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Trump administration begins sweeping layoffs with probationary workers, warns of larger cuts to come; NYC music school teachers strike after union negotiations break down; Ohio advocates push for inclusive policies during Black History Month; Health experts recommend sunshine, socializing to cure 'winter blues.'

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Federal workers tasked with securing elections from foreign interference are placed on leave, parents' organizations reject dismantling Dept. of Education, and the Congressional Black Caucus presses discussions on slavery reparations.

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Rural America struggles with opioids and homelessness in unexpected ways, Colorado's Lariat Ditch could help spur local recreation, and book deliveries revive rural communities hit by Hurricane Helene.

Vermont union workers cry foul over immigration service center layoffs

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Friday, August 30, 2024   

Unionized workers in Vermont with the federal agency responsible for processing immigration and asylum paperwork claim they are being forced to turn their jobs over to nonunion labor.

Members of the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America said the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Center is laying off union workers in Vermont and other states and moving the jobs to nonunion operations.

Laurie Gadouas, member of the union's Local 208 in Essex Junction, said she believes the company is trying to break the union.

"The union gives us recourse on things that they try to do to us that is either not fair, not right," Gadouas emphasized. "If they didn't have a union, they would save money all the way around and there'd be more money for the contractor to put in his pocket."

Gadouas said the union workers are a skilled, experienced workforce, performing clerical and pre-adjudication tasks. They serve the immigration pipeline for asylum seekers, refugees and victims of human trafficking and domestic violence. The agency did not respond to a request for comment.

Gadouas said the agency is laying off union workers and moving their jobs to a nonunion operation in Dallas. She claimed the operator is trying to pay workers the minimum amount instead of the living wage stipulated in the union contract.

"A lot of my colleagues are in my boat," Gadouas pointed out. "They got a few more years. They thought they could retire there. Now we're going to have to be going out looking for work. I mean, everybody's under stress every day."

Union locals in Vermont, Nebraska and California have recently organized protests against the staff reductions, calling for the government to stop so-called "rolling layoffs" aimed at eliminating two-thirds of the unionized workforce by 2025.

Disclosure: The United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America Research and Education Fund contributes to our fund for reporting on Climate Change/Air Quality, Human Rights/Racial Justice, and Immigrant Issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


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