Want to vote early? Thirty-two states allow in-person early voting, and early voting and mail-in absentee voting is already under way in nearly all 50 states. Here are 10 reasons you should take advantage of this option.

Please share them with others who are able to vote before Nov. 6.

Federal law does not require that employers allow their workers time off to vote, but the majority of states have at least some level of protection for employees who want to leave work to engage in their civic duty. The specifics vary by state, but in each state, the rules apply to almost every type of workplace. Employers are required to know what the laws are and to provide adequate accommodations, according to the rules of that state. Nearly all of the states allow employers to refuse time off to vote for those employees who have two or three hours off during the time the polls are open (the number of hours varies by state).

William Spriggs is the chief economist at the AFL-CIO. 

Here is an uncomfortable truth. Republicans' obstruction of President Obama’s policies means they have gotten the policies they wanted. But, these policies have been least effective in growing jobs.

The Romney campaign argues that the path to American prosperity starts with lowering the taxes on American business and unleashing American entrepreneurial zeal. Republicans complain that President Obama has not cooperated with them to implement this vision. Of course, the truth is more nuanced.

A sobering analysis at freepress.net dissects the four-pronged effort by the Ohio Republican Party to steal the 2012 presidential election.
Authors Bob Fitrakis and Bob Wasserman conclude that because Ohio is a pivotal state in deciding the winner,

if they get away with it, the Ohio GOP could make it virtually impossible for Barack Obama to carry Ohio this November.

Lately we’ve been talking about the vast amounts of money that the super-wealthy have been pouring into politics with the hope of buying elections for pro-corporations, anti-worker candidates who will further tip the scales of power against working people’s interests.

One of the key front groups for the 1 percent is Crossroads. “Crossroads” is actually multiple groups formed by former GOP operatives Karl Rove and Ed Gillespie, with the shared goal of electing anti-worker candidates. The most important entities within the Crossroads family are American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS. 

This is an excerpt from The Hill, by John Logan, professor and director of labor and employment studies at San Francisco State University.

Conservative activists in California are promoting a deceptive ballot proposition that would increase the ability of business groups and billionaires to dominate state elections. The measure, Proposition 32, claims to be an even-handed effort at campaign finance reform—but nothing could be further from the truth. Prop. 32 (or “Stop Special Interest Money Now,” as its big money supporters prefer to call it) would cripple the ability of unions to participate in politics but have little or no impact on unlimited spending by corporate executives and other wealthy individuals.

This is sent to us by Charles Wowkanech, New Jersey State AFL-CIO president. 

While tens of thousands of union and community supporters joined the Workers Stand for America rally in New Jersey to stand up for the voices of working men and women and economic opportunity for all, 22 labor candidates were learning about how to win their election in November so they can support workers in their local governments.

The 16th Annual Labor Candidates School, held last weekend, continues the New Jersey State AFL-CIO's long tradition of preparing and educating rank-and-file union members to run for elected office. The 22 students are representing 18 different local unions and a complete range of our state’s labor movement. 

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).

Nearly 700 delegates, representing 1,000 labor unions and 1 million union members of the New Jersey State AFL-CIO, re-elected President Charles Wowkanech and Secretary-Treasurer Laurel Brennan to their fourth four-year term and unanimously re-elected all members of the New Jersey State AFL-CIO Executive Board.

Ron Barber (D) and Jesse Kelly (R) will be facing each other today in a closely watched special election that strategists in both parties consider somewhat of a bellwether for November. The winner will take the seat former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords vacated back in January to focus on her recovery from the serious injury she sustained a year earlier in a mass shooting at a Tucson shopping center.