The country's armed conflict has been used by the Colombian government for decades to systematically deny basic labor and human rights. This crisis disproportionately impacts the Afro-Colombian population. A recent trade union delegation to the nation documented how Afro-Colombians have been excluded from economic growth. Despite acknowledging the persistence of racial discrimination and the historic causes of the marginalization, poverty and vulnerability experienced by Afro-Colombians, the government has not taken effective action to address these systemic problems.

The U.S. economy added 151,000 jobs in January and unemployment was 4.9%, slightly less than December's 5%, according to figures released this morning by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This continues the record string of months with job growth.

In February 2015, the AFL-CIO launched the Labor Commission on Racial and Economic Justice to broaden our frank and thoughtful discussion on racial inequality and its economic impact. The commission is facilitating conversations with local labor leaders around racial and economic disparities and institutional biases and to identify ways to become more inclusive as the new entrants to the labor force diversify. Here is part of the discussion from a recent forum in Oakland, California.

The government of Colombia continues to allow employers to undermine workers' rights and fails to effectively inspect and prosecute alleged violations of labor laws. Violence against trade unionists often occurs without any effective government response.

In a new op-ed for the Hill, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka explains the key reasons why the Trans-Pacific Partnership is bad for working people, both in the United States and overseas. Trumka describes the deal by saying that "the TPP is a giveaway to big corporations, special interests and all those who want economic rules that benefit the wealthy few."

One of the billionaires crusading to cut working people’s Social Security now has his sights set on making the Trans-Pactific Partnership look like a sweet deal. Hint: It’s not.

Pete Peterson’s think tank, Peterson Institute for International Economics, just released a study in January 2016 predicting great economic growth from the TPP.  But the PIIE methods are so detached from reality that the conclusions are wrong. Here are the reasons why. 

On Super Bowl Sunday next week, some of our larger and faster union brothers—members of the NFL Players Association (NFLPA)—will be battling it out in Santa Clara, California, at Super Bowl 50. While the Super Bowl carries a union label, from players to broadcast crews to stadium workers—your Super Bowl party spread can, too, with union-made in America food and drinks.

The story is very familiar. It comes right out of the extreme, pro-corporate playbook. In this case, literally.

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

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.

It's almost that time of year again, when the Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony highlights the best acting in last year's movies and TV shows. The live awards ceremony will air tonight at 8 p.m. (pre-show begins at 6 p.m.). Learn more and follow the awards on Twitter.

The U.S. government claims the labor protections in the Trans-Pacific Partnership are “gold standard,” but we need to look no further than Honduras to see how inadequate and unenforced labor obligations endanger workers’ lives and weaken workers' rights.

An administrative law judge at the National Labor Relations Board has ruled that Walmart retaliated against workers for participating in strikes. Walmart claimed that the workers' actions were not protected under the National Labor Relations Act and that it was legitimate to fire the employees for violating the company's attendance policy. Judge Geoffrey Carter ruled against Walmart.

In 2016, 10 states will be putting into place restrictive voting laws that they will be enforcing for the first time in a presidential election. These laws range from new hurdles to registration to cutbacks on early voting to strict voter identification requirements. Collectively, these 10 states are home to more than 80 million people and will wield 129 of the 270 electoral votes necessary to win the presidency.

New Jersey State AFL-CIO President Charles Wowkanech responded to the State Investment Council’s 2015 Annual Report, condemning the exorbitant fees paid to Wall Street firms.

If you weren't able to make it to Washington, D.C., for the 2016 AFL-CIO Martin Luther King Jr. Civil and Human Rights Conference, you can see highlights from the inspiring event in this new video from the Transport Workers (TWU). 

Florida is a large and diverse state. In the time and distance it takes to drive from Pensacola to Key West, you could drive from Madison, Wis., to Washington, D.C. During those more than 12 hours of non-stop driving, more than 400 more people would have moved into the country's third most populated state.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) has been rightly criticized for how he has handled the water crisis in Flint. In his State of the State speech earlier this month, he had a chance to take the crisis head on and failed to do so. Working people, on the other hand, are stepping up where Snyder has failed.

When it comes to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the operative question for Americans to ask is “Where are the Jobs?” According to two new independent analyses, they’re nonexistent.

West Virginia state Sen. Robert Karnes (R) doesn't think too highly of every day working people trying to create a better life and earn wages to sustain a family on. In fact, he called the concerned citizens who attended a recent "Right to Work" bill debate "free riders." Watch the video above.

Karnes is one of the republicans in leadership in the West Virginia Senate pushing a bill that out-of-state corporate CEOs just love. One that would lower wages, make workplaces less safe, increase poverty and lower access to adequate health care. It's clear the Republican leaders don't think too highly of West Virginia's working people.