PSRP enews | September 2025

A Labor Day focused on empowering workers

In her latest column, AFT President Randi Weingarten reflects on the true meaning of Labor Day—not just the barbecues and back-to-school sales last weekend, but a day rooted in the struggle for workers’ dignity. She calls out the Trump administration’s betrayal of working people through Project 2025 and its big, ugly new law, which will deplete Medicaid and supplemental meals—mostly after the midterm elections. She reminds us why union power is essential: to fight for fair pay, public schools and a democracy that works for everyone. “Unions enable working people not just to ask for things from those in power, but to have some power of their own,” she writes. Watch video highlights here.

When ICE is at the schoolhouse door

Back-to-school time means first-day jitters, new class schedules and reuniting with friends you’ve missed all summer—but this year, back-to-school joy is tempered with fear among school employees and families who live in immigrant communities. As the Trump administration continues to terrorize neighborhoods with Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids, school staff—and AFT affiliates—are doing everything they can to be sure students feel welcome and safe at school. Make full use of our AFT immigration resources on AFT.org.

Take this free online safety training

Cyber safety and security training can help you increase your security awareness about online threats, equipping you to protect your personal information online and help respond to digital crises. This outstanding training will provide specific tools and tips to defend against digital threats, as well as provide action steps and insights on how you can increase your privacy both online and offline. This free evening training will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 24. Register now.

Next ‘No Kings Day’ will be Saturday, Oct. 18

As the Trump administration escalates its attacks on our rights, including our basic civil rights and our rights to vote and to govern ourselves, millions are rising up again to say: “No Kings.” On Saturday, Oct. 18, the growing No Kings movement will take to the streets once more to demand dignity, defend our communities and reject authoritarianism in all its forms.

The correct answer is no phones

Rates of anxiety and depression are soaring while test scores plummet among young children and teens. At the AFT Book Club’s latest session, social psychologist and Anxious Generation author Jonathan Haidt unpacked the reasons behind the decline and offered solutions for a healthier childhood: no smartphones before age 14; no social media before 16; phone-free schools—not just in class, but from bell to bell; and more independence, free play and real-world responsibility for children. Read our summary and watch the book club session.

AFT joins nationwide boycott against Target

On Labor Day, AFT President Randi Weingarten joined Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates and Dr. Jamal Bryant, senior pastor at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Ga., to announce dual union resolutions in support of the nationwide boycott against Target, after the retailer rescinded its diversity, equity and inclusion efforts to comply with the Trump administration’s offensive attacks on DEI and communities of color. Weingarten said, “We rarely engage in this type of action, but we’re doing so here because Target betrayed promises to communities of color throughout the United States.”