In April 2010, 29 mine workers were killed in an explosion in what's known as the Upper Big Branch mine disaster in Raleigh County, W. Va. Today, federal prosecutors charged Massey Energy mine manager David C. Hughart with covering up defiance of safety regulations and resulting dangerous conditions from government inspectors. The Charleston Gazette reports that this is the "first time in their probe of the Upper Big Branch mine disaster that prosecutors have filed charges alleging Massey officials engaged in a scheme that went beyond the Raleigh County mine...."

Elizabeth Boomer of the AFL-CIO International Affairs Department sends us this.

February 19-25 are global days of action for trade union rights in Mexico. In Washington, D.C., the AFL-CIO will hold an event today, Feb. 23, in front of the Mexican Embassy at noon. The Embassy is at 1911 Pennsylvania Ave, N.W.