Dorothy was a longtime activist with the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and the Oklahoma State AFL-CIO. In the summer of 2012, she lost her only son and found that her home, which she bought for her retirement, was in serious need of repair. That's when her church, Journey Church, in Norman, Okla., and the state federation stepped in and did what they could to change her life.

Check out this video to see what they did in only eight hours. 

Followers of the Rootstrikers movement, which is dedicated to getting money out of politics across the country, are taking action on Sunday, May 19, to expose corporate spending in politics. The plan is for activists to head to grocery stores, department stores and shopping malls and use the BizVizz mobile app to help get out the word that some of the most popular products sold in those stores are made by companies that pour millions of dollars into buying elected officials.

Three members of Machinists (IAM) Local 264 in Boston were honored for their bravery and quick thinking in response to the Boston Marathon bombings on April 15. John Foley, Dave Litif and Mike Rown, who were volunteering at the finish line of the marathon, immediately moved to tear down barricades around the blast site to help people leave the area and began treating the wounded.

Minnesota is part of a growing group of states and localities that aren't sitting around and waiting for the federal government to take the lead on pushing to increase the minimum wage and move it closer to a living wage. Recently, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) introduced the Fair Minimum Wage Act, which hasn't gone anywhere in Congress. But that isn't stopping states like Minnesota, which are stepping up and getting the job done when it comes to raising the minimum wage.

The Home Defenders League is holding a Wall Street Accountability Week of Action in Washington, D.C., from May 18-23. Families directly affected by the foreclosure crisis are traveling to the nation's capital to make their voices heard. On May 20, at 1:30 p.m., home defenders and their allies are rallying to "Bring Justice to Justice." The week also will include community organizing and training in home defense and other nonviolent tactics.

Letter carrier and union member Tom Sapienza was making his rounds Saturday when he came upon a burning building. Without hesitation, he and several others entered the building to look for trapped residents. No one was seriously injured in the blaze. Afterward, Sapienza went back to doing his job.

In this video, members of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) and the Electrical Workers (IBEW) explain how they help keep the USS Midway, which is now a museum, up to date and running smoothly, preserving an important bit of American history.

Fast food workers at more than 60 restaurants in Detroit walked off the job Friday. This may be the largest fast food strike in American history, involving more than 400 workers from McDonald's, Long John Silver's, Burger King, Popeyes and KFC. Some locations were forced to shut down. At issue is workers' right to form a union and an increase in base pay to a minimum of $15 per hour.

The AFT has been a partner in helping revitalize McDowell County, W.Va., for more than a year now, and those efforts are paying major dividends for the local education system. On Wednesday, the West Virginia Board of Education unanimously approved a community schools plan for McDowell County Public Schools. In a separate vote, the state board also voted to return the county's schools to local control. The board had taken control of the schools in an attempt to save them from the poor conditions the county was experiencing.

Tomorrow is the final day of the Letter Carriers' (NALC) 21st annual "Stamp Out Hunger" Food Drive. It is the largest annual food collection day in the United States. In 2012, the drive collected more than 70 million pounds of food, and it has collected nearly 1.2 billion pounds of food since it began in 1993.