Berry Craig, recording secretary for the Paducah-based Western Kentucky AFL-CIO Area Council and a professor of history at West Kentucky Community and Technical College, is a former daily newspaper and Associated Press columnist and currently a member of AFT Local 1360. Craig sends us this.

How can you help your union get better coverage in small-town media? 

First, try getting to know the newspaper, TV and radio reporters. Introduce yourself by calling them up or sending them an email with your photo. It’s a good idea to put a face with an email. Better yet, drop by for a visit. 

Members of the Fire Fighters (IAFF) were some of the first responders at the recent Aurora, Colo., movie theater shooting. Aurora Local 1290 firefighters not only assisted at the movie theater but also at alleged shooter James Holmes’ apartment.

The bankruptcies of California cities Stockton and San Bernardino weren’t caused by unions, Washington Post op-ed columnist Harold Meyerson points out in a new column, “Bankrupt Cities? Don’t Blame Unions.” Contrary to reporting on the subject, the bankruptcies of these two cities were caused by Big Banks “peddling subprime mortgages to poorly paid workers.”

Andrew Brady, director of Union Solidarity International (USi), sends us this:

Union Solidarity International (USi) is only a couple of months old and we have been trying through social media to inform, educate and campaign with trade union members in the U.K. and Ireland on the issues facing our movement across the world. It’s a high ambition but we know people like you share it.

This is a cross-post from the AFL-CIO Solidarity Center.

During her tour of Southeast Asia, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton urged the greater protection of worker rights, improvement of labor standards and the empowerment of women following a private meeting in Cambodia with union leaders and labor activists. Clinton met privately in Siem Rep, Cambodia, with 12 women union leaders—independent union representatives from every major industry in Cambodia, labor lawyers and activists—as well as the Solidarity Center country program director, David Welsh.

New York City taxi drivers have something to celebrate. Starting in September, they will receive a long-awaited raise, reported The New York Times.

USA

This week, leading up to July 4, we're highlighting American products, jobs and stories for our Made in America series. What are your favorite Made in America products? Please comment and share your ideas.

What better way to spend July 4 than barbecuing and hosting a cookout that’s actually Made in America? We’ve made it easy for you this year by compiling a holiday shopping list from Union Plus, the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers (BCTGM), the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor's LA Labor 411's website and the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) for all your union-made products. Here are some highlights:

USA

This week, leading up to July 4, we're highlighting American products, jobs and stories for our Made in America series. What are your favorite Made in America products? Please comment and share your ideas.

What could be more “Made in America” than a good old USA summer vacation that’s union-made, too? Here are some travel tips from Union Plus. If you are headed for a major theme park, many are staffed by union members, including the 36,000 union workers from 18 unions at the Disney Parks in Anaheim, Calif., and Orlando, Fla. On top of that, several offer discounts through Union Plus, click here.

James Callahan, general president of the Operating Engineers (IUOE), and DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the NFL Players Association (NFLPA), were elected to the AFL-CIO Executive Council this morning at the council’s annual winter meeting in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

Our redesigned site puts union members front and center and offers many new features that will make it easier to take action for working families and build a vibrant online community. The AFL-CIO Now blog is richer than ever, with commenting functions connected to Facebook and Twitter, “most popular” features and, most importantly, more content contributed by people from across our movement.