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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Work Visas Revoked for 200 Workers at Iowa Meatpacking Plant
The Trump administration has revoked the visas of hundreds of workers from Haiti, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela at an Iowa meatpacking plant who no longer have Temporary Protected Status work authorization.
Impact:
The 200 impacted workers were given notice by their employer JBS—the largest meat processor in the world—that they are no longer employed and must leave the country immediately. The Trump administration has resumed immigration raids on agricultural facilities, including meatpacking facilities. Approximately 42 percent of workers at meatpacking plants are immigrants.
Nearly 300,000 Black Women Have Left the Workforce in the Last Three Months
Largely because of federal policy choices— including the hollowing out of federal sector jobs and the attacks on diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility programs—nearly 300,000 Black women have disappeared from the workforce over the past three months.
Impact: The unemployment rate for Black women is nearly 10 percent—more than twice the rate for all workers.
Trump Signs Executive Order Creating ‘Schedule G’ Political Appointments
This new schedule, which is largely duplicative of the already existing Schedule C, will create more political appointee slots at federal agencies, making their work more partisan.
Impact: Alhough policy priorities change at federal agencies from administration to administration, the core work of agencies is supposed to remain constant regardless of political leadership. By creating more slots for political appointees at agencies, this could make the core work more political and endanger the protective and service delivery functions of government agencies.
Trump Admin Ends Labor Violation Enforcement Program for Undocumented Workers
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) sunsets the Deferred Action for Labor Enforcement (DALE) program, designed to encourage undocumented workers to come forward with labor violations.
Impact:
Under the Biden-era DALE program, undocumented workers involved in a state or federal labor investigation could apply to USCIS for four years of deferred action from deportation and temporary work authorization. The end of DALE could impede federal and state labor law enforcement efforts.
OPM Issues Memo Instructing Agencies to Allow Telework to Accomodate Religious Observation
Agencies are instructed to "adopt a generous approach" to granting telework to accommodate religious observation. They have not been so instructed to accommodate disabled workers with the same generous approach.
Impact:
All workers in need of legally required accommodations should be given the same generous approach to telework.
Federal Agencies Have Resumed Firing Workers Across the Government
Since the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to resume its planned reductions in force (RIFs), the Office of Personnel Management has ordered the "maximum elimination" of all federal agency functions not required by law.
Impact:
Essential goverment functions of delivering human services, enforcing laws, and keeping the public safe from hazards are in jeopardy.
Trump Nominates James Murphy and Scott Mayer to the NLRB
Murphy is a partner at management-side law firm Ogletree Deakins, and Mayer is the chief labor counsel at the Boeing Corporation. Ogletree is a well-known union-busting firm, and Boeing has engaged in longstanding union-busting campaigns to prevent its employees from engaging in collective bargaining.
Impact:
With the addition of these two pro-management members to the Board, expect the Board's actions and decisions to reflect their bias toward management.
IRS Developing Computer Program to Give ICE Access to Confidential Taxpayer Information
Although undocumented immigrants have long been encouraged to secure Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs) to pay federal taxes—and many have done so—the IRS is now ready to give U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) unfettered access to this information, so that it can go to the homes of immigrant tax filers for the purpose of detaining and deporting them.
Impact: In the short term, this leaves millions of taxpaying workers and their families vulnerable to detention and deportation. In the long term, it will discourage immigrant workers from paying federal taxes and will increase the risk of data breaches with people's supposedly confidential taxpayer information.
OSHA Reduces Penalties for Small Businesses
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will reduce penalties for businesses with 35 or fewer workers by 15% to 70%.
Impact: This will make the cost of not properly caring for health and safety much cheaper for small businesses and, in particular, provide low-road employers incentive to cut even more corners on health and safety.
Supreme Court Green-Lights Trump Plan to Dismantle U.S. Department of Education
The U.S. Supreme Court is allowing the Trump administration to continue with plans to lay off almost 1,400 workers from the U.S. Department of Education (ED), further enabling the administration’s stated goal of dismantling the department.
Impact:
These firings have left the ED unable to carry out its core responsibilities required by Congress, including duties to support special education, enforce civil rights laws, and distribute financial aid. Although ED is a congressionally authorized government agency and cannot be eliminated without congressional action, this latest ruling will allow Trump to effectively dismantle the ED without congressional action.