Today AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, Secretary-Treasurer Elizabeth Shuler and Executive Vice President Tefere Gebre released the following statement in response to the murder of 49 people at Pulse, an LGBTQ nightclub in Orlando: (after the jump). 

In 2016, women are rising to the top in every field and industry, and breaking down boundaries that held former generations back.

Yesterday, the AFL-CIO’s annual Union Summer program kicked off in Jackson, Mississippi, marking the 20th anniversary of the one-of-a-kind internship program that places young activists on various organizing campaigns.

Each week, we take a look at the biggest friends and foes of labor. We celebrate the workers winning big and small battles, and we shame the companies or people trying to deny working people their 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.

For many kids in the U.S., summer is a time to be out of school and have few responsibilities. But for many of these children’s families, summer is a time of financial stress. The New York Times explains the problem.

The 2016 Democratic Platform Drafting Committee on Thursday in Washington held its second session of the Mid-Atlantic Democratic Platform Forum, the first in a series of regional events designed to engage every voice in the Democratic Party. Platform Drafting Chair Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) and Democratic National Convention Committee CEO Rev. Leah D. Daughtry led the forum. The committee heard from policy experts as well as Democrats from all walks of life in an effort to inform the Democratic National Platform.

Workers from many countries this week made clear they reject the process in Brazil to remove democratically elected president Dilma Rousseff. Workers from around the world unite every June at the annual International Labor Conference in Geneva, Switzerland, to debate with governments and employers and defend workers' rights. While this year's meetings have focused on improving wages and conditions in global supply chains, worker delegations took the opportunity to make their opinions known when the interim government of Brazil's minister of labor began to address the plenary on Wednesday.

The Advocate has a piece by Catalina Velasquez, director of People For the American Way Foundation's "Young People For" program, that explains why the recently passed transgender discrimination law in North Carolina hurts everyone, not just the direct targets of the legislation.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka commented on Donald Trump’s meeting with Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas), warning that the meeting shows that Trump is siding with the 1% on Wall Street instead of working people.

A report out from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities details the drastic cuts made to state public higher education budgets since the start of the Great Recession in 2008.

When working people come together in union to create a better life, America thrives. 

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka addressed the Democratic Platform Committee this morning detailing the steps we need to take to ensure a bright and prosperous future for America's working people. 

The Trans-Pacific Partnership, the huge new 12-country trade deal, raises the question: How low would we go to get the next NAFTA-style deal?

Have you ever wondered about the men and women who spend their days building and maintaining the skyscrapers that make New York City's famous skyline? The New York Times did. In a beautiful photo essay, the newspaper meets the union members who build the city, from lather Jonathan Schulterbrandt to plumber Myriam Giraldo and many others.

I was fortunate to grow up in a union household. I know how important they are for families and communities. 

Each week, we take a look at the biggest friends and foes of labor. We celebrate the workers winning big and small battles, and we shame the companies or people trying to deny working people their rights.

On May 29, the 45th annual convention of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists voted unanimously to support democracy and denounce what activists around the world are calling a legislative coup in Brazil. President Dilma Rouseff, re-elected by 54 million Brazilians in 2014, was leading the fourth consecutive Workers’ Party government, whose policies had lifted more than 40 million people out of poverty in the majority black nation, the largest black country outside of Africa.

The strongest protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer working people are found in a union contract. Working people in unions have fought hard to make sure that employers cannot discriminate against people. This includes helping pass laws that protect LGBTQ working people, especially transgender people.

Every week, we'll be bringing you a roundup of the important news and commentary about issues and events important to working families. Here's this week's Working People Weekly List.

One of the great benefits of joining the military is the opportunity to learn skills that benefit a soldier after their service is completed. Some soldiers, such as Specialist Tanya Preddy and Sergeant Alyssa Tamayo, prepare for careers that provide good jobs while breaking ground at the same time. Preddy and Tamayo just became the first women to graduate Fort Campbell’s Veterans in Piping program in Kentucky.