If you’ve been considering going back to school, why not take the next steps at the National Labor College (NLC). The NLC’s online degree programs make it easy to balance work, family and school.

2012 graduates Bruce Dantley of Plumbers and Pipe Fitters (UA) and AFSCME member Tina Davis did it. So can you.

Spring semester begins Jan. 7, 2013, and if you apply now, you can get 50% off the application fee.  

President Obama yesterday designated the home and burial site of the legendary United Farm Workers (UFW) leader, César Chávez, a national monument. Known as La Paz, short for Nuestra Senora Reina de la Paz, or Our Leady Queen of Peace, the site is in Kenne, Calif. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka says the designation is a:

fitting tribute for a man whose campaign for civil rights and respect for workers struggling in the shadows broke new ground and left an indelible mark on the pages of American history.

Many Americans long for a golden age that "never was," writes Salon columnist and MSNBC political analyst Joan Walsh in her new book, What’s the Matter with White People? The book explores the four-decades-old scapegoat politics of right-wing culture warriors who blame people of color, the LGBT community, feminists, immigrants and union members for the decline of the middle class, while distracting from the real culprits. 

Please join us Wednesday for a discussion with Walsh and a book signing. Books will be available for purchase.

Where: AFL-CIO

815 16th St., N.W., Washington, D.C.

When: Wednesday, Oct. 3, 1 p.m.

Bring your lunch—drinks will be provided.

RSVP here. 

"10 Reasons Not to See 'Won't Back Down'" is a cross-post from Working America's Main Street blog. 

The Walden Media film "Won’t Back Down," starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and Viola Davis, opens in theaters today. The film dramatizes a parent fighting to improve her child’s school, but it’s actually a dishonest Hollywood portrayal of the problems in our educational system—funded by the very people who want to privatize and profit from our schools. Here are 10 reasons to skip it:

Check out our latest “What I Do” video feature on the AFL-CIO home page, www.aflcio.org (scroll down), with National Symphony Orchestra violist and American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM) member Jennifer Mondie.

Mondie, who has been an AFM member for 25 years, says the union “has done so much for classical music, for the world of music, in general.”

Thanks to a new website from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration, for the first time, workers with 401(k)-type retirement plans will be able to track what they are paying in fees to invest their savings.

The new site, Understanding Retirement Fees, also includes new tips and tools on making smart retirement investment decisions.

Mycle Wastman, a member of Sheet Metal Workers (SMWIA) Local 66 in Seattle, certainly made his voice heard this week. In the “blind audition” portion of the NBC show, “The Voice,” his performance of the Al Green classic “Let’s Stay Together” drew a rousing ovation and a chance to go on to the next round.

After the celebrity judges pitched him to be part of their “teams,” Wastman selected to go with Cee Lo Green, who told Wastman:

Ever forget a birthday or to send flowers on Mother’s Day? Let Rosie the Riveter remind you. Union members can now have their own personal reminders sent via text or email with the Union Plus Rosie’s Reminder Service.  

The unique service creates online reminders, so you will never miss another important date again.

Thousands of grassroots activists have signed up for Workers' Voice's new, innovative online tool called RePurpose. RePurpose allows campaign volunteers to shape how campaign resources are spent. Have you signed up yet?

Campaign volunteers gain points based on activities through Workers' Voice, whether it is phone banking, knocking on doors or taking action online. 

Laura Bliss-Morris of the Union Sportsmen's Alliance sends us this report.

As part of a Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA) Boots on the Ground project, volunteers from Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) District Council 30 helped put the finishing touches on a new facility that will host youth educational programs at the Torstenson Family Youth Conservation Education Center.