Women have the power to be the difference in this election cycle. A deeper look into races on the federal and state levels show women as a pivotal vote in 2016.  For the past several election cycles, we’ve heard a lot about soccer moms and unmarried women helping determine the election cycle. Soccer moms represent the swing vote, while unmarried women turn out disproportionately for Democrats—that is, when they vote. This election cycle, Republican college-educated women are running away from Donald Trump, and we are hearing lots of discussion about the voting expectations for non-college white men and women, the working people of America.

Liz Shuler, the secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO, and Randi Weingarten, AFT president, launched “Women in the Breakroom” on a national tele-town hall last month. This program will educate union women about the candidates who will help working people build a better life.

Want to vote early? Thirty-seven states allow in-person early voting, and early voting and mail-in absentee voting is already under way in nearly all 50 states. Here are 10 reasons you should take advantage of this option.

Please share them with others who are able to vote before Nov. 6.

This is Trump-style politics at its worst. Chris Schwartz, an openly gay man, our union brother (American Federation of Musicians Local 137) and Pride At Work member, is running for county supervisor in Black Hawk County, Iowa. If successful, Schwartz would be the first openly gay man to serve in that role. Throughout his campaign, he has been the target of repeated homophobic harassment, including from his opponent. 

While it seems like the presidential election is dominating the news, social media, interpersonal conversations and pretty much everything else these days, it's important to keep in mind that there are other elections and numerous state and local ballot initiatives to vote for this year, too. One of the most extreme and dangerous ballot initiatives comes from Missouri. Here's why you should vote "no" on Missouri's Amendment 6.

North Carolina is a beautiful state. We’ve got mountains, beaches and the biggest battleground of the 2016 election. Here are five reasons why the outcome on Nov. 8 matters.

Sheet metal worker and 9/11 first responder Joe Rabito takes 14 medications a day so he can breathe. Joe was one of the tens of thousands of first responders in New York City who went out to help survivors of the World Trade Center attacks.

These people, many of them union members, are still feeling the physical and mental long-term health effects from the work they did as first responders. 

Union volunteers in Nevada know this is an election that will determine the trajectory of the middle class and with that the country. That’s why every day they hit the ground running, knocking on doors and talking directly with people to make sure they are empowered with the information they need when they step into the ballot booth.

International trade and migration are fundamental and interrelated components of globalization that have the potential to improve the lives of working families. For far too long, however, trade and immigration policies have prioritized corporate interests over good jobs and workers' rights.

Rene Cruz, an election volunteer and Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1245 organizer and steward is out in Arizona working to retire Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Cruz sent us some updates from his Bazta Arpaio campaign log this week. Here are some highlights.

A new video from AFSCME People takes a look at the damage done to real working people when the Carrier Corp. shipped jobs from Indiana to Mexico. And it shows the role that Rep. Todd Young (R-Ind.) played in the process. Young, who took nearly $20,000 from Carrier executives in campaign contributions, sided against workers and with those same executives. Watch the video to see how Young's support affected Frank Staples of Indianapolis.

If you want your Halloween to be all treats and no tricks, make sure all your candy is union-made in America. The Los Angeles County Federation of Labor's resource site, Labor 411, has an list of union-made candies, as does Union Plus. Here are some highlights, featuring sweets made by the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers (BCTGM) and the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW).

Pat Toomey’s biggest problem is his voting record in the U.S. Senate. On issue after issue, he has carried water for Wall Street and voted against working people. But Katie McGinty is committed to protecting jobs, wages and a good retirement for Pennsylvanians.

Every week, we bring you a roundup of the top news and commentary about issues and events important to working families. Here’s this week’s Working People Weekly List.

"[Temporary work visas are] something that I frankly use and I shouldn't be allowed to use it. We shouldn't have it. Very, very bad for workers." —Donald Trump

This is a historic moment at the intersection of sports and politics. While the anthem protests of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick against police violence are the most visible manifestation of this, we are witnessing an unprecedented number of athletes—from the pros to the NCAAs to high school and even to middle school teams—using their hyper-exalted platform and community standing to try and say something about the issues of racial and social justice. This new generation of “jocks for justice” has been inspired to act by struggles in the streets like the #BlackLivesMatter movement, as well as the ability of athletes to leverage social media in order to go around traditional sports media filters to speak directly to fans. They also are inspired by impatience and the guiding principle that justice delayed is justice denied.

In this new video, we hear the stories of Ladonna and Michael, two Nabisco workers who made Oreos in Chicago. They are hardworking people who put their heart and soul into making products that provide joy for many Americans. When Mondelēz International, Nabisco's parent company, announced that 600 jobs would be leaving the country, the ensuing stress made Ladonna lose her hair. Literally.

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory has "signed enough bad legislation to fill a library, and his administration has enacted one misguided policy after another," according to The Charlotte Observer, and working people agree. 

A new report finds that the United States fails to uphold the most basic rights of workers, particularly in the South, where some states "support or collude with employers to infringe upon workers’ rights to peaceful assembly and association." The report cited examples such as Tennessee officials’ opposition to unionization at a Volkswagen plant and the "government of Mississippi [which] touts the lack of unionization as a great benefit when courting potential employers."

In the (thankfully) last debate, Donald Trump was his typical dishonest, disrespectful self, while Hillary Clinton made it clear she was on the side of working people. She's with us, so we're with her.

When they aren't on the job, working people put their time and effort into helping our community and working for the issues and political leaders who fight for us. Here are some recent examples of working people in action.