Union workers in Maine say federal funds are helping fuel the state's clean energy transition and offering incentives for young people to stick around.

Skilled trade workers are in high demand as the state aims to install 275,000 heating pumps by 2027 and construct numerous offshore wind projects.

Kim Tobias, an electrician and member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1253, said learning a trade nearly tripled her income and she is encouraging her own daughters to do the same.

"With apprenticeships and with the union jobs that are going to be here, it's a good way for people to be able to afford to stay here," Tobias pointed out.

Tobias noted young people are motivated to help fight climate change and the Inflation Reduction Act is helping create not just jobs, but well-paying careers. The state aims to double its clean energy workforce to 30,000 by 2030.

State agencies, schools and industry are partnering to help meet the goal by increasing training opportunities, including programs to boost the number of women working in construction and help new Mainers learn new trade skills.

Tobias observed her local union chapter has doubled in size over the past few years and the current class of electrical apprentices has more than quadrupled since she graduated in 2022.

"There's such a shortage of people in every trade but for electricians right now it's a very good time," Tobias emphasized. "It's absolutely surreal."

Tobias stressed she would like to see more training opportunities for the planned network of high-speed electric vehicle charging stations across the state. The project is part of Maine's effort to reach net-zero emissions by 2045.

Early estimates project the Inflation Reduction Act is helping the state meet the goal while adding nearly 1.5 million jobs nationwide over the next several years.


get more stories like this via email

A New York City music school's faculty is back in the classroom after a weeklong strike.

The Manhattan School of Music's Precollege Program faculty walked off the job after lengthy union negotiations broke down. The teachers have been working without a union contract since last August. While the union has made concessions, it said the school has been reluctant to compromise.

Adam Kent, president of the Manhattan School of Music Precollege Faculty Union, said they were forced to strike because the school was not taking the union seriously.

"We gave them over three weeks. We asked them if they wanted to reconsider their last proposal and they spelled it out that, no, they wouldn't be making any new proposals," Kent recounted. "We gave them two days notice when we actually declared the strike, and their first response was to try to line up 'scabs.'"

He noted the union is heading back to the bargaining table with the hope of getting a cost of living increase aligned with other schools, such as the Mannes School of Music and Juilliard. In a statement, the Manhattan School called the union's actions "disruptive to student learning" and argued they have had little or no availability to negotiate. Students, parents and other union members have joined the faculty's picket line.

While this was the first strike, Kent said he cannot say whether it will be the last. He cautioned there could be another, longer strike if the pattern of bargaining continues. He added recent comments from the school's attorney regarding the union's National Labor Relations Board case against the school make him leery about what lies ahead.

"The attorney made a comment to us, 'Good luck with your board,' in the context of the eviscerating of all of these federal agencies under the new administration, and we were really chilled by that," Kent acknowledged. "We really saw it as part of this idea of people claiming impunity and taking advantage of the current political climate."

Throughout negotiations, there have been questions about how much money is available for faculty raises. The school has continuously said there are not enough funds for a pay raise, but tax filing data show the school's president and executives received large pay increases last year. Other data indicate the school's tuition has risen 58% since 2014.


get more stories like this via email

Whether it's pressure from inflation or health-care costs eating away at savings, a reliable "nest egg" is still up in the air for many Americans.

There are calls to bring more certainty and retirement simplicity to the table for workers. Pensions offered to public employees are seen as more stable because they're not shaken by movements in the financial markets.

In recent polling from the National Institute on Retirement Security, 86% of Americans say all workers, including the private sector, should have a retirement plan that is more pension-driven.

Dan Doonan, executive director of the National Institute on Retirement Security, says retirement coverage is still too spotty for non-wealthy workers, leaving them on their own to put away savings.

"In general, we're just asking way too much of individuals to get all this right. And saving during the middle years of your life to provide income throughout retirement, it really is a challenging endeavor," he explained.

He added the good news is that more states, including Minnesota, are setting up programs that enroll private-sector workers in an IRA-style plan.

The goal is to step in when a company can't or won't offer retirement perks. Experts say they're easy for states to operate and benefit small businesses because they don't have to contribute. But for the workers, the IRAs typically have lower contribution limits, meaning the retirement savings might not stretch as far.

Just like state and local governments, Doonan said a more simplified network of retirement programs around the country can help companies in the private sector avoid staff turnover.

"As they do move in that direction, I think what you'll see is more loyalty in return to the company. So, there are some benefits for private employers, especially employers who value retention," he continued.

Congress has taken its own steps by adopting policies such as the Secure 2.0 Act, which updates federal rules dealing with retirement plans in hopes of boosting access. Doonan said those reforms could steer more people toward savings accounts similar to pensions. But he warns rising health care costs for older populations still could put a damper on things. And partisan divides remain in Congress over the future of Social Security.


get more stories like this via email

A recent round of employee cuts at the Environmental Protection Agency and other efforts by President Donald Trump's administration to follow through on the president's campaign promise to reduce the size of the federal government have prompted concern among government employees.

In Iowa, the cuts will have an effect on a number of employees.

Charlie Wishman, president of the Iowa AFL-CIO, said the cuts or job reclassifications threaten veterans' services employees, civil servants who work at Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, just across Iowa's western border, programs that help people access Social Security benefits, or work in government security jobs in Des Moines. He said all the moves are not being made based on facts.

"Beyond that, it's a real problem to transform the professional civil service into an army of political appointees that are just loyal to one person and not to the mission to the American public or to what their job is actually supposed to be," asserted,

The American Federation of Government Employees marched in Washington, D.C., on Monday to rally against, among a host of measures, House Resolution 201, which would recalculate the way federal agencies evaluate employee performance and calculate their pay. The administration said it is making good on President Trump's campaign pledge to reduce the size of the federal government.

Wishman acknowledged while the looming job cuts across Iowa and the country create uncertainty among government employees, there is a bright spot.

"People understand that the way for them to fight back is collectively," emphasized. "AFGE has seen their numbers of new members jump by thousands since the president got his pen out and started writing executive orders, some of which aren't even legal."

A federal judge late last week ordered a temporary hold on Trump's order to effectively dismantle
the U.S. Agency for International Development, saying the affected employees would suffer "irreparable harm" from layoffs with no notice.