A good picture can change the world. Photos like "Lunch Atop a Skyscraper" can quickly and powerfully convey a message that informs and arouses sympathy and empathy. The Electrical Workers (IBEW) union recognizes that truth every year with its annual photo contest, running now through Oct. 31.

In 2013, it's difficult to believe that in most of the country, it's legal to fire workers for their sexual orientation or gender identity.  It doesn't matter how good you are at your job, if your employer doesn't approve of who you are, he or she can fire you and you have no legal recourse.  The country has long had laws that protect workers from being fired based on their race, gender, religion, disability or other characteristics of their identity.  But sexual and gender identity aren’t usually among those protections.

The Economic Policy Institute has released important research about the economy in the past few weeks. Here's a look at some of the key pieces it uncovered about the U.S. economy.

While many Republicans and conservatives have minimized the impact of the sequester and its effects on America's working families, nearly 40% of people say it has hurt them personally. Here are 25 ways the sequester is affecting people's lives, not just right now, but more and more over time.

After four decades as a labor activist and more than five years as the executive vice president of the AFL-CIO, Arlene Holt Baker will be retiring from her position in the coming months. Holt Baker announced she was leaving the position she's held since 2007 after the AFL-CIO national convention in September. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, who is up for re-election at the convention, said he would replace Holt Baker on his ticket with Tefere Gebre, who is 45 and is the executive director of the Orange County Labor Federation in California.

Goldman Sachs is making your beer more expensive. Why are they doing it? According to the investment bank, the reason is "economics." According to actual economics, the reason is "profits." The Washington Post explains how it works.

At 5 a.m. local time, workers at a Mira Loma, Calif., warehouse that ships goods for Walmart launched a two-day strike to protest alleged unsafe working conditions and retaliation against workers who are exposed to those conditions. The warehouse is owned by Olivet International, an apparel and luggage company.  Some 70% of the products that move through the warehouse are shipped on behalf of Walmart.

For the millions of mothers who work in restaurants, it's hard enough to balance work with the responsibility of raising your children right. But a recent survey shows that many employers seem to not only not care, but they act as if they are purposefully trying to make things harder for moms. From subminimum wages to lack of career mobility, working mothers face a wide array of challenges that make their lives harder and less rewarding.

While thousands of North Carolina residents rally in opposition, the state legislature continues to push an extremist agenda that will harm the Tar Heel State's working families. The latest outrage is H.B. 74, which is targeted directly at the rights of not only workers, but local governments. A special section of the bill contains a giveaway to large agricultural manufacturers that would provide them a shield against farm workers organizing and bargaining for better rights. A separate bill, that has been a key target of "Moral Monday" protests, would make it harder for North Carolina residents to vote, creating the most restrictive voter suppression law in the country.

The Indiana State AFL-CIO fought for and won dramatic improvements in the workers' compensation system this year. Over the next three years, several major increases in benefits and new workers' rights will be phased in. This will mitigate the effect of workplace injuries on those hurt on the job and their families in the Hoosier State, the Indiana State AFL-CIO reports.