A new study shows that miners in unionized coal mines are far less likely to be killed or injured on the job than miners in nonunion operations. The independent study funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) found that “unionization predicts an 18-33 percent drop in traumatic injuries and a 27-68 percent drop in fatalities.”

The New Hampshire state House will vote tomorrow to sustain or override Gov. John Lynch’s (D) veto of a so-called right to work bill. Earlier this month, the bill passed the state Senate by a veto-proof majority but fell short of a super majority in the House, where a close override fight is expected.

Today, six years ahead of schedule, Chrysler Corp. repaid the last of its $8.5 billion in loans the Obama administration made to the troubled carmaker in April 2009 to help keep Chrysler afloat and save the jobs of tens of thousands of Chrysler workers and workers in the supply chain.

The Wisconsin state Senate today in a straight party-line vote passed a so-called “Voter-ID” bill that could disenfranchise tens of thousands of students, seniors, poor and minority voters. The State Assembly approved the bill last week, and Gov. Scott Walker (R) says he will sign it next week.

Massey Energy Co.’s Upper Big Branch (W.Va.) coal mine exploded April 5, 2010 because the company operated the mine in a “profoundly reckless manner and 29 coal miners paid with their lives for the corporate risk-taking,” according to an independent report on the disaster commissioned by former W.Va. Gov. Joe Manchin (D).

Tom Morello’s gone from a rabble-rousing underground high school journalist to a rabble-rousing guitar hero and guerilla folk singer. The Rage Against the Machine guitarist—and more recently as the Nightwatchman—has long been active in progressive politics, from fighting against racism, torture, war and sweatshops to fighting for immigrant and workers’ rights.

Here’s a reminder: Tomorrow, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka will deliver an address at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., outlining the tough questions the nation faces and reviewing the anti-worker actions in Wisconsin, Ohio and other states.

Standing over the production line in Renton, Wash., where members of  the Machinists (IAM) District 751 build Boeing Co.’s 737s, Gov. Chris Gregoire (D) yesterday announced that the state is investing $3 million to train hundreds of Washington workers to get the skills and certificates they need to work in the aerospace industry.

The proposed merger between AT&T and T-Mobile is “a win-win proposition,” Communications Workers of America (CWA) President Larry Cohen told the Senate Judiciary Committee recently.

The Republican “outrage” machine has been operating in high-dudgeon mode since the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) filed a complaint against the Boeing Co. in April.