Federal workers in Maine are backing legislation to help ensure they can pay their bills in case of a government shutdown.

Those who might be furloughed or required to work without pay are requesting access to state-backed, no-interest loans.

Alana Schaeffer, president of the Metal Trades Council at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, said the 6,000 workers overhauling the nation's submarines deserve support.

"I watch the anxiety of our workers who are just trying to feed their family, pay their bills, lace up their boots and come in and serve their country every day," Schaeffer observed.

Schaeffer pointed out the loans would be repaid when the government reopens and employees receive retroactive paychecks. The legislation is sponsored by Sen. Troy Jackson, D-Aroostook, president of the Senate, and received little pushback in a committee hearing. The next federal funding deadline is March 22.

Legislation to fully fund federal agencies was supposed to have been enacted into law by October 1, the start of the 2024 fiscal year, but lawmakers have instead relied on a series of stopgap spending measures to keep the government open.

Schaeffer noted while Congress debates immigration and foreign aid packages, federal workers are left wondering about their next paycheck, and area businesses are wondering if they can remain open.

"That's money that people are paying at our local restaurants, at the gas station down the road," Schaeffer explained. "When they have to make cuts, the rest of our local community also see the ripple effects of that."

The 2018 government shutdown left federal employees without being paid for 35 days. Schaffer added she trusts Maine lawmakers will support the workers who remain dedicated to America's defense, regardless of the political climate in the nation's capital.

Maryland state employees are rallying behind a bill that would provide binding arbitration when unions and employers bargain.

Current Maryland law prohibits state workers from striking if their contract negotiations reach an impasse. A neutral party could make recommendations, but with no legal authority.

House Bill 159 would change that, allowing a neutral arbitrator to step in, with legally binding recommendations.

Patrick Moran - president of American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees' Council 3, which represents 30,000 state employees - said the bill would create a process that gives equal weight to unions and management.

"We want a process that's fair," said Moran. "And what I mean by that is, if we can't come to an agreement, then an arbitrator will get us both at the table and look at the evidence, and say, 'This side is asking for this. The other side is asking for that, and I think I can split the decision down the middle.'"

Opponents of the bill have said binding arbitration doesn't incentivize unions or management to compromise - an act they view as a vital pillar of union negotiations.

The legislation has been filed each year since 2022, but had never passed in either the House of Delegates or Senate until this session. Now, all eyes are on the Senate.

Moran said the need for an arbitrator depends on management's buy-in to the bargaining process.

"We didn't have an impasse procedure - so we were stuck with whatever the employer at the end, if we couldn't come to an agreement, decided we should take," said Moran. "That's not true bargaining. When we're dealing with rational people across the table, it's easier to come to a mutual conclusion."

If passed, the legislation would go before the Maryland voters as a ballot question.




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By Ramona Schindelheim for WorkingNation.
Broadcast version by Mark Richardson for Virginia News Connection reporting for the WorkingNation-Public News Service Collaboration

As a mathematician who solves problems, Dr. Bourama Toni is looking to make sure young people from underserved backgrounds have access to careers in the data economy.

“Data analytics and data science are in demand. People who are left out in math will also be left out in anything related to math, which will be very unfortunate,” says Toni, PhD, Professor and Chair of the Department of Mathematics at Howard University. Data analysts and data scientists require different skills and the job outlook for both occupations is strong.

Hiring for data analysts is expected to grow 23% in the decade between 2023 and 2033, with a median salary of $83,640. A bachelor’s degree is usually required. The demand for data scientists is even higher and is expected to grow 36% in the same time period with a median salary of $108,020, with at least a bachelor’s degree. 

Diversity in these fields is not. For example, it’s estimated only 4% of data scientists are Black.

That is why Howard University, the nonprofit National Education Equity Lab, and Google partnered to offer a year-long data analytics course to students from Title I high schools which have high rates of poverty. A large percentage of the population are students of color. 

The program is introducing more high school students to the potential career by allowing them to take college courses and earn an industry certificate at no cost. Training consists of teacher-led online courses at their high schools, with teaching fellows offering instruction and serving as mentors in the classroom at participating schools. 

Making Equity Part of the Data Economy Equation

With opportunities in the field growing, the National Education Equity Lab is working to ensure that students from historically underrepresented communities aren’t left out. The Data Analytics program that started in the fall of 2024 is part of the organization’s mission to advance economic and social mobility for the students it serves. 

“We were founded on the belief, and the reality, that talent is evenly distributed in our nation, but that opportunity is not. And, as an organization, we were created to help change that,” say Laura Moore, chief higher education officer at the organization.

“We see this as being a really powerful way to not only expose our scholars to that field, but give them the tools and resources they need to be active participants and leaders in that field, if they so choose,” adds Moore.

