In a 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional, paving the way for the federal recognition of same-sex marriages. In a separate 5-4 ruling, the court dismissed an appeal by opponents of marriage equality of a lower court decision that found California's Prop. 8 ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. The dismissal of the appeal means that same-sex couples in California can begin getting married again.

In a Progressive Leaders Forum Town Hall meeting that will air Wednesday on SiriusXM 27's "The Agenda" radio show, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) joined Nancy Altman of Social Security Works, Edward Coyle of the Alliance for Retired Americans and host Ari Rabin-Havt to discuss the future of Social Security, including Harkin's proposed legislation that would expand Social Security benefits. The Strengthening Social Security Act of 2013 (S. 567) would raise the monthly Social Security benefit by about $65 and would measure inflation not with the chained CPI (a benefit cut), but using a more accurate measure of inflation for seniors (the CPI-E).

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon (D) vetoed a paycheck deception bill, saying the bill targeted a single group of employees and would have placed an undue burden on them. The legislation would've required that employees provide, on an annual basis, a written authorization for both withholding of union dues and for the authorization of the use of that money for political purposes.

In The Young Population and Workforce, the AFL-CIO Department for Professional Employees reports that the face of young workers is rapidly changing and concludes that unions and young people can be strong allies in the struggle for workplace rights, immigration reform, student loan reform and other key issues that face the United States. The report notes that young people, defined as 18-35, while being a growing part of the workforce, face significant challenges in finding good jobs or, to be blunt, finding jobs at all.

The Economic Policy Institute recently launched Inequality.is, designed to help people understand and take action to fight the problem with growing inequality in the United States and to learn about the devastating effects this problem has on working families. The site, which is beautifully animated, contains a wealth of easy-to-understand information that helps people get a handle on the issue and explain it to their friends, family and co-workers.

Working families had a strong presence at the annual Netroots Nation conference for progressive activists, with several unions co-sponsoring the event, numerous labor-sponsored events and displays and 30 panels with themes about workplace rights or union activists as speakers. Netroots Nation is the largest annual conference of progressive activists and has grown well beyond its initial creation as a get-together for lefty bloggers and fans of the Daily Kos website. 

A new report from the National Institute on Retirement Security (NIRS) concludes that the United States faces a staggering retirement savings deficit. America's families are between $6.8 trillion and $14 trillion short of recommended retirement savings targets, it says, according to financial services firms. The Retirement Savings Crisis: Is It Worse Than We Think? finds the typical American family has only a few thousand dollars saved for retirement. Some 80% of working families have retirement savings totaling less than their annual income.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) has signed legislation that prevents local governments in the state from passing ordinances requiring businesses to provide paid sick days to their employees. The bill was supported by business interests, including the the American Legislative Exchange Council, Florida Chamber of Commerce, Walt Disney World and Darden Restaurants, which owns Olive Garden and Red Lobster.

Clarence Adams from Brooklyn, N.Y., was fired by Cablevision for asking for a fair contract. He explains here why a functioning National Labor Relations Board is important for America's working families.

For the second time in the past few days, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has launched an investigation into a chemical plant explosion in Louisiana. On Thursday, a plant in Geismar, La., exploded, killing one person and injuring 73. On Friday, a blast in Donaldsonville, La., killed one person and injured seven. The plant that exploded on Thursday hadn't been inspected by OSHA in 20 years. It is not yet known when the last inspection was done at the Donaldsonville plant.