"I am happy that trade issues are getting so much attention in this election," said steelworker Ed Rico in Cleveland this week. "It is a critical issue for places like Lorain, like Cleveland or any place else where we make things. It is on us, however, to be sure we separate fact from fiction when it comes to candidates’ claims and promises. And on trade matters, it is clear who stands with us and who has been part of the problem."

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.

"Trump tries to talk a good game about trade policy, but how is someone like me supposed to believe a word he says when his own business practices threaten my well-being and that of my co-workers?" said union member Wanda Navarro in Cleveland this week, in advance of the Republican National Convention. "I hear what he says on the need for fair trade, then I look at what he does and it just doesn’t make any sense." 

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka released  the following statement  in response to the shooting of police officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

A little more than a year ago, President Barack Obama called on the Department of Labor to implement a new overtime protection rule. Hundreds of thousands of Americans spoke up, and we were able to get the rule passed.

In Cleveland yesterday, working people joined U.S. Senate candidate Ted Strickland to talk about important issues like trade policy, infrastructure investment and union-busting and how the top Republican candidates measure up on these important issues. Local workers like Michael "Iron Mike" Kilbane, a member of Ironworkers Local 17, shared their stories. 

On July 15, the U.S. government accepted  a complaint  saying that Colombia is failing working families in violation of its commitments in the U.S.–Colombia Trade Agreement. Here are five reasons why.

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.

The Berger-Marks Foundation is now accepting nominations for the annual Edna Award for Social Justice and the Kate Mullany Courageous Young Worker Award through Sept. 16.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka released the following statement in response to Donald Trump choosing former Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his running mate.

In an appearance this week, Hillary Clinton spoke out against bad trade deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The video shows, once again, that she's with us.

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.

Donald Trump has admitted before that when he has a choice between union and nonunion labor for his construction projects, he'd go with nonunion labor. Just how often was that? A new report from the Electrical Workers (IBEW) reveals some figures about his dealings with IBEW contractors.

Every day you hear stories about families sitting around the kitchen table trying to figure out how to pay for their children’s college tuition. But the reality is that many families with young children also struggle to figure out how to pay for early education and child care. In fact, today, early childhood education and child care are two of the most pressing issues facing working families. These issues are very important to the AFT and to the entire labor movement. High-quality early childhood care and education should be available for all children, not just the wealthy few.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka issued the following statement in reaction to the Democratic Platform Drafting Committee’s passage of a trade amendment during its Orlando, Florida, meeting.

It has been a tragedy-filled week for working people and their families. Here are some of the responses from our union sisters and brothers.

Freedom to come together and negotiate in union is pretty high on the list of the reforms working people are fighting for. This is even more important in the case of migrant farm workers. They work seasonal jobs that are not only dependent on their bosses, but for the very visa that gains them entrance into the country for their livelihood.

The AFL-CIO supports the Berta Cáceres Human Rights in Honduras Act, which would suspend all funding to Honduran security forces. These forces have engaged in well-documented cases of excessive use of deadly force, abuse of power and entrenched corruption. Just this week, another indigenous activist, Yaneth Urquia Urquia, was kidnapped and murdered. The AFL-CIO calls for a suspension of funding from the U.S. Congress and loans from multilateral development banks until abuses by security forces stop and those responsible are prosecuted.

The U.S. economy added 287,000 jobs in June and unemployment rose slightly to 4.9%, up from 4.7% in May, according to figures released this morning by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

Working people at the Trump Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, walked off the job on Friday, launching a strike against the greedy actions of billionaire Carl Icahn, the current owner of the casino. Workers at other Atlantic City casinos reached tentative agreements last week, but Icahn's opposition to treating working people fairly means that nearly a thousand cooks, housekeepers, servers and other staff are on strike.