As the new administration begins, immigrant workers around the country are fearful that President Donald Trump will follow through with his campaign pledges to deport millions of members of our unions and our communities and that he also will strip away basic protections for immigrants who were brought to our country as children. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program has allowed hundreds of thousands of aspiring Americans and union members to live and work without fear in the United States. In light of Congress’ failure to create a pathway to citizenship for millions of hardworking immigrants, the labor movement strongly supports this deferred action program and has called for it to be expanded so that all working people will have the status to assert their rights on the job and stand up together to prevent abuse and exploitation.

In a speech at Catholic University earlier this month, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka acknowledged the very real fear that immigrant workers in our country are feeling as President Donald Trump begins his term in office and pledged that the labor movement will stand strong and united in defense of all working people.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the attorneys general of Illinois and Washington directed the spotlight on the country’s largest student loan servicer, Navient, in a federal lawsuit filed last week. And the multibillion-dollar corporation is not happy about that.

On Sunday, millions of women and men took to the streets across the country in support of women and in opposition to a growing tide of anti-women policies coming out of Washington, D.C., and state capitals. Working families, led by working women, played a major role in the marches and rallies. Here are some of the best Tweets from events around the country

"This is a fantastic moment for our new brothers and sisters and one of the largest organizing election victories any union has seen in years," said International President Lonnie R. Stephenson. "This will transform not only their lives, but the lives of their families, and I think it will be an inspiration for working people across the U.S. and Canada."

This weekend, the AFL-CIO hosted the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Civil and Human Rights Awards Luncheon and Community Service Weekend. This year’s theme, “The Struggle Is Free, but the Dream Must Be Televised,” represents the constant battle for civil rights and justice that continues to plague our country. While the results of the election unveiled the sobering similarities with the civil rights movement, we still dream of the world Dr. King so eloquently described in his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. The labor movement will remain steadfast in our fight for civil, human and women’s rights, and to make justice a reality for everyone. We are the drum majors for justice, and together we will honor the everyday heroes who are working tirelessly to improve jobs and achieve justice.

Last weekend, working people from around the country rallied in defense of the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, Medicaid and other programs that provide health care to Americans. In opposition to proposed cuts from Washington, D.C., supporters of these programs spread news of the rallies using the #OurFirstStand hashtag. Here are highlights from the events.

President-elect Donald Trump nominated Wall Street financier Steve Mnuchin to head up the Treasury Department. We have serious doubts about his ability to serve the American people based on his time as chairman and CEO of OneWest Bank (and related companies such as Financial Freedom) out of California. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) described Mnuchin's time at OneWest.

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.

President-elect Donald Trump nominated Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) as secretary of health and human services. Once again, working people have some serious concerns about Price and his record. Here are seven key reasons that Price is a bad choice for working people.

I wasn’t the only person who woke up the morning of Nov. 9 and felt like I was in an alternate reality.

Immigrants and allies marched and held rallies on Saturday in more than 70 events in cities nationwide, showing broad-based support for immigrants and refugees. Here are some key tweets from events across the country.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration held a stakeholder meeting last week on preventing workplace violence in health care and social assistance— industries where nurses, social workers, emergency response workers, home care workers, psychiatric aides and others are on the front line.

Betsy DeVos was nominated as secretary of education, and hearings for her nomination are currently underway. As reporters and pundits are examining DeVos' record, we thought it would be interesting to imagine what it would be like to actually work for DeVos. This is speculative fiction, of course, but based on the things she's said and done over the years (click on the link after each entry to read more about DeVos and that topic). But here's what we think it could be like to work for DeVos.

Billy Thompson, Frankfort-based United Steelworkers (USW) District 8 director, has a warning for Kentucky lawmakers who recently voted for a trio of union-busting bills.

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of convenience and comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
          

We’re coming off of an election that reminded us we still have considerable work ahead in the struggle for freedom and civil rights, and on Martin Luther King Jr. remembrance day, Dr. King’s quote is deeply relevant.

Today, the AFL-CIO will be hosting the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Civil and Human Rights Awards Luncheon and Community Service Weekend. This year’s theme, “The Struggle Is Free, But the Dream Must Be Televised,” represents the constant battle for civil rights and justice that continues to plague our country. While the results of the election unveiled the sobering similarities with the civil rights movement, we still dream of the world Dr. King so eloquently described in his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. The labor movement will remain steadfast in our fight for civil, human and women’s rights, and to make justice a reality for everyone. We are the drum majors for justice and together we will honor the everyday heroes who are working tirelessly to improve jobs and achieve justice.

Three years ago, Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez of Honduras spoke before us here in Washington about the need for the United States and all nations to set aside the single-minded pursuit of wealth. He repeated Pope Francis’ warning about an economy that kills. He cited global inequality that has left working families so far behind that they often don’t have safe places to sleep, enough food to eat or access to clean water.

In the early hours of last night, Senate Republicans pushed forward with their reckless plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Shortly after 1 a.m., while most Americans were sleeping, Republican legislators passed a resolution containing a measure that initiates the process to repeal the ACA. The vote was 51–48, along party lines. Democrats used the amendment process to try to improve the resolution, with more than 160 amendments being offered but rejected. The House could vote on the bill as early as Friday.

Nearly five years after the torture and assassination of Bangladeshi labor leader Aminul Islam, the country's garment-sector employers and the government continue to persecute workers who try to exercise basic rights. In the three weeks since a December strike to protest the paltry $68 per month minimum wage, garment employers and the government have again shown their hostility toward workers and their rights. At that wage, workers in Dhaka would need to spend 60% of their income solely to rent substandard housing in a slum, leaving little to live on in a city about as expensive as Montreal (where the minimum wage is more than ten times higher).