Standing at the center of the “Honoring All Veterans Memorial” that was dedicated Monday in Richfield, Minn., is a bronze statue of longtime Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 292 member and World War II veteran Chuck Lindberg, who raised the first U.S. flag on Iwo Jima on Feb. 23, 1945.

Most of us know the iconic image captured by photographer Joe Rosenthal that was recreated for the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Va. But earlier that day Lindberg and several other Marines, after four days of bloody combat, were the first patrol to make it to the top of Mount Suribachi.

After her husband was murdered while working as a journalist in the Philippines, Marivir Montebon arrived in the United States seeking political asylum with the hope of finding a better, safer life for herself and for her daughter, who arrived two years later.

When she presents at the Writing Across Borders Conference, sponsored by the National Writers Union (NWU)/UAW Local 1981, in New York on June 1, Montebon will join other women and people of color on a panel to tell their stories about escaping abuse, oppression and the legacy of slavery.

The United States is the only advanced economy in the world that does not guarantee its workers paid vacation days. That's the key finding of the Center for Economic and Policy Research's new report, No-Vacation Nation Revisited, by Rebecca Ray, Milla Sanes and John Schmitt. With the exception of Japan, none of the other surveyed countries offer their workers fewer than 19 combined paid vacation days and holidays, leaving the United States far behind leading countries, including Austria, Portugal, Germany, Spain, Italy and France—all of which guarantee workers more than 30 paid vacation days and holidays each year.

James Gilbert is director of the AFL-CIO Union Veterans Council.

Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer. Many Americans will enjoy a day off with family and friends, perhaps at a barbecue or baseball game. Those times and the memories that are created are precious and should be celebrated. Since 1868, this holiday has served as a moment when Americans remember the men and women of the military who lost their lives to preserve our freedom.

In that spirit, I ask that you take time this weekend to do something with your family to pass along the tradition of remembrance. All across the country, there will be ceremonies at many of the 131 Department of Veterans Affairs cemeteries. The National Cemetery Administration honors veterans with final resting places in national shrines and with lasting tributes that commemorate their service to our nation. To find out where and when a wreath-laying is happening in your area, go to the National Cemetery Administration’s website.

When most people think about union members, they probably picture blue-collar workers in factories. Maybe teachers, police, firefighters and other government employees come to mind.

But workers in many more fields come together in unions to have a voice on the job to improve their lives and the lives of their families—from rocket scientists at NASA (members of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers [IFPTE]) to actors like Alec Baldwin (a member of SAG-AFTRA) and all across the spectrum of work that goes on in the United States.

Memorial Day is the unofficial kickoff to the summer holiday season. While the day honors those who have given their lives defending the nation—and Jimmy Gilbert, director of the AFL-CIO’s Union Veterans Council, will write more on that next Monday—the weekend also marks the start of grilling season. Here's some union-made food and drink to get your barbecue off to a great start.

Three pioneering and historic women labor trailblazers were inducted into Labor’s International Hall of Fame Thursday night. The award ceremony honored Evelyn Dubrow, Viola Liuzzo and Anna “Annie” Klobuchar Clemenc posthumously.  

Income inequality is the defining issue of our time, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) told a group of young progressive activists at the AFL-CIO headquarters yesterday. Ellison joined a panel of distinguished guests that included AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Elizabeth Shuler, Rep. Kevin Killer (D-S.D.), Special Assistant to the President for Labor and Workforce Policy Portia Wu and Executive Director of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) Gregory Cendana, at the Youth Economic Policy Forum (YEPF) hosted by the AFL-CIO in Washington, D.C., Wednesday.

Union Plus sends us these union-made Mother's Day recipes. 

Remember how mom used to make your food special? Whether it’s her famous smiley face pancakes with extra chocolate chips, her finest PB&J’s cut into diagonals with crust removed just the way you like, or your favorite birthday cake she baked every year, nobody can do it quite like mom.

If one thing is true on Mother’s Day, it’s your turn to do the cooking. Why not surprise her with one of these recipes that are union-made and delicious?

Mother’s Day is a little more than a week away (May 12), so you have no excuse for waiting until the last minute to find a nice tribute for Mom that also carries the union label. Our friends at Labor 411, the union business directory from the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, can help you out.