The richest 5 percent in the United States now own 65 percent of the nation’s wealth—making the wealth gap even more unequal here than the already gaping income gap. A new report  by the Economic Policy Institute ( EPI)  cites foreclosures and falling housing values as contributing to the devastation of the net worth—the wealth—of millions of U.S. households.

Working women told a White House forum today that women need protections on the job as much now as they did 100 years ago when the Triangle Shirtwaist fire killed 146 garment workers—most of them young women—and spurred the first nationwide call for workplace safety.

We all know that the Chamber of Commerce comes down on the wrong side of just about every issue that matters for working families. But here’s a staggering statistic to show you just how far out of the mainstream the Chamber swims.

Steve Cappozola of the Alliance for American Manufacturing ( AAM ), reports on what happens when manufacturing jobs disappear. This is a cross post from the AAM website .

Last week, Manufacture Thi s published a chart showing how lost manufacturing jobs correspond with lower state revenues and higher state budget deficits.

Next Wednesday, March 29, you can take action to strengthen Social Security by calling your  U.S. Senators and urging them to support the Social Security Protection Amendment.

Today is the first anniversary of the landmark Affordable Care Act that has already helped tens of millions of Americans acquire or receive better health care and that has reined in health insurance companies’ most abusive practices.

U.S. economic and trade policies over the past three decades have led to jobs lost offshore and a shrinking middle class, and the United States must address this economic bleed through trade policies and investment in infrastructure and manufacturing, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said today.

The announcement over the weekend that AT&T is buying T-Mobile USA could benefit both consumers and employees. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka says the deal offers tens of thousands of T-Mobile USA employees the opportunity to benefit from the pro-worker policies of AT&T, the only unionized U.S. wireless company. Some 42,000 AT&T mobility employees are represented by the Communications Workers of America ( CWA ). Trumka adds:

For T-Mobile USA workers who want a voice in their workplace, this acquisition can provide a fresh start with T-Mobile management.

The Recovery Act’s green investments committed through the end of 2010 created or saved nearly 1 million jobs, according to a report by the Economic Policy Institute ( EPI ) and the BlueGreen Alliance . This report provides evidence that the Recovery Act succeeded in responding to the nation’s economic crisis and that green investments create jobs while laying a foundation for the development of a 21st century green economy in the United States.

Speaking today to the prestigious Council on Foreign Relations, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka spelled out a comprehensive new vision for global trade and investment policies to create a global economy  that is good for working people, the middle class and democracy—both here in the United States and around the world.