Project 2025 Seeks to Undermine Public Services with Schedule F
January 16, 2025The reinstatement of Trump’s 2020 “Schedule F” Executive Order may be on the horizon with Project 2025, reclassifying many civil servants into at-will employees without job protection. Organized labor must stand together and prepare to fight back:
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The American Postal Worker has reported on the conservative-created, Trump-supported Project 2025 in past issues. Please see the August- September 2024 and October- November 2024 issues for more background information.
Americans everywhere depend on efficient government services to support our communities, foster economic stability, and provide a social safety net for neighbors in need. Civil servants, at all levels of government, help make sure public services like Social Security payments, disaster relief, and public education are accessible to everyone who wants them. Keeping high quality public services available and open to the public also means keeping civil servants with expertise in these jobs.
Project 2025 seeks to undermine this expectation of efficiency and expertise in public services by dismantling the Federal Government and reinstating Trump’s 2020 “Schedule F” Executive Order. This would allow the ruling administration to reclassify many civil servants as policymaking or policy-evaluating workers, thereby removing their civil service protections and making them at-will employees. President Trump could then install whomever he pleases based on favoritism and loyalty to his administration.
Deploying Schedule F to replace dedicated civil servants with inexperienced cronies removes the very people who are experts at their jobs and have the knowledge to help our government serve our communities in the best possible way.
Installing employees based on “who you know” favoritism effectively removes the nonpartisan and professional nature of civil service – civil servants should simply be the most qualified for the job. That’s why tests like the ones postal workers must take for employment exist. An unbiased exam means that workers earn their jobs based on their skills, not who we know or what color our skin is.
Furthermore, in the long run, this practice could effectively dismantle public trust and efficiency in government services, letting billionaires like Donald Trump and Elon Musk make the case for a privatized, capitalistic government that profits off its citizens, instead of a government that exists to uplift workers and our communities.
Our union family at the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is preparing to fight back and protect their workers who are providing essential public services at the federal level. We must stand together as working people and fight back against attacks on the AFGE and our other union families, to protect knowledgeable, dedicated federal employees and great public services for everyone. ■
Project 2025 Seeks to Undermine Public Services with Schedule F0
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2024 Ballot Measures: Wins for the Working Class
January 16, 2025During the 2024 General Election, voters weighed in on more than just candidates; in many states, they also voted on state-specific ballot measures that mattered most to them as individuals, such as increasing the minimum wage, preserving public education, protecting reproductive rights, and the right to unionize.
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During the 2024 General Election, voters didn’t just choose candidates to represent them in their respective local, state, and federal elections, but in many states they also voted on ballot measures on specific issues that mattered most to them as individuals.
Ballot measures, or ballot propositions, are state-level measures that give citizens the power to change laws through a vote, meaning that the voters decide on the issues. Ballot measures can be a key tool to allow voters to pass measures at the state level.
In 2024, voters decided on issues that affect working class people, irrespective of partisan affiliation, such as increasing the minimum wage, expanding paid sick leave, preserving public education, banning anti-union captive-audience meetings, protecting reproductive rights, and the right to unionize.
In many cases, the same states who voted in favor for the issues above also elected candidates that opposed them, showing a dissonance between the progressive policies voters want and the conservative policies elected officials enact. Working people need a party that will focus on the issues that affect us – and fight for those same issues when they are in office. Voters said enough with the status quo and empty promises, they sought change that will impact their lives and families. The results in this election, for both candidates and ballot measures, show that if we are going to win for working people, we need candidates who will fight for us, not the billionaire class. ■
2024 Ballot Measures: Wins for the Working Class0
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USPS Fiscal Year 2024 Financial Report Highlights Need for Adaptation, Expanded Services
January 16, 2025Volume Down, Revenue Up. The financial results of the Postal Service for the 2024 fiscal year have been announced, and the results may surprise you. While USPS remains a trusted public service, it must continue to adapt to changes in the mail mix to remain competitive. Read more:
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The Postal Service released its 2024 Form 10-K on Nov. 14, 2024, which reports on its financial results for the 2024 fiscal year (FY) that ended on Sept. 30, 2024.
Highlights of the report show that the total operating revenue for FY2024 was more than $79.5 billion, an increase of $1.35 billion, or 1.7 percent from FY2023. Revenue from shipping and packages was $32.26 billion, an increase of $625 million, or 2 percent from FY2023.
Despite the increases in revenue, total volume was down 3.2 percent for the year. Package volume, however, increased 2.7 percent, with a 1.9 percent increase in revenue. First-Class Mail (FCM) volume declined by 3.5 percent, but revenue increased by 3.38 percent. The revenue increase results from four price increases on market-dominant products in 2023 and 2024. And while the USPS revenue was down 1.3 percent for single-piece FCM, revenue was up 5.4 percent for presorted FCM. The price increases easily made up for the modest volume losses.
For the past decade, private companies such as FedEx, Amazon, and UPS have been investing in the expansion of their delivery networks at a financial loss in hopes for future gains, which has taken modest mail and package volumes away from the Postal Service. FedEx and Amazon have made the most investments, which may soon become profitable. This would allow them to gain more density in the market space, meaning that they would provide similar shipping and delivery services, and the Postal Service could lose its market share in the industry.
While the Postal Service remains a trusted public service, it must continue to adapt to changes in the mail mix and declining mail volumes by expanding its products and services to remain competitive. This may be difficult if the Postal Service enacts additional proposed changes to service standards that would further slow mail, degrade services, and undermine the public trust. Expanded products and services, like postal banking, could also increase revenue for the USPS and should remain a priority for the USPS to become fiscally solvent. ■
Total Volume: Down 3.2%Total Revenue: Up 1.7%First Class Mail Volume: Down 3.5%First Class Mail Revenue: 3.38%
USPS Fiscal Year 2024 Financial Report Highlights Need for Adaptation, Expanded Services0
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IAM Union Members Join Labor, Civil Rights Allies at AFL-CIO MLK Conference
IAM Union members joined labor and civil rights allies in Austin, Texas, for the 2025 AFL-CIO Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Civil and Human Rights Conference. The AFL-CIO MLK Conference is held annually to honor Dr. King’s legacy and advance workers’ rights and social justice. “It makes me proud to see the number of IAM
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U.S. Government Publishing Office Workers Join Teamsters Union
(WASHINGTON) – Workers at the U.S. Government Publishing Office (USGPO) in Washington, D.C. have voted overwhelmingly for representation with the Teamsters, becoming the third group of print industry workers to join the union this month. The 215 new Teamsters work as printing plant workers and publish trusted information on behalf of the federal government. “Teamsters […]
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Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Nevada Cannabis Workers at Ayr Wellness Ratify First Union Contract
Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Nevada Cannabis Workers at Ayr Wellness Ratify First Union Contract
Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
Last week, 120 Ayr Wellness workers across three dispensaries and one delivery depot located in Las Vegas and Henderson, Nevada, overwhelmingly voted to ratify their first union contract. The dispensary and delivery workers are represented by United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 711.The contract includes armed security at dispensaries, improved access to affordable health care and better scheduling opportunities.“Today, we stand victorious—not because it was easy, but because we refused to give up,” said said Chase Payne, an Ayr Wellness budtender from the Las Vegas Eastern Avenue location. “This contract represents more than just words on paper; it’s a testament to our resilience, unity, and unwavering commitment to the cannabis industry. We fought for fair wages, safe conditions, and respect—not just for ourselves, but for everyone who will come after us. This victory proves that when we stand together, we are unstoppable. The UFCW was there for us in a time of need and we wouldn’t be in this position without their support and guidance. But our work doesn’t stop here. We will continue to show the Las Vegas area and beyond what the UFCW is all about. Because together, we are not just workers—we are union employees!”
Kenneth Quinnell
Thu, 01/16/2025 – 10:02
Cancer survivor: Jeff Sneller
A member of Manchester, CT Local 1579, Jeff Sneller’s journey through three cancer diagnoses underscores the importance of early detection, strong support from colleagues, and raising awareness about occupational cancer risks in the fire service.
Read More....UAW Members at Detroit Axle Vote 99% in Favor of Authorizing Strike
On Wednesday, January 15th, over 400 Daimler Truck North America workers at Detroit Axle voted by a resounding 99% to authorize a strike if necessary.
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Costco Teamsters Rally, Practice Picket in Long Island Ahead of Contract Deadline
(LONG ISLAND, N.Y.) – Sean M. O’Brien, General Secretary-Treasurer Fred Zuckerman, Teamsters Warehouse Division Director Tom Erickson, and hundreds of Costco Teamsters rallied and engaged in a practice picket in Long Island, N.Y., as the final week of bargaining with the wholesale giant approaches. “We are going to win the strongest collective bargaining agreement in […]
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GVP Martin, Kansas IAM Union Members Bring Working People Power to State Capitol
The state legislature in Kansas only meets for 90 days each year – and as the saying goes, “if you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.” This year, members of the Kansas State Council of Machinists continued an annual tradition of being front and center at the table. As the 2025 legislative session
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