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Whatever else Donald Trump intends with his assault on the federal workforce, labor unions, and the National Labor Relations Board, one potential effect is clear: a devastating blow to Black Americans who for decades have used public-sector jobs to move up from subsistence living and toward the middle class. Federal employment has been a pathway to the middle class for African American workers and their families since Reconstruction, including postal work and other occupations, explained Danielle Mahones, director of the leadership development program at the University of California, Berkeley, Labor Center. [Now y]oure going to see Black workers lose their federal jobs. Black people are the only racial or ethnic group to be overrepresented in government jobs. Data analysis by the Pew Research Foundation shows that while Black people make up 12.8% of the nations population, they account for 18.6% of the federal workforce. At the U.S. Postal Service, Black workers comprised 30% of the total workforce in fiscal year 2022. Although the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that African Americans are still underrepresented in executive positions within the postal service, the overall numbers reflect a robust history of Blacks seeking out USPS jobs to move their lives forward. California has the second-largest population of federal workers outside the Washington, D.C., area. Deep federal job cuts will affect the states roughly 150,000 workers, and Black employees make up more than 10% of that total. Historically, Black workers have used federal positions, many of them union represented, as pathways to homeownership, higher education for their children, and retirement savingsopportunities that were not widely available to previous generations, said Andrea Slater, director of the Center for the Advancement of Racial Equity at Work at the University of California, Los Angeles, Labor Center. Those opportunities didnt insulate Black families from the decades-old practices of redlining housing policies, wage theft, and other inequities, Slater said, but a government job usually meant dependable employment and some form of pension. Federal jobs and government contracts have helped build and establish cohesive Black middle-class communities from the Bay Area to San Diego, Slater added. * * * Postal workers nationwide have publicly protested a proposed cut of 10,000 jobs, which they consider a step toward an Elon Musk-led attempt to privatize the postal service. At a Los Angeles rally in March, Brian Renfroe, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers, told the crowd, We had an election in November, and some people voted for President Trump, and some people voted for Vice President Harris, some people voted for other candidates. But you know what none of them voted for? To dismantle the Postal Service. Still, a sense of unease hangs over the process. Asked for comment this week, a union representative in Northern California, who said the situation had their colleagues worried about losing jobs and civil service careers, refused to be quoted or identified. Trumps true motives for clear-cutting federal jobs and going after the unions arent known, but his animus toward union labor is no secret. During his first term, the presidents policymakers acted to weaken or abandon regulations that protected workers pay and safety, and Trump directed particular force against federal workers, more than a third of whom are covered by union contracts. Many workers and their unions were caught flat-footed by the scale and intensity of Trump 2.0s effort to decimate their ranks. Nobody was ready for this, UC Berkeleys Mahones said. This is part of a long-term project to eliminate the labor movement and unions. What is new, though, is the accelerationdoing something so massive, so quickly and chaotically, with no regard to the law nor humanity. Trump signed an order in March directing 18 departments to terminate contracts it had already signed with unions representing federal workers, and to shutter the process through which employees could file job-related grievances. Trump cited a 1978 law that makes exceptions from collective bargaining for departments that have national security missions. The American Federation of Government Employees, which represents 820,000 federal and D.C. government workers, said Trump has abused that narrow cutout in the law to go after multiple departments that are heavily unionizedand an accompanying fact sheet distributed by the White House all but confirmed that. The release claimed that certain federal unions have declared war on President Trumps agenda, adding that Trump refuses to let union obstruction interfere with his efforts to protect Americans and our national interests. The AFGE and several other unions filed suit in federal district court in Northern California seeking a temporary restraining order to prevent Trumps mandate from taking effect. Caught in the middle, meanwhile, are hundreds of thousands of federal employees whose jobs are on the line, including Black workers who may have spent their entire careers in a single area of public-sector service. The specific requirements of government sector positions will likely require Black displaced workers to acquire new job skillsand ageism and racism continue to influence hiring practices, even in California, Slater said. This piece was originally published by Capital & Main, which reports from California on economic, political, and social issues.