In the five years since the organization was started, it’s partnered with more than one dozen universities and others, and counts 33,000 high school students served with 80% of them passing college courses and getting credits for them, according to Moore. 

Gaining a Google Data Analytics Certificate

While it’s worked with Howard University on several programs offering college credits to high school students in subjects including college algebra, what is different about this data analytics program is that students can also earn a Google Data Analytics certificate along with six credits.

“We see the addition of this certified, industry-recognized career credential to be a really powerful tool that students have in their toolbox. It really just opens up additional opportunities for them whatever their path is after high school,” explains Moore. 

Easing Student Debt

Some 226 high school students from around the country are enrolled in the Data Analytics program. One of those schools is the Columbia Heights Education Campus, a public school in Washington D.C., serving roughly 1,600 students. 

“We pride ourselves on providing accessibility to all students who express interest in learning. We provide a rigorous curriculum for those students,” says Wendy Pugh, assistant principal at the school and a co-teacher for the program.

Eighteen students in the school are enrolled. Pugh says she is pleased with the result from the first semester. “I would say 90% of those students have received an A, so it just proves that when given access and support our students can perform with that level of rigor,” stresses Pugh. 

She sees that the program is valuable in financially, too. “One of our biggest challenges overall is students being able to afford higher-level education.

“One of the biggest motivators for me, and my co-teacher, was just having the opportunity to provide these college-level courses for free for our students. Overall, it reduces the amount of debt one will have going to the next level,” adds Pugh. 

That next level offers a different option than a four-year degree with the Google Data Analytics degree. 

Providing an Additional Option

“Because they’re coming from low-income families, some of them may not be interested in pursuing any degree. That’s also okay. I understand perfectly the pressure of the family, saying, ‘look, you finished high school, why don’t you get a job?’ So if we can give them that option as well, it’s great,” explains Howard University’s Toni. 

Among the steps taken to prepare students to be more marketable, he says, was to change the syllabus from learning Python to RStudio. 

Should students choose to enter the workforce after graduating high school and the year-long data analytics program, he explains they can apply for entry level jobs to any company using data. 

The Google program also works with employers interested in hiring students who’ve earned the Google certificates.

The average base salary for an entry level data analyst, according to Indeed, is $22.49 an hour. 

Math = Motivation and Confidence

While the college credits and data industry certificate give these students an advantage leaving high school, the other thing the program seeks to do is far more personal. 

“What we’re trying to do in the program is to build confidence. They do not have that confidence because of their background,” Toni explains. “This is a major part of the work we try to do to tell them you can do it.”

That lack of confidence, he says, is due in large part to the way students were taught math. He came to that conclusion after witnessing students fail in college algebra courses offered to Title I high schools. 

“The frustrating side of it: It’s just motivation. They have the skill,” adds Toni. He firmly believes that if students are taught how math is applied to everyday life and jobs, they will succeed. “You just need to understand why you need it, why you’re doing it, why it’s useful.”

He aims to increase enrollment in the program next fall in hopes of reaching more underserved students to change the way they approach math and see how it’s tied to good-paying jobs that are in-demand.

“The key thing is: how do I motive anyone that math and the related fields of data science, artificial intelligence, data analytics and computer science, that if you feel comfortable in math, you don’t have to worry about performing in any of these fields.”


Ramona Schindelheim wrote this article for WorkingNation.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.


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Since 2021, union elections in Maryland and across the country have more than doubled - and union election wins are at a 15-year high.

But President Donald Trump's administration is seen as taking action to weaken labor laws.

The National Labor Relations Board, which rules on labor practices and elections, was one target. Just days into his term, Trump fired its head, Gwynne Wilcox, a Biden appointee.

Margaret Poydock, a senior policy analyst with the nonprofit Economic Policy Institute, said this doesn't bode well for organized labor.

"There will still be organizing, but unions and workers may be hesitant to bring cases to the NLRB," said Poydock. "President Trump has made it clear that he expects members to rule in favor of employers."

A federal judge ruled earlier this month that Wilcox must be reinstated at the NLRB, but Trump administration attorneys appealed the decision.

Despite the stance of the Trump administration, unions remain extremely popular among the general public. A Gallup poll in 2024 found that 70% of Americans view unions favorably.

That's up from a low of 48% in 2009. Poydock said support for unions from the general public - even those who don't belong to a union - is key to keeping momentum strong.

"Public solidarity helps support unions, when they're trying to win a union contract or when their employer violates labor law," said Poydock. "So public support is key in the mix of union organizing right now."

In 2024, Maryland workers held 54 union elections. Notably, workers at a string of marijuana dispensaries voted to unionize.




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