In today’s News & Commentary, the Democratic Party Union blasts staff layoffs and Philadelphia city workers threaten mass strike.

The Democratic National Committee Staff Union has criticized party leadership following several days of layoffs in the wake of the 2024 election loss. The union claims these cuts go beyond typical post-election turnover and have impacted permanent staff and employees who were told their positions would be retained after the election. In response, the union has demanded severance for terminated employees and transparency as they struggle to understand the scope of the layoffs. 

The DNC offered in response that these layoffs are merely a “tough reality of [the] industry” and claims they acted in compliance with the CBA. However, one current DNC staffer called the scale of the layoffs “shocking [to] people who have been here for a decade,” and a permanent employee who was laid off pointed the blame at the same dynamic that many have claimed lost the election for Democrats. “If they want to be the party of the working people they should have more respect for their workers. There’s an inauthenticity to how they talk about workers and clearly voters feel the same thing,” the worker told Axios News. 

Three unions representing Philadelphia municipal and transportation workers are threatening a mass strike which could bring city services to a halt as they negotiate for new contracts. AFSCME District Council 33, which represents thousands of municipal workers, Transport Workers Union Local 234 and SMART-TD Local 1594, which together represent Philadelphia transit workers in both the city and suburbs, have reportedly been “holding regular discussions about aligning their strike dates,” according to Brian Pollitt, president of TWU Local 234. All three unions are fighting for wage increases and safer working conditions, among other demands.