New from Coworker: Lunch Break Labor News
MARCH 12, 2025 | TEAM COWORKER
Coworker is launching Lunch Break Labor News, a simple breakdown of labor news to help keep working people informed about things that are relevant and impactful to you on the job: Workplace News for Working People. There’s a lot happening in the world of work right now, and it all tells a bigger story for 2025: working people standing up, corporations resisting, and the stakes growing higher every day.
With Lunch Break Labor News, we’ll cover all things labor, from workplace organizing, unionization efforts, labor violations and policy changes, to automated bosses or surveillance tech that might be coming your way. Let’s break down what’s been happening so far in 2025:
Federal Workers Face Major Cuts
The Trump administration has rolled out policies aimed at reducing the federal workforce. Nearly 30,000 employees have been dismissed in recent weeks, a hiring freeze is now in place, blocking new positions except in national security and immigration enforcement.
Remote work has also been eliminated, forcing employees back to in-person work and agencies are being ordered to submit plans for “large-scale reductions in force”. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has demanded weekly updates on five things federal workers accomplished the previous week. Many view this as an attempt to overwhelm and undermine the federal workforce.
Meanwhile, a “deferred resignation” program is offering pay and benefits to those who agree to resign voluntarily. These moves are already facing legal challenges and backlash from labor unions.
Starbucks: Progress, Pushback, and a Hard Fight Ahead
Big win in LA: Starbucks workers not only won their union election, but also secured catastrophe pay after managers tried to force them to work through the wildfires. That’s what collective action looks like—protecting each other when corporations won’t.
But here’s the thing: while Starbucks and the union have agreed to bring in a mediator for contract talks, the company is still playing dirty. Workers just filed 34 new complaints with the NLRB, alleging more union-busting tactics. So, yes, progress—but this fight is far from over.
Amazon: A Union Wave is Building
In December, workers at Amazon warehouses all over the country went on strike over the company’s refusal to bargain with or even recognize their union.
Then, for the first time ever, workers at a Whole Foods—the grocery chain owned by Amazon—have won a union election. That’s a huge moment. Amazon has spent years crushing organizing efforts, but workers aren’t backing down.
John Deere: Profits for Shareholders, Layoffs for Workers
John Deere made $10 billion in profit last year and spent $7 billion on stock buybacks to reward investors. But for 1,500 workers? Layoffs.
This video by More Perfect Union sums up the story.
Deere is shifting union jobs from Iowa to Mexico—turning a profit-driven decision into a devastating reality for working families. This is the same company where workers went on strike in 2021 to demand better conditions. Now, they’re watching their jobs disappear while Deere’s executives cash in.
Our Take
It’s a lot to take in, but here’s the bottom line: workers are fighting for their rights, and rich corporations are doing everything they can to hold onto power and avoid sharing the profits that workers create.
The anti-worker propaganda machine is working overtime and is only successful by shredding any potential for solidarity amongst working people. Rich corporations and political elites are doing everything in their power to disrupt workers' building power in solidarity with each other across class, race, religion and gender.
When workers see common struggles with those who look and live differently than them, they are more organized and empowered to take on rich corporations. From gutting public resources and firing masses of federal workers, including veterans, to restaffing the NLRB with anti-worker and anti-union forces, we are experiencing massive attacks by rich corporations who want to divide us in order to rob us.
We’re not going to sit idly by and watch that happen.