We launched a fun but serious action today with our partners in the progressive community to call on House Speaker John Boehner (R) to move the American Jobs Act and stop stalling while millions of America’s workers suffer without jobs.

Are companies in your area violating laws on the minimum wage, overtime pay and child labor? You can find out on Working America’s updated and improved Job Tracker.

The nation’s ailing economy needs a prescription powerful enough to heal the jobs crisis and America’s working families need an independent political voice that’s not beholden to parties or politicians, says AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka.

We’ve all been there. The salesman was slick. The promises were big. We really wanted to believe. So we plunked down our cash and went home ready to lose weight, grow hair, find love and change our lives.

Barbara Niccoli-Hiltz from the AFL-CIO field staff sends us this report.

After Maine Gov. Paul LePage and the state legislature repealed the state’s Election Day voter registration earlier this year, the Protect Maine Votes coalition, which includes the Maine AFL-CIO, went to work gathering signatures to put repeal of the measure before voters this fall. Last week, the coalition submitted 69,296 signatures to the Secretary of State’s office, well above the 52,277 needed for the referendum to qualify.

Christian Norton at Working America announces the winning employees in this year’s Bad Boss contest.

Working America’s Bad Boss contest exposed more than 700 horrible bosses and after thousands of votes, we’ve got our three winners.

The good folks at Daily Kos this week launched a new blog that will “focus on the issues of importance to working people.” The new Daily Kos Labor is managed by Laura Clawson, who you might remember from her time at Working America’s Main Street blog.

Christian Norton of Working America reports on the second set of semifinalists in Working America’s Bad Boss contest.

Did your boss ever complain about how much it costs to gas up his Porsche while you’re struggling just to pay for your commute? Or maybe she just leaves her underwear all over the office for you to stumble across? Her dirty underwear.

Shonda Sneed of Yellow Springs, Ohio, was laid off in December 2009 and is about to run out of unemployment benefits. Because of state budget cuts, she also could soon lose the health care nurse who helps care for her mother who has dementia. At the last job she applied for, she was told 450 others had also applied for the same position.

Christian Norton of Working America reports on the first two semifinalists in Working America’s Bad Boss contest.

The people have spoken, and Working America’s Bad Boss contest has its first two semifinalists. But the contest is far from over. The votes have been cleared from the first round and voting is under way for the second round. Two more semifinalists will be chosen this week based on your votes. (So go vote.)