Folks,
Greetings from the Burgh, where we are preparing for our end of month fundraising.
$912 Short of Our Monthly Budget
The end of the month is coming up in just three days and Payday Report is $912 short of our monthly budget. This budget helps pay my full-time salary as well as editing costs, healthcare costs, as well as accounting and web services.
Donate to help me meet the monthly goal today. Please, if you can, sign up as one of our recurring donors.
100 Alabama Pharmacies Close in Mass Strike
In Alabama, workers at over 100 pharmacies walked out today to show their support for SB 93.
The walkout is organized by the Alabama Pharmacy Association, which says the bill is necessary for the survival of independent pharmacies around the state. Since 2018, 13% of the pharmacies have closed in the state of Alabama due to low reimbursement rates.
The bill would place limits on the reimbursement rates charged by middle men known as “pharmacy benefit managers.”
“Pharmacies are struggling to keep their doors open as they are often reimbursed for medication at a price lower than their cost of dispensing the medication to the patient. We continue to lose pharmacies across Alabama every month,” the Alabama Pharmacy Association said in a statement.
20,000 UC Workers to Walk Out in California
In California, over 20,000 University of California members of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees 3299, or AFSCME, and University Professional and Technical Employees 9119, or UPTE, are walking out this week.
The two-day strike is in response to allegations of retaliation by University of California campuses against union members, who have spoken out against the University’s failure to bargain in good faith.
“The university needs to follow the law and respect our union members,” AFSCME 3299 Executive Director Liz Perlman told The Daily Cal. “They need to respect the fact that they’re living in one of the most unaffordable places, and the university has failed to address their real needs with housing, healthcare and wages.”
For more, check out The Daily Californian.
Federal Workers Launch Site to Report on DOGE
As the Elon Musk-directed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) leads mass firings throughout the federal government, workers are launching a website of their own to share inside information about DOGE’s activities. From The Verge:
“We the Builders” aims to be a secure outlet for government workers to share how their workplaces are being impacted by DOGE, and a place to explain the real world impact of its access to government tech systems, a former federal worker behind the project tells The Verge. The website was created by people who “made government websites easier to use while protecting the integrity of your personal information,” according to its description. Had DOGE wanted “to use technology to build a more efficient country, they would ask us,” the site says. “But they haven’t. They are destroyers. We are the builders.”
The website is aimed at informing the general public about what’s happening inside federal agencies, as well as explaining how a database being accessed by DOGE in Washington, DC could impact citizens in tangible ways all across the country. “I want to make sure that people understand that data matters,” says the former federal worker, who was granted anonymity for fear of retribution and harassment in going public, but whose identity has been confirmed by The Verge. “If I can explain that in a way that helps you to be able to protect yourself and advocate for yourself, then I’m doing my job.”
While social media forums like Reddit and Instagram have already become gathering places for federal workers to commiserate, We the Builders aims to offer an alternative outlet for workers who may be fearful to share their stories even through an anonymous social media account. The team says they are working with a security consultant to ensure that submissions remain secure and anonymous to the public. They also plan to vet submissions for accuracy and use their networks to confirm that they are coming from real federal workers.
For more, check out The Verge.
Trump to Use Private Contractors for Deportation
In a move that scares many immigrants rights activists, the Trump Administration is now proposing to use private contractors to carry out deportations. Activists fear that the use of private contractors would give a profit motive to deport more immigrants while providing less oversight.
The group leading the bidding is the private military contractor Blackwater. From Politico:
The group also proposes forming a “Skip Tracing Team” to use existing records to locate deportees, while sponsoring a “bounty program which provides a cash reward for each illegal alien held by a state or local law enforcement officer.” That, too, could present potential legal hurdles, because local officers in many cities and states do not have agreements to act as immigration officers.
The proposal notes that it is “unlikely that the government could apprehend all of the 12m illegal aliens without outside assistance,” and suggest deputizing 10,000 private citizens, including military veterans, former law enforcement officials and retired ICE and CBP officers, giving them expedited training and the same federal law enforcement powers of immigration officials. The document says after the border deputies are trained, they will be under Homan’s command.
How UAW Benefits Shaped an Immigrant Family
Finally, Jackie Charniga at the Detroit Free Press has a moving piece on how UAW benefits shaped an immigrant family:
When my great-aunt Clara Corso died late last year, the 93-year-old suburban Detroiter had never set foot in an auto factory, never pulled a third shift attaching bumpers and wasn't even a “Rosie the Riveter.”
What she was, however, was a post-World War II Italian immigrant, a widow whose final days involved intensive and expensive medical care that was completely covered, at no cost to her surviving relatives, because of what else Clara Corso was: The surviving spouse of a long-deceased, UAW-represented auto workers at Ford Motor Co.
For more, check out the Detroit Free Press
News & Headlines Elsewhere
- Trump’s falling approval ratings reveal an out-of-touch presidency, and have given space for allies to turn against him.
- How the Trump and DOGE terminations — perhaps the biggest job cuts in history — may affect the economy
- Federal layoffs drive 35% jump in unemployment claims among Washington employees
- 30% of Haskell's Indian Nations University to be laid off due to Trump cuts
- Nurses' union approves agreement with Providence to end 40+ day strike
- Fired in Trump's chaotic purge, an Army vet says he's never felt more betrayed
- Penn State graduate workers push for union amid disputes
- Finally, ICE arrest of Othello woman rattles community as teen son is left to run family’s food truck
Alright yinz, that’s all for today. Keep sending story ideas, tips, comments and complaints to melk@paydayreport.com
Donate to help us meet our monthly goal. Please, if you can, sign up as one of our recurring donors today. Thanks again for all the support.
In Solidarity,
Melk
