Register now for the 2011 Good Jobs, Green Jobs National Conference, Feb. 8–10 in Washington, D.C. With unemployment above 9.0 percent for more than 20 months, thousands of union, environmental, business, community and elected leaders will discuss how to create millions of good green jobs across the United States. The conference is the leading forum for sharing ideas and strategies to grow a green economy that creates good jobs, addresses global warming and other environmental problems and preserves America’s economic and environmental security.

California’s paid family leave law “has been remarkably successful” and received high marks from both employers and workers, according to a new study released yesterday by researchers from UCLA/City University of New York (CUNY) and the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR).

Several disturbing items out now as Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner gets set to meet next week with Chinese President Hu Jintao.

The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) has brought union representation to a growing group of workers who do not fit the traditional union model: freelance writers and producers who work on nonfiction TV shows.

Jennifer Wright Dorr at Union Plus sends this latest news on the iPhone and AT&T.

The big tech news in the past few days is that Verizon will begin selling the much-sought-after Apple iPhone—at least for those with phone envy—in February. Previously, it was an AT&T exclusive.

While House Republicans have put a vote on health care reform repeal on hold in the wake of the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and the murder of six others Saturday in Tucson, they haven’t backed off their threat to repeal a law that eventually will provide health coverage for 30 million people.

In less than two minutes, the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO has provided a wonderfully entertaining history of the union movement in a fun and easy to understand animated video. It’s something for adults and kids.

The California Nurses Association/National Nurses United (CNA/NNU) reached a tentative agreement with Kaiser Permanente today. The three-year contract includes more than 20 important professional and economic enhancements and, significantly, no reductions in patient care protections or economic or professional practice standards, according to the union.

Wages have fallen lower and stayed low longer in this recession than in any time since the Depression. With unemployment at 9 percent or better for 20 months and likely to stay that way for a while, wages will continue to drop.

In a bitter battle late last year, Republicans in Congress filibustered an extension of the emergency unemployment insurance (UI) program for more than 1.4 million long-term jobless workers—and they didn’t approve the bill until they won an extension of Bush tax cuts for the rich.