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The leader of a major government union outlines their strategy to battle Trump federal cuts—And says Elon Musk has ‘no clue’ about workers

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The second Trump administration has been characterized in large part by a focused effort to cut down the number of federal employees. 

Through the Office of Personnel Management and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, the president has used highly unusual resignation offers and layoffs to shrink the workforce across agencies including the Department of Education and the Department of Veterans Affairs. There’s no official number on how many people have been laid off, but 62,530 government positions have been cut so far this year, according to data published earlier this month from global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray, & Christmas. There are likely more cuts to come. 

Unions have played a major role in legal challenges to the mass firing of federal workers. On Thursday, two separate rulings came down ordering the Trump administration to reinstate these terminated employees. One ruling in response to 20 Democrat attorneys general calling for the reinstatement of fired workers came from a federal judge in Maryland. The other was issued by a judge in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in response to a case brought by dozens of labor unions and advocacy groups. U.S. District Judge William Alsup ordered that six federal agencies reinstate thousands of probationary employees that were fired under the guidance of OPM, a move he declared illegal. The Trump administration has already filed an appeal in that case. 

The American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) was one of the plaintiffs in that second challenge. The union represents 1.4 million public service workers across the country in federal, state, and local government, as well as the nonprofit sector. AFSCME’s president, Lee Saunders, spoke with Fortune about the threat that public sector workers are under, what his members are feeling, and how the union plans to fight back. 

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Fortune: What are AFSCME members feeling right now? 

President Saunders: They’re feeling under attack. They believe in the importance of public services, and yet you see them being attacked every single day by this current administration. 

They’re frightened, but they also know that they’ve got to make their voices heard and they’ve got to fight back, and that’s exactly what they’re doing. Their union is supporting them 100% by talking about the importance of public service, and challenging some of the things that this administration is doing, and whether it’s in the courts, or whether it’s in the media, or whether it’s on the streets. We’re going to continue to do that to make our point and get our point across.

AFSCME is one of the plaintiffs in the case which was just ruled in favor of reinstating fired probationary federal workers. Many are seeing this as a win for federal workers, but that ruling does not affect this week’s deadline set by the Trump administration requiring all agencies to send the president and the OPM plans for more layoffs. What could the future look like for these workers? 

This is a huge victory for these workers.

It will be challenged, but we’re going to continue to put the full force of the union behind filing these kinds of lawsuits. That’s really important, but we’ve also got to go on offense and not play defense all the time, and we’re going to continue to do that. What we’re doing right now is organizing and mobilizing and educating our members across the country by having phone calls, by going to town hall meetings.

One of the things that we’ve got to do is continue to organize. Seventy percent of Americans believe that unions are absolutely necessary in this country and 88% of young people [view them favorably]. We’re going to spend resources, and we’re going to be talking to workers, asking them to be represented by us or other unions so they have a seat at the table. 

It feels like every day there is a new development related to the DOGE layoffs. How would you advise people to keep track of the whirlwind of actions?

I think it’s up to AFSCME and the labor movement and our allies and friends to continue to talk about what this administration is trying to do to hurt working people. We’ve got to enlist people within the labor movement and outside the labor movement to make their voices heard. We cannot just sit idly by and be silent when this destruction—and that’s exactly what this is—is taking place at the federal level, [which will] roll down to the state and local level, with possible huge cuts in federal programs. State governments rely on federal money to fund programs at the state level; they get about 33% of [their revenue] from the federal government. That helps provide public services at the state, city, and local level. 

It’s all about continuing to educate. It’s all about asking [workers] to not be silent, but to make their voices heard and to fight back like never before. 

[When asked for comment, a spokesperson for the White House told Fortune: “President Trump returned to Washington with a mandate from the American people to bring about unprecedented change in our federal government to uproot waste, fraud, and abuse.”]

Elon Musk reposted a Tweet implying that public sector workers were responsible for mass murders under people like Hitler, Mao and Stalin. What do you make of this comment, and the attacks on public sector workers generally?

I will try to control my language, but… it is a hateful comment for him to [retweet] that and compare our public sector workers and our members saying that “Hitler, Stalin and Mao didn’t murder millions, but [their] public sector service workers did.” Now just think about that. That’s where he’s coming from, and we’ve got to get that message out. 

He has no clue what workers are faced with every single day. He has no clue what they do to improve the lives of our citizens in our communities across the country and to improve upon public services, yet he makes a statement like that. I mean, it is unbelievable, and we’ve got to make sure that people understand that this is what he is saying, and this is what folks in this administration believe.

[Fortune reached out to Elon Musk but did not get a response.]

