It was the sixth day of the London Olympic Games and Jim and Cecilia Adrian still hadn’t seen their son Nathan for whom they traveled 4,800 miles to watch swim for the United States. Nathan, 23, was competing in his second Olympics. Nathan and his mom were exchanging text messages, but the two hadn’t spoken in-person in days. While waiting to watch the 100-meter freestyle race on Aug. 1, the Adrians chatted with some Australian spectators who were on their way to see a water polo match in the Olympic Park.

“They wished Nathan good luck,” says Jim. “But not enough to come in first…at that point, everyone was predicting [James] Magnussen would win.”

In a dramatic, heart-racing sprint, Nathan, of Bremerton, Wash., took home his first individual gold medal in the 100-meter freestyle swim, beating Magnussen by one-hundredth of a second. 

Nathan Adrian, 23, of Bremerton, Wash., took home his first individual gold medal in the 100-meter freestyle swim in the London Olympic Games last week, winning by a "fingertip," beating Australian favorite James "The Missile" Magnussen. 

The Seattle Times reported:

The margin of victory—one-hundredth of a second—was the tightest at the London Olympics.

Perhaps the swimmer's work ethic can be traced to his upbringing in a union family. Adrian's father, Jim, is a retired nuclear engineer for the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and former president of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) Local 12. His mother, Cecilia, is a nurse in the Bremerton school district. Check back on the AFL-CIO Now blog next Monday for an exclusive interview with Jim and Cecilia Adrian. 

NASA firefighters and paramedics at Kennedy Space Center in Florida have spent half a century protecting America’s legendary launch site. But now members of the Transport Workers (TWU) in this unique fire department are in the middle of a struggle with one of the world’s largest security corporations that is demanding huge cuts in wages and retirement security. You can help.

Errol Spence Jr., America’s top-ranked amateur welterweight and the last member of the U.S. boxing team still in competition at the London Olympics, lost his quarter final bout tonight. Spence is the son of Debra—a member of National Postal Mail Handlers Union (NPMHU) Local 311 in Dallas—and Errol Spence Sr. Spence had scored victories in his first two bouts.

Errol Spence Jr.’s dreams of Olympic gold were revived early Saturday morning when Olympic Games boxing officials overturned the decision that gave Friday’s welterweight bout to Spence’s opponent. Spence is the son of Debra—a Dallas, Texas, member of National Postal Mail Handlers Union (NPMHU) Local 311—and Errol Spence Sr.

Errol Spence Jr., the son of Debra—a Dallas, Texas, member of National Postal Mail Handlers Union (NPMHU) Local 311—lost his 152-pound welterweight bout tonight in round of 16 in boxing competition in Olympic Games in London.

Spence, the top-ranked U.S. amateur in his weight class, lost to Vikas Kisham of India, who was the 2011 World Amateur bronze medalist. Click here for more on Spence.  

Looking for a little taste of England as you settle in for a weekend of the Olympic Games? How about some fish and chips—union made? Our friends at Labor 411, the union business directory from the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, have compiled a list so you can have this classic fare with a side of solidarity.

Friday night in London, Errol Spence Jr., a 152-pound welterweight will enter the ring looking for his second victory in this year’s Olympic Games. The top-ranked U.S. amateur in his weight class, Spence is the son of Debra—a Dallas, Texas, member of National Postal Mail Handlers Union (NPMHU) Local 311—and Errol Spence Sr. The 22-year-old Spence says in his official Olympic biography that the biggest influence in his life is his mother.

Those of us in the middle and working classes will see our taxes raised big time if Mitt Romney is elected president, according to a new report released today by the Center for America Progress at a day-long event examining Romney’s proposals. Romney is proposing a set of so-called tax reforms that would increase taxes for 18 million working families, meaning an average income couple with two kids would pay $850 per year more in taxes.

In sharp contrast, Romney would gain $4.5 million in tax cuts in just the first year, and rake in more than $100 million in tax breaks over his lifetime (click chart at left to expand).

Following recent public outcry that the ceremonial uniforms U.S. athletes wear at the Olympics are made in China, clothes designer Ralph Lauren announced that beginning in 2014, athletes’ uniforms will be Made in America after all. They will not change the uniforms this year, but the public’s strong support for Buy America won the day for the future.

Good thing Mitt Romney wasn’t making the decision. He told ABC News on Friday, just before Lauren made his announcement, that it really didn’t matter where the uniforms are made. When asked whether workers in the United States should make the unforms, here’s what Romney said: