Deportations rise, jobs drop | Workers sue Boeing | Trump targets OSHA, TSA

Tuesday, April 7, 2026

LOCAL

► From the Washington State Standard — Latest ICE data shows surge in immigration arrests in WA — Federal immigration authorities arrested over 2,100 people in Washington between October and early March, according to newly released data. This marks an intensification in President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in the state. The total arrests equate to about 13 a day during the five month period. They also account for over half of the more than 3,800 immigration arrests in Washington since Trump took office.

AEROSPACE

► From KING 5 — Boeing workers sue over unpaid time spent putting on safety gear — A former Boeing worker has filed a proposed class action in federal court, alleging the company failed to pay hourly employees for all time worked and did not provide proper meal and rest breaks, according to a court complaint…It alleges Boeing required workers to spend unpaid time before clocking in finding parking, walking to the facility, going to the locker room, getting equipment and putting on safety gear. That process could take 10 to 20 minutes a day, the lawsuit says.

CONTRACT FIGHTS

► From Reuters — SoFi Stadium workers urge FIFA to bar ICE from World Cup, threaten strike — A union representing about 2,000 food service workers at SoFi Stadium said on Monday it was demanding that FIFA keep ​U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement away from World Cup operations in ‌Los Angeles and warned workers could strike if their concerns are not addressed. Unite Here Local 11, which represents cooks, servers and bartenders at the Inglewood venue, said the workers remain ​without a labour contract as the World Cup approaches. The union laid out ​three main demands to FIFA and stadium owner Kroenke Sports & Entertainment: ⁠a public commitment that ICE and Border Patrol will play no role in ​the tournament, protections for union jobs and working conditions, and support for affordable ​housing for hospitality workers.

► From the Hollywood Reporter — SAG-AFTRA and Studios to Resume Negotiations on April 27 — The fast turnaround on the WGA deal, just three weeks into negotiations, allowed the two parties to schedule their return to the bargaining table sooner than expected. SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP had previously been targeting early June to return to negotiations, according to a source. This scheduling will give the union and the AMPTP two weeks of leeway before management heads into negotiations with the Directors Guild of America on May 11. SAG-AFTRA’s current three-year contract expires on June 30.

► From the UC San Diego Guardian — UAW 4811 ratifies contract with UC — After eight months of negotiations with the University of California, United Auto Workers Local 4811 ratified several new contracts for the union’s members on March 20. The contracts are effective immediately and will expire on Dec. 31, 2029. Of the 21,161 UAW 4811 members who participated in the ratification process, 91.5% voted in favor. The vote was open from March 17 to March 20. UAW 4811 represents over 48,000 academic and student researchers, teaching assistants, tutors, and postdocs across all 10 UC campuses.

NATIONAL

► From the Economic Policy Institute — Unemployment has increased for U.S.-born workers in the face of mass deportations: Trump’s draconian immigration enforcement is harming all workers — Claims that mass deportations have helped U.S.-born workers are simply inconsistent with the data. This is no surprise, given that economic research has repeatedly shown that increased immigration enforcement harms everyone in the labor market, including U.S.-born workers. Part of the explanation for this is that immigrants are not only workers, but also consumers, which generates demand and helps the economy grow. Another part is that immigrants and U.S.-born workers complement each other in the labor market. For example, when immigrant roofers and framers disappear, there is less work available for the native-born electricians and plumbers.

► From KUOW — AI in the mental health care workforce is met with fear, pushback — and enthusiasm — Those concerns were a key issue last month, when 2,400 mental health care providers for Kaiser Permanente in Northern California and the Central Valley went on a 24-hour strike. One of the therapists who went on strike is Ilana Marcucci-Morris…”What used to always be a 10 to 15-minute screening from a licensed clinician like myself is now being conducted by unlicensed lay operators following a script,” she says. “Or, an E-visit.” She and her colleagues worry that this downsizing of the triage system is paving the way for AI to take over their jobs…”Part of our unfair labor practice strike really is about the erosion of licensed triage within the health plan,” says Marcucci-Morris.

