Press Releases

  • AFSCME’s Saunders: Workers and communities are paying the price of the administration dismantling federal agencies

    WASHINGTON – AFSCME President Lee Saunders released the following statement after AFSCME members at the U.S. Department of Agriculture were placed on administrative leave to be furloughed:   “Federal workers and America’s communities are starting…

  • AFSCME’s Saunders: Russell Vought’s confirmation signals public services are on the chopping block

    WASHINGTON – AFSCME President Lee Saunders released the following statement on Russell Vought’s confirmation as Office of Management and Budget director:   “Russell Vought’s singular goal for decades has been to gut public services and…

  • AFSCME’s Saunders on judge blocking White House Fork Directive: ‘This is a great first step’

    WASHINGTON – AFSCME President Lee Saunders released the following statement after a federal judge granted AFSCME’s motion to temporarily block the Trump administration’s deferred resignation deadline for federal employees:   “This is a great first…

  • Saunders on DOGE targeting the Department of Labor: Musk will have to go through unions and working people

    WASHINGTON – AFSCME President Lee Saunders released the following statement as workers today protested Elon Musk’s plans to target the Department of Labor: “It’s not surprising that Elon Musk has ordered his DOGE cronies to…

  • AFSCME’s Saunders: Federal funding for transportation should not be used as a cudgel against communities

    WASHINGTON – AFSCME President Lee Saunders released the following statement in response to the USDOT memo re-directing federal funds away from communities:   “Investing in our nation’s transportation is essential for maintaining strong communities and…

  • Trump Administration “Fork Directive” Unlawful as Written, Unions Urge Court to Find

    Offer, FAQs Are Misleading, Coercive   Lawsuit Seeks to Stay February 6 Deadline, Require Agency to Articulate a Lawful Policy   Massachusetts – In a legal challenge filed today, the American Federation of Government Employees…

  • Public Service Unions File Lawsuit Challenging Trump Administration Efforts to Politicize the Civil Service

    WASHINGTON – Today, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), represented by Democracy Forward and Bredhoff and Kaiser PLLC, filed suit against the Trump…

  • AFSCME’s Saunders on the federal funding freeze: This is a blatant overreach straight from Project 2025

    WASHINGTON – AFSCME President Lee Saunders released the following statement in response to reporting that the Trump administration has halted federal financial assistance including billions in funding to programs that working families depend on:  …

  • Saunders on BLS Report: AFSCME is proud to have welcomed tens of thousands of new members in 2024

    WASHINGTON – AFSCME President Lee Saunders released the following statement in response to the BLS annual report on union membership and earnings released today: “AFSCME is proud to report that tens of thousands of new…

  • AFSCME’s Saunders: White House executive orders are attacks on the entire labor movement

    WASHINGTON – AFSCME President Lee Saunders released the following statement in response to the Trump administration’s executive orders:   “With the stroke of a pen, we are now on a path toward a dark era…