Category Archives: Media

From NBC News Dozens of employees who attended a diversity training course encouraged by former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos during President Donald Trump’s first administration have been placed on paid leave as part of Trump’s targeting of DEI programs, a union official told NBC News. Sheria Smith, president of American Federation of Government Employees LocalContinue reading “Union official says Education Department employees were placed on leave after taking diversity training during Trump’s first term”

From the New York Times The Education Department placed a number of employees across its offices on administrative leave on Friday, part of a wave of what staff members and union representatives say are dozens of suspensions at the agency in the Trump administration’s purge of diversity efforts. In letters obtained by The New YorkContinue reading “Education Officials Placed on Leave in Trump’s Sprawling Effort to Curb D.E.I.”

From the Washington Post At least 50 employees at the Education Department have been put on leave in recent days after President Donald Trump ordered federal agencies to eliminate all positions related to diversity, equity and inclusion. But almost none of them worked in jobs directly related to DEI, according to union officials and interviewsContinue reading “Trump’s DEI purge targets federal workers who did not work in DEI”

From USA Today: Chelsea Milburn remembers feeling “blessed” to find her ideal job as a public affairs specialist for the Department of Education, a near-perfect situation after her life dramatically changed two years ago after an illness. But, like more than 228,000 federal workers who telework, Milburn’s job is at risk if President-elect Donald TrumpContinue reading “‘Will I have a job?’ AFGE Local 252 members and other Federal workers full of uncertainty, fear over Trump plans”

Dear AFGE Local 252 Members, We are thrilled to announce a historic victory for all employees in the Department of Education. Together, we’ve achieved a milestone by finalizing a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). This groundbreaking agreement safeguards your rights and protections, strengthens workplace standards, and underscores the power of collective action. What This AgreementContinue reading “We Have a CBA!”

AFGE Local 252 President Sheria Smith spoke on the PBS News Hour about the incoming Trump administration’s plans for the U.S. Department of Education. Watch the video and read the transcript

From AFGE AFGE Local 252 member Aleseia Saunders was 32 when she felt a lump in her right breast. Being so young with no family history of breast cancer, she shrugged it off as being a cyst and went on with her life. During that same time, she found out she was pregnant with herContinue reading “She Was 33, Pregnant, And Diagnosed with Breast Cancer”

From Public News Service Federal workers are voicing concerns about what they see as the potential impacts of the sweeping policy recommendations known as Project 2025, if Donald Trump is reelected in November. Although the former president has denied being associated with the 900-page document created by the Heritage Foundation, some parts of his platformContinue reading “Federal workers in TX voice concerns about Project 2025”