► From Hoodline — Jonathan Majors Crashes Through Window as Crew Revolt Erupts Outside Charlotte — What started as another stunt on Jonathan Majors’ latest action movie turned into a full-blown labor showdown outside Charlotte, after the actor and a co-star unexpectedly fell through a window during a take. The unplanned six-foot drop, which did not result in life-threatening injuries, has become the flashpoint for crew members who say the production has been skirting basic safety. Below-the-line workers have now backed a walkout and are moving to organize with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, leaving the shoot in limbo as tensions flare between crew and producers…Producers tied to the film have publicly rejected the notion that there is a legitimate strike and say they will not sit down with the organizers. One producer went so far as to say, “We don’t negotiate with communists,” as reported by Cleveland.com.

► From People’s World — Roxanne Brown’s election shows United Steelworkers Union is ready to fight — The USW represents more than a million members and retirees. Brown’s unanimous election is an achievement owned not only by Black Steelworker members, not only by women Steelworker members, but most impressively, also enthusiastically shared by white male steelworkers. The hundreds assembled in the room all collectively embraced Brown’s ascendancy as a victory for their shared vision of the labor movement this country needs…In a striking new attitude, the white workers among those gathered in Pittsburgh described the Black leadership and woman leadership as a sign of greater strength, not as a transactional concession. “I couldn’t be prouder!” a white 20-year union veteran told this reporter from a picket line in Whiting, Ind., where BP is currently locking out 900 Steelworkers.

POLITICS & POLICY

► From NPR — She paid into Medicare for years. Trump’s immigration policy will end her coverage — When she transitioned to working part time last year, Carranza counted on getting Medicare and Social Security checks — benefits given to American workers and lawfully present immigrants when they retire, if they meet work history and age or disability requirements. She’s contributed tens of thousands of dollars into Medicare and Social Security over 24 years, according to her Social Security Administration earnings record, reviewed by El Tímpano and KFF Health News. But Carranza and an estimated 100,000 other lawfully present immigrants will soon be cut out of Medicare.

► From Reuters — Trump proposes to cut 9,400 TSA workers, $1.5 billion from budget — The union that represents TSA security officers, the American Federation of Government Employees, opposes privitization, saying it would make air travel less safe. The proposal would cut the agency’s $7.8 billion budget by about 20% and comes after TSA has ​lost more than 1,600 ​workers during government ⁠funding disruptions last fall and this spring. About 50,000 security screeners at U.S. airports are TSA employees.

► From Safety & Health Magazine — Trump administration wants to cut OSHA and MSHA budgets, close down Chemical Safety Board — The White House is seeking a nearly 7.5% budget cut for OSHA, which includes another attempt to eliminate the Susan Harwood Training Grant program, and is trying again to shutter the Chemical Safety Board…Additionally, funding for federal enforcement would be cut by around $33 million, for a total of about $210 million.

► From NBC Right Now Tri-Cities — Clean energy projects in Central and SE Washington receive state funding — The Washington State Department of Commerce announced $60.3 million for 95 clean energy projects including several across the Columbia Basin and Central Washington. Commerce said the awards came through its Clean Energy Grants, Clean Energy Siting and Permitting, Thermal Energy Networks and Washington Grid Resilience Program to lower energy costs, cut greenhouse gas emissions and support more reliable local power systems.

► From KREM — Idaho teachers’ unions face funding block as bill awaits Governor Little’s decision — A bill preventing taxpayer money from funding teacher’s unions in Idaho is waiting to be signed by Governor Brad Little. “It’s an attack on educators all across the state,” said spokesperson for the Idaho Education Association (IEA), Mike Journee, on the topic of House Bill 516. The legislation would prevent public school districts from using taxpayer resources to support certain union activities, including paid time for teachers to attend union meetings or perform union-related work while on the job.

► From People’s World — Trump yanks dollars from Minnesota unless it kills Project Labor Agreements — In what could be a portent for other counties and cities seeking federal funds for infrastructure projects, the GOP Trump government’s Transportation Department threatens to yank $7.7 million for five St. Louis County, Minn., road and bridge projects, unless the county drops its requirements that contractors sign Project Labor Agreements. And, given the strong union tradition in Minnesota’s Northland, the county board is—so far—refusing.  But it also faces the fact that $7.7 million is a lot of money for a rural county, and that it may seek more federal funds for other projects down the line, and face the same dilemma. Nevertheless, the Trump government’s demand “is union-busting 101,” said county board Chair Mike Jugovich, a Steelworker. “I don’t bust unions. I build them.”

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