AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka sent this message to working family activists:

Tom Ward’s hardest memory to live with was the day his father came home from what would be his last day of work. His father barely made it through the door, fell to the floor and, between tears, said, “I can’t do it anymore.”

Remember Brian Bilbray? The hardline anti-immigrant congressman-turned-FAIR-lobbyist-turned-congressman-turned-forced-retiree? Well, Bilbray—before his most recent electoral defeat—was the head of a group of anti-immigrant members of the House of Representatives called the “Immigration Reform Caucus.” To avoid confusion about what real reform looks like, we prefer to call it the Bully Brigade. Bilbray had inherited the caucus from Tom Tancredo—now, without either of them in the House anymore, it looks like the caucus has been quietly sent into (at least temporary) retirement as well.

Oscar came to the United States at the age of 16 to work. There were no jobs for him in his native Guatemala, and he felt obligated to help support his parents.

He was lured across borders by the promise of work. He believed, as so many immigrants do, that there would be a job for him in America.

For the past five years, he has worked at a Los Angeles carwash that cheated him and other immigrant workers out of pay, refused protective gear and even denied drinking water.

If you have an iPhone, make sure you take a minute to download the new free app, BizVizz. BizVizz people track taxes, government subsidies and political campaign donations of major corporations. Once you download the app, simply enter a company’s name or snap a picture of its logo and then the company information pops up. Future developments include creating an Android version of the app and expanding the catalog of corporate information. 

Author and Judge Lise A. Pearlman will be at the 14th Street Busboys and Poets location Monday, Feb. 4, to sign her new book, The Sky's the Limit: People v. Newton, The Real Trial of the 20th Century?

This week’s news cycle has been packed with immigration-related stories. Immigration policy reform is finally moving in Congress, and creating a road map to citizenship for 11 million immigrants living in the United States is becoming a top priority for lawmakers. In the political negotiations, some lawmakers also have demanded enhanced border controls and other enforcement measures.