UNITE HERE launched a five-day hunger strike on Friday in support of nine immigrant hotel workers who are being laid off from the Hilton Mission Valley in San Diego. The hunger strike goes through 12 p.m. on Tuesday.

Through its NutterWatch campaign, the Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces has been counting down the days until Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter (D) is required to act upon a new earned sick days bill, making the case that the legislation should be passed. Nutter has until April 4 to sign the bill or it will become law without his signature. If the law goes into effect, it would pave the way for 200,000 of the city's workers to have the opportunity to earn sick days at work.

Nurses at Chicago's Jackson Park Hospital recently reached an agreement with hospital officials on a collective bargaining contract, National Nurses United (NNU) reported. The nurses went out of their way to make sure the contract wasn't just about improving their own lives, but that it also focused on improving the lives of their patients.

Update: 16 people were arrested at the rally, including UMWA President Cecil E. Roberts, after they refused police orders to move away from the Patriot Coal headquarters.

Thousands of people are rallying in Charleston, W.Va., Monday in support of retired workers from Patriot Coal, Peabody Energy and Arch Coal. Patriot filed for bankruptcy and is attempting to abandon its responsibilities to pay health care costs for retirees from the three companies, a strategy the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) argue was purposefully done when Patriot was created as a way to shed those costs. Along with current and retired mine workers, the rally includes family members, labor and faith leaders, elected officials and community supporters.

After two years without a contract, the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians-Communications Workers of America (NABET-CWA) has reached a tentative agreement with the American Broadcasting System (ABC) on a four-year contract. The last contract between NABET-CWA and ABC expired on March 31, 2011. James C. Joyce, president of NABET-CWA and head of the bargaining committee, unanimously recommended to union members that they ratify the contract.

When learning that she would be classified by her employer not as an employee, but as an "independent" contractor, Sara Horowitz decided to do something, not just accept denial of benefits and security from her job.  She grew up in a labor-oriented family and even though her position didn't qualify her to join any existing union, she decided to form her own. 

Horowitz and her work with the Freelancers Union were recently covered in a New York Times article. 

A new study from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) shows states that cut tax rates do worse in terms of economic growth than other states.  Numerous Republican governors have pushed for tax cuts under the premise that lower tax rates lead to greater economic growth, but the CBPP study concludes that this premise is wrong. 

The AFT and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have been working on finding a better way to evaluate and develop teachers, using research to determine the best ways to train teachers and ensure that students get the best educational experience possible. 

Although the AFT and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation don’t always agree on everything, they share the firm belief that students have a right to effective instruction and that teachers want to do their very best. 

Yvanna Cancela, an organizer for Culinary Workers Union Local 226 in Las Vegas, is being honