Darryl Moch is the executive director of the Labor Heritage Foundation.

The culture of labor solidarity sparkled June 22–25 at the 34th annual Great Labor Arts Exchange held at the Maritime Institute in Linthicum Heights, Md.  Sponsored by the Labor Heritage Foundation (LHF), the three-day program of workshops, sharing experiences and song/performance/art-swapping featured artists and cultural activists from a variety of unions and organizations, including international artist-activists from Canada and Nigeria.

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.

Delegates to AFSCME’s 75th anniversary convention elected Lee Saunders as president and Laura Reyes as secretary-treasurer late yesterday. Saunders replaces Gerald McEntee, who retired after leading the nation’s largest public employee union for 31 years. (Read more about AFSCME’s convention at its blog here.)

A recent report dismantles claims by private prison industry and its backers—including the extremist American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)—that private prisons are a better deal than publicly run facilities. The report also explores the influence private prison companies exert over criminal justice policymaking and the industry’s overall lack of transparency. Two of ALEC’s major sponsors are Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) and the GEO Group (formerly Wackenhut Security), the largest private prison firms in the country.

Some 3,000 netroots activists are headed to Providence, R.I., for the start of the annual Netroots Nation 2012 conference, where progressives of all stripes—with a big showing from the union movement—will share online and offline strategies for mobilizing at the local and national levels. The June 7-10 event features such blockbuster speakers as Rebuild the Dream co-founder Van Jones and NAACP President Benjamin Jealous and an economic keynote highlighted by Pulitzer Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman and AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka.

When it comes to education, few would dispute that youngsters who have access to high-quality child care and early learning opportunities have a better chance at lifelong success.

Now, two research reports show that unions are playing a big role in helping child care providers bring the highest level of care to the children and families they serve. Another study calls for more effective public investment in early childhood education.

The Main Street Moment: Fighting Back to Save the American Dream, a new book by AFSCME President Gerald McEntee and Secretary-Treasurer Lee Saunders, examines the recent unprecedented attacks on workers’ rights, growing income inequality and how everyday people are fighting back against the 1%.

William (Bill) Lucy, president of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU), is stepping down from the post he has held since he co-founded the CBTU in 1972. He says:

It’s time for a new leader to step into these shoes and connect with young workers who need to see their generation out front in more leadership roles, trying new approaches to empower black trade unionists and achieve social justice at home and abroad.

In the wake of President Barack Obama's announced public support for marriage equality, a number of major labor unions have come out in support of the president's position and equality for the LGBT community.  This is a great development for a number of reasons.  One, it's a clear statement from unions that they recognize that LGBT families are working families, too.  Two, it gives Obama strong public support on an issue that he is certain to be attacked on.  Third, it is a good way to attract new people to the labor movement who might have otherwise not paid much attention to unions because they had other issues that were more important to them.  If it is clear that unions support LGBT families -- which it is -- there is more reason for people to move out of issue silos, recognizing that they have allies they can work together with to improve everybody's situation.

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett (D) will face Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) in the June 5 election to recall Walker. Barrett won the Democratic primary yesterday. While working families are mobilizing behind Barrett, Walker has built a huge war chest—more than $25 million of mostly out-of-state contributions.