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.

The latest video from AFSCME takes a look at some of the Republican policy proposals for the economy and finds that the recipe adds up to recession.

In her life and in her death at the hands of assassins this week, Berta Cáceres, a leader in Honduran struggles for social justice, exemplifies the difficult choices that so many Central American communities have faced over the past 40 years. When the region was torn by Cold War struggles and civil war, Cáceres' family gave shelter and support to those fleeing the violence in El Salvador. As a tenuous peace was achieved, and many Hondurans faced poverty and violations of their rights, she went on to study and emerged as a leader for the rights of the Lenca people to stay on their land and sustain their rural communities, rather than migrate to cities that have become some of the most violent in the world or to the United States seeking safety and opportunity for decent work and better lives for their children.

In a speech yesterday to the Plasterers and Cement Masons (OPCMIA) union, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka challenged Donald Trump’s appeal to working-class voters.

The U.S. economy added 242,000 jobs in February and unemployment was 4.9%, unchanged from January, according to figures released this morning by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This continues the record string of months with job growth.

A new report released today from the Economic Policy Institute offers further data that the Trans-Pacific Partnership is fatally flawed.

Tonight, Republicans will be holding their latest debate in Detroit. It's an odd choice considering the racism we've seen in this presidential cycle and the fact that Detroit is a city where people of color are the majority. In the latest video in the Fusion series #CallingAllVoices, Detroit residents demand answers from the Republican candidates.

It's time once again to take a look at the battles for the rights of working families in the states. Here is what the unions in the states are talking about this week. Click on any of the links to follow the state federations and labor councils on Twitter.

This month, we are celebrating Women's History Month by honoring important working family activists and present-day organizers who are women and are fighting at the intersection of women's rights and workers' rights. Today, we look at Theresa King.

The AFL-CIO Executive Council affirmed that working people in the gig economy share a single common designation: employees.

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.

If you visit Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, you'll see the familiar red wagons that help make life a little easier for young patients who take comfort from the wagons in the unfamiliar environment of the hospital. More than a year ago, retired Machinists (IAM) member Roger Leggett started making the wagons even more useful, when he invented "Chad's Bracket," which allows the wagons to be used by children who need an IV pole with them. 

At their meeting this week, the AFL-CIO Executive Council issued a variety of policy statements on important issues, from the retirement crisis to investing in infrastructure, from the Zika virus to Supreme Court nominations. Here is a brief look at the policy statements issued this week.

For Black History Month, we're lifting up black activists, leaders and agitators who are changing the rules and being the power in our communities. Here are several profiles of leaders who may not be household names, but are worthy of wider attention for their efforts.

I am part of a community where a lot of my peers aren’t working. Many of them want to but can’t because they were formerly incarcerated. In fact, studies show a formerly incarcerated white male has a better chance of being hired than an African American male without a criminal record. But that is frequently overlooked, and it often feels like no one even cares.

Black History Month is meant to celebrate the achievements of African Americans in the United States. While we have made huge strides toward overcoming the barriers that have set us back—we have not fully overcome the damages that centuries of exploitation, oppression and free labor have had on our communities due to enslavement and Jim Crow laws. Many people tell our community that we should “get over it” and “slavery is over, the playing field is equal”—but it's no secret that structural racism has continued to plague our community with higher unemployment rates, overincarceration and a wider education gap than whites and other communities of color.

Last week, the Vermont Legislature gave final approval to a bill that would guarantee working people paid sick days. Gov. Peter Shumlin (D) is expected to sign the legislation. With his signature, Vermont will become the fifth state in the country to require paid sick days. An estimated 60,000 workers who don't currently have access to paid sick leave will now have it. Voices for Vermont's Children, the Vermont State Labor Council and coalition partners have worked on the bill for a decade.

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.