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).

Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Labor released a report in response to the complaint filed by U.S. and Colombian unions detailing systematic labor rights violations in Colombia. The U.S. government acknowledged many of the serious issues raised in the complaint, including inadequate labor inspections and enforcement actions, abusive forms of subcontracting that prevent union organizing and keep the majority of Colombian workers in precarious jobs, and impunity for threats and violence against trade unionists, which creates a climate of fear.

Hundreds of union members who rallied at Kentucky’s Capitol against a trio of Republican union-busting bills surely knew the legislation was unstoppable.

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.

Immigrants who have come to our country in search of better opportunities have been the economic backbone of America for well over a century. In the face of a difficult job market for many immigrants, their keys to the American Dream may not be readily available.

Yesterday, working people who have been employed by fast-food CEO Andrew Puzder shared their stories with Senate Democrats. They made it clear why Puzder is being called the #AntiLaborSecretary. Here are some of the key tweets that captured the hearings.