There is definitely lots of talk about how President Donald Trump and Congress are planning to make major changes to Americans’ health benefits. That’s because Trump and Republican leaders in Congress have said that repealing the Affordable Care Act is one of their top priorities. Although it is not clear when they will act or exactly what they will do, here are three things to know right now.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka responded to the news of Andrew Puzder withdrawing as the labor secretary nominee:

The withdrawal of Andrew Puzder’s nomination is great news for everyone who wants an America where wages rise, benefits are strong and unions are growing. It’s a reminder of the collective power of working people and a clear message to President Trump that it’s time to change course completely, not double down.

From hotel workers to farm workers, from teachers to taxi drivers, airport, construction and retail workers, union members and leaders have been out in the streets in Los Angeles; Phoenix; Austin, Texas; New York City; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and many points in between over the past week. Why?  We are defending our neighbors, co-workers and friends who are being swept up in a series of immigration raids. Working people understand in our bones that when the government terrorizes our fellow workers and their families, we all lose. When we allow ourselves to be divided, we are weak, when we are weak, standards erode for all of us.    

Feb. 18 begins the first recess of the 115th Congress. It will be the first opportunity of the Donald Trump administration for most Americans to speak directly with members of Congress who will be in their districts holding events, town halls and other public appearances. You can join the many Americans who are pledging to make their voices heard during what is being called the "Resistance Recess: Save Our Health Care, Our Communities and Our Democracy." You can check here to find an event close to you or plan your own event.

In a new video, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka lays out the reasons why Andrew Puzder, the fast-food CEO nominated to run the Department of Labor, is a bad pick for working families. Watch the video and then contact your senators and ask them to vote "no" on Puzder.

If you are a union member who participates in certain Union Plus programs and have been affected by severe storms in Georgia or Mississippi at the end of January 2017, you may be eligible for financial assistance through the Union Plus Disaster Relief Grant program.

It would be an understatement to say that the past few years of witnessing public displays of racial injustice against black and brown communities have been devastating. From the public executions of Mike Brown, Walter Scott, Philando Castile and Renisha McBride, to the recent ban on Muslims enacted by newly elected Donald Trump, we find ourselves living in a time where racial anxiety and tensions are at an all-time high. While we relished the election of the first black president, Barack Obama, we were soon reminded of the deep racial divisions our country still has to overcome in the recent appointments of known white nationalists to the top White House positions, and the confirmation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions—who has a history of racial discrimination in his court rulings. Often, the issue of racial politics and discrimination is not seen as a central priority of the labor movement—but it is our duty to protect workers from racial discrimination in our work places and in our society. One of the labor movement’s most important challenges is to understand how racial discrimination hurts all working people and impedes our ability to protect workers' rights.

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.

Over the years, we have profiled some key African American labor leaders for Black History Month. Here is a look back at some of the women and men who fought for their rights and the rights of other Americans and who deserve our thanks.

"I was fortunate enough to have the support of a union, and I was a member of a union. And I think in this situation, I’m convinced more than ever how important the unions are. And I just wanted to mention that I know here in New York there are so many students from private universities who have been trying to and fighting to get their right to have a union, and the administration of the universities are denying them this right." —Saira Rafiee

The big banks came out swinging at the beginning of the new Congress. What’s at the top of their list for 2017? Raising workers’ wages? Lowering prescription drug prices? Fighting the gender and race wage gaps? Nahh.

Andrew Puzder was nominated as secretary of labor, and hearings for his nomination, though postponed, are going to happen soon. As reporters and pundits are examining Puzder's record, we thought it would be interesting to imagine what it would be like to actually work for Puzder. This is speculative fiction, of course, but based on the things he's said and done over the years. Here's what we think it could be like to work for Puzder.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka issued the following statement in response to the confirmation of Jeff Sessions as attorney general.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka and Canadian Labour Congress President Hassan Yussuff made the following joint statement about recent acts of violence against Muslim communities in both countries and President Donald Trump’s executive orders on immigration.

This past Friday, President Donald Trump ordered the Department of Labor to reconsider the Obama administration's retirement savings protections due to begin taking effect in April, with an eye toward revising or completely eliminating them.

AFT President Randi Weingarten released the following statement in response to the confirmation of Betsy DeVos as secretary of education.

Judge Neil Gorsuch was nominated to fill the current vacancy on the Supreme Court. Soon the U.S. Senate will hold hearings on his nomination. In taking a deeper look at Gorsuch's record, there are quite a few rulings and writings that should concern working people. As a private lawyer and as a judge, he has aligned himself with the interests of Big Business, not the concerns of working families. He has ruled against protecting the health and safety of workers, made it harder to have discrimination-free workplaces and argued for corporations’ misconduct to be protected from correction by investors and consumers.

Let’s take a breath and step back from our circus-like introduction to the Trump era.

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.

I spent 36 years working at the Bridgestone Tire plant in Oklahoma City. The work was hard but rewarding. It afforded me the opportunity to provide for my family, always ensure there was enough food at the table and that my kids were afforded every modest opportunity to grow up in a household that was stable, secure and free from worry. That all changed suddenly in 2006, five years after Oklahoma passed a "right to work" law that was billed by politicians as a job creator. For the 1,400 men and women who worked at the plant, right to work didn’t work as advertised. Not only did the plant close, but the effects of the closing and the chilling effect that right to work has on a state’s economy were felt by everyone.