How can unions protect workers if the government wants to fire them?

We’re filing these lawsuits—that’s number one. We are pushing even though we understand that the climate here in Washington, D.C. is not the best. But we’ve still got to continue to go on the offense, as I said earlier. We are supporting the PRO Act, which would give workers the right to have a seat at the table to improve labor labor law in this country. We’re doing the same thing with the Public Freedom to Negotiate Act for public service workers.

We have the ability to mobilize every single day—to mobilize union members, but also workers who aren’t in unions in our communities across the country. Because this is impacting them too. The actions that are being proposed have an impact on everyone that relies upon public services: Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security. All of these programs are under attack, and we’ve got to do what we do best, and that’s exactly what we are doing.

This narrative against public sector workers has come on quickly and strongly. How do you combat the sentiments coming from those with huge platforms like Trump and Musk?

It’s not only federal workers. It really is all workers. There’s an attack on all workers right now. I guess the way that I can answer that question is that reality is now hitting people in the face. I mean, they’re feeling it. People are being laid off indiscriminately. People are being fired. Their rights are being taken away from them. Services that the American people relied upon are being cut, and they’re proposing to do a lot more damage. So I mean, here’s the playbook that they talked about, and now they’re putting in an action, and we’ve got to make sure that people understand the impact that it’s going to have on them and their families. You’ve got to react to it in a way where we ask people to fight back and to make their voices heard. You cannot sit by silently and watch this happen.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com



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Families are being paid $5,000 to move to small towns in states like Indiana and escape a cost of living crisis in big cities

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  • Families are flocking to the middle of the country, desiring affordability and community—and towns are welcoming them with cash in hand.

Many Americans are sick of where they live. Rising housing costs, struggling education and healthcare systems, and dreams of better infrastructure are driving families to reconsider where they call home—and it’s music to the ears of small towns vying for a comeback.

Dozens of localities in states like Indiana, Kentucky, and Mississippi are luring workers away from big cities and into rural and suburban areas. Their promises? Somewhere that prioritizes community and matches their lifestyle—and towns are willing to dish out thousands to prove it’s worth it.

Chris Jensen, mayor of Noblesville, IN—a town outside of Indianapolis—says there’s strong demand for communities that prioritize affordability, safety, and walkability—and there are more towns that offer it than people realize.

“There’s something about Midwest value, there’s something about community that we have here, and I think we should sell it,” Jensen tells Fortune. Noblesville is one of many communities that work with MakeMyMove, a platform that helps towns create campaigns and recruit new high-earning residents.

Those new to Noblesville can enjoy a $5,000 relocation grant, annual memberships to the town’s coworking space and chamber of commerce, and a $500 health and wellness stipend. Others have more creative lures. New Haven, IN, is offering burgers and bourbon with the mayor. In Wabash County, IN, you can join your neighbors on a rafting trip. In Mayfield, KY, they are offering a monthly gift of a dozen locally sourced eggs.

“We’re seeing workers voting with their feet to places like Indiana and Kentucky,” says Evan Hock, co-founder and chief operating officer of MakeMyMove. “For community leaders, this is open season. With a little bit of effort, they can attract the people and income whose economic impact will fund future growth. It’s a good deal for any enterprising mayor.”

Millennials in particular are moving to small towns and rural areas at the highest rate seen in decades, according to an analysis from Realtor.com.

Workers are on the move, and small towns are open arms

During the pandemic, moving out of metropolises was a common practice—with families ditching big city aspirations in favor of places that have been typically characterized as flyover states. Recent research indicates that rural areas may be more conducive homes for children to climb the wealth ladder versus cities like New York.

“Places like New York and San Francisco are amazing,” Hock says. “But for many thousands of people, a good life in these places is unattainable.”

Jensen, who was born and raised in Noblesville and served as mayor for five years, says there are countless examples of families seeking a more tranquil life in a smaller town—either as a remote worker or a small business owner—once they start having kids. He recounts one example where a family from Miami moved to Noblesville: “It’s different when you’re raising kids, and the quality of life piece was so important to them, and they couldn’t believe they were standing talking to the mayor at this event where they were interacting with firefighters and police officers. They said that would not happen where they came from.”

Despite big-name companies like Amazon and JPMorgan Chase calling back employees to the office five days a week, Hock says remote work has been relatively stable, and demand for MakeMyMove programs has never been higher.

“The reality is that there’s a talent shortage in the U.S. and as long as that is the case, talent is in the driver’s seat. If workers see value in small-town USA, which we think they do, these programs will continue to be successful,” he says. 

