Tag: AFSCME

Coalition of Unions, Press Freedom Organizations, Editors and Journalists Win Major Victory As Judge Rules Kari Lake’s USAGM Appointment Illegal, Cancels Mass Firings at VOA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WASHINGTON – In a major victory for federal workers, this weekend, D.C. federal judge Royce Lamberth ruled that Kari Lake had illegally served as Acting CEO of the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM), the agency overseeing Voice of America (VOA). The Court, granting a motion for summary judgment filed by labor unions, Press Freedom Organizations, editors and journalists, ruled that the actions taken by Lake since March of 2025 are legally void.  That includes the August 29, 2025 reduction in force (RIF) eliminating the jobs of hundreds of Voice of America (VOA) employees. That RIF had previously been suspended by Judge Lamberth pending rulings by the Court, and thus all the employees targeted by the RIF have remained employed.

Continue reading “Coalition of Unions, Press Freedom Organizations, Editors and Journalists Win Major Victory As Judge Rules Kari Lake’s USAGM Appointment Illegal, Cancels Mass Firings at VOA”

Victory for Press Freedom and Workers: Court Grants Preliminary Injunction to Protect the U.S. Agency for Global Media

April 22, 2025 

WASHINGTON—Today, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia granted a preliminary injunction in Widakuswara v. Lake, affirming the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) was unlawfully shuttered by the administration, Acting Director Victor Morales and Special Adviser Kari Lake. The decision enshrines that USAGM must fulfill its legally required functions and protects the editorial independence of Voice of America (VOA) journalists and other federal media professionals within the agency and newsrooms that receive grants from the agency, such as Radio Free Asia and others. 

Continue reading “Victory for Press Freedom and Workers: Court Grants Preliminary Injunction to Protect the U.S. Agency for Global Media”

IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Journalists, Federal Workers, and Unions File Lawsuit to Challenge Closure of U.S. Agency for Global Media

March 21, 2025

Contact: comms@cwa-union.org, press@whistleblower.org, Nvoutsinos@afscme.org, press@democracyforward.org, press@statedemocracydefenders.org, press@afge.org, Gamer@afsa.org, pjones@rsf.org

The U.S. Agency for Global Media violated the First Amendment, separation of powers, appointments clause, and several laws when it suspended nearly all operations, says a new complaint filed by unions and workers

Continue reading “IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Journalists, Federal Workers, and Unions File Lawsuit to Challenge Closure of U.S. Agency for Global Media”