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After Pope Francis’s funeral was held over the weekend, attention has now turned to the papal conclave to choose the next pope. If youre Catholicor if you recently watched Conclaveyou might be hedging your bets on who next will be seated at the Vatican. While the process usually happens behind closed doors, one TikTok user has created a “Fantasy Pope League,” in a similar style to fantasy football, an online game in which players collect points based on how real-life footballers perform each week, allowing people to play along at home and win points based off the real-life conclave. There are 10 times the number of people in this sweepstake as there are cardinals in the Catholic Church, says @itismaxhooray. Making it bigger and therefore more legitimate than the real conclave. @itismaxhooray What name will the new pope take? Youve had your say! Enter the pope fantasy league now! #pope #league #conclave #competition #fun #fantasy #guy #papal #name original sound – Max Although sign-ups have now closed, those playing along will be assigned a cardinal via sweepstake from the College of Cardinals. If they do well in the voting, you do well in the pope league, @itismaxhooray explains. Players must also answer extra questions when they sign up to score “pope points,” which apparently will prove vital when it comes to the final leaderboard. There may even be a prize. @itismaxhooray PLAY THE FANTASY POPE LEAGUE NOW! Link in bio #pope #league #conclave #fun #competition #fantasy original sound – Max The original post has more than 100,000 views at the time of writing and reportedly saw 2,000 sign-ups on its first day. Im a normal girl who can be trusted not to get too intense about the fantasy pope league, one person commented. Immediately signed up, wrote another. 15 years of Catholic school have prepared me for this. Cardinals are now on their way to everyone who registered. Today, the Vatican announced May 7 as the start date for the official conclave. The last two conclaves, held in 2005 to elect Pope Benedict XVI and in 2013 to elect Pope Francis, each lasted two days. Currently, there are 135 cardinals eligible to participate. My cardinal is 40:1 according to Oddschecker, not awful, one player commented. Just me and 99-year-old Angelo Acerbi against the world, wrote another.
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Martinellis, the apple juice brand that has previously gone viral for its apple-shaped packaging, has issued a voluntary recall of more than 170,000 bottles of juice. The recall comes due to potential patulin contamination. Patulin is a byproduct of mold thats commonly found in rotten apples. Heres what to know. What is the reason for the recall? According to an enforcement report by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Martinellis voluntarily initiated the recall on March 18. The FDA then classified the recall as Class II on April 22, meaning it is considered a situation in which exposure to the product may cause “reversible adverse health consequences,” or where the probability of serious health consequences is “remote.” Fast Company has reached out to Martinellis for comment. The FDA notice says no press release was issued for the recall. According to a statement sent by Martinellis to NBC News: “In 2024, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) routine testing indicated that one lot of 10-ounce Martinellis Apple Juice glass bottles (in 4-packs only) produced in December 2023 may contain elevated levels of patulin, a naturally occurring substance produced by molds that can grow in apples. The company added that it has reached out to retailers that received the recalled product, and that any remaining items from the batch in its inventory have been removed. In all, the potential patulin contamination impacted 7,234 cases of apple juice, which equals about 170,000 individual bottles. What product is being recalled? The recall notice is for Martinellis apple juice, packaged in four-packs of 10-ounce cans. Here are the details, according to the FDAs description: Product Description: Apple Juice; clear/translucent bulbous/round glass bottle with white metal screw top lid; (4 10-oz. bottles per pack; 6 packs per case) Package size: 200g package Company Name: S. Martinelli & Company Recall number: F-0734-2025 UPC barcode: 0 41244 04102 2 Best by date: 05DEC2026 Where was the recalled product sold? The affected apple juice was distributed in 28 states: Alabama Arizona Arkansas California Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Michigan Mississippi Missouri New Hampshire New Jersey New York North Carolina Ohio Pennsylvania South Carolina Texas Utah Virginia Wisconsin What is patulin? Per the National Library of Medicine, patulin is a mycotoxin produced by a variety of molds, and it’s most commonly found in rotting apples. It is not a particularly potent toxin, but a number of studies have shown that it is genotoxic, which has led to some theories that it may be a carcinogen, though animal studies have remained inconclusive, the National Library of Medicine notes. Side effects of consuming apples or apple juice contaminated with patulin can include stomach irritation, nausea, and vomiting. Has anyone been harmed by the recall? So far, no health issues related to the recall have been reported. What should I do if I have the recalled product? If you have the recalled apple juice, you should not consume. Instead, throw it away. According to the Martinellis website, concerned customers can contact the company through an online form.
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