with criminal records, and other workers from discrimination and harassment in the workplace.
The Senate Confirms a Number of Nominees, Including Jonathan Berry, Andrew Rogers, and David Keeling to Positions in DOL
Berry, the author of the labor and employment chapter of Project 2025, which calls for loosening restrictions against child labor, waivers of federal wage and hour laws, and an all-out abandonment of protections for LGBTQ+ workers, has been confirmed as the Solicitor of Labor. Keeling is the head of OSHA and Rogers is the Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division.
Impact:
All have a decidedly pro-business orientation, but Berry's views on the rights of workers are far outside the mainstream and his confirmation is grave cause for concern.
Black Women Disproportionately Impacted By Trump Administration Layoffs and Policy Changes
Around 300,000 Black women have exited the labor force in the U.S. in the past three months driven largely by layoffs and policy changes under the Trump administration, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics and other experts.
Impact:
In addition to the mass firings and layoffs of federal workers, the Trump administration’s crackdown on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility has changed the workforce landscape in the corporate world, leading to large numbers of Black women leaving the workforce.