AJ O’Reilly, a remote UX designer and small business owner, moved with his wife, young daughter, and dog from the Minneapolis–St. Paul area to Noblesville. He says the town offered the perfect balance of a tight-knit community and convenient amenities.

“I was looking for something that I could actually build community and meet people and dive deep in a community, whereas St. Paul was really cool, but it was too big to really build a community,” says O’Reilly.

He says programs like MakeMyMove make sense considering states and local governments are often eager to offer businesses financial incentives to move, so why not people?

After visiting Noblesville, he and his wife bought their house sight unseen with just a video tour from a realtor: “We were so confident that we wanted to live in Noblesville.”

Little-known towns provide untapped potential

States like Indiana get a bad rap, says Colby Flye, a remote worker in the tech industry who also recently moved to Noblesville with his family. In reality, many little-known areas have great parks and neighborhoods—you just have to find the “hidden gems.”

“These places might not be well known, but they have strong communities. You won’t find any better affordability in places like these,” Flye tells Fortune. “If you’re really looking to settle down, make a home nest and really build something for the future, go ahead and make the move.” 

Because of its proximity to Indianapolis, Noblesville’s average housing cost is close to $369,000, according to Zillow. That’s slightly higher than the national average of about $357,000.

Other MakeMyMove areas have much lower housing costs, but the affordability secret may be catching on. The average home value in Mayfield, KY, is about $143,500—up 11% from last year.

“We encourage every American to take stock of their community. You only get one life, so might as well live it in a place that moves you. A better life is out there,” says Hock.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com



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DOGE is flirting with the ‘third rail’ of American politics — errors could delay or disrupt benefits, a former top Social Security official says

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  • The Social Security Administration is laying off 12% of its workforce, and the loss of expertise, especially on key systems, could put benefits at risk as DOGE tries to look for fraud, according to a former staffer at the agency. 

Historically, toying with Social Security benefits has been long seen as a political “third rail,” meaning whoever touches it will get zapped.

The White House said in a press release it won’t cut Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid benefits, but that doesn’t rule out the chances of a mistake. 

Amid the Department of Government Efficiency’s cost-cutting endeavor within federal agencies in recent weeks, a former top Social Security Administration staffer is worried about benefit interruptions as the agency loses expertise while DOGE looks for fraud in its systems.

In February, the SSA released a statement announcing plans to lay off roughly 12% of its 57,000 employees through voluntary resignation and a reduction-in-force plan. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump and world’s richest man Elon Musk, the figurehead for DOGE, have claimed fraud on a massive scale, though experts have said it’s limited. 

Still, DOGE is looking for evidence and seeks full access to the SSA’s Enterprise Data Warehouse (EDW), which houses information about anyone with a Social Security number, including financial and banking information, according to a declaration filed in a lawsuit last week by former senior official Tiffany Flick. 

She said that SSA typically doesn’t provide full access to all data systems—even to the most skilled and highly trained experts—to protect against inadvertent or unauthorized changes to the system. 

Flick said DOGE officials lacked interest in understanding SSA’s systems and programs, while disregarding critical processes like providing the “least privileged” access on a need-to-know basis.

“That combined with a significant loss of expertise as more and more agency personnel leave, have me seriously concerned that SSA programs will continue to function and operate without disruption,” she said.

Flick said that inadvertent error poses the risk of “benefits payments not being paid out or delays in payments.”

The SSA information technology programs are made up of complex systems that use old programming languages that require specialized knowledge, she warned, adding that they are easily broken if long-standing procedures aren’t followed.

“I understand that DOGE associates have been seeking access to the ‘source code’ to SSA systems,” Flick wrote. “If granted, I am not confident that such associates have the requisite understanding of SSA to avoid critical errors that could upend SSA systems.”

In addition to her concerns regarding benefits, Flick is not convinced DOGE has the proper experience to prevent sensitive information from getting into the hands of bad actors. 

“In such a chaotic environment, the risk of data leaking into the wrong hands is significant,” she said.

Andrew Biggs, an American Enterprise Institute senior fellow, told Axios the agency could increase productivity and efficiency, but he doubts DOGE’s ability to do so due to its lack of experience.

“I just find it hard to accept that you can go in there having been there just a few weeks, and do these far-reaching changes having fully thought out the consequences of them,” he said.

Biggs says while checks are automated and won’t be disrupted, possible disruptions to customer service bring concerns regarding budget cuts.  

“It’s kind of a foot race between whether they can improve service before these cuts are impacting service,” Biggs said. 

The White House, the U.S. DOGE Service, and the SSA did not respond to Fortune’s request for comment.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com



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Trump claims tariffs will make the U.S. ‘rich again.’ But 5 undisputed facts about how they work undermine that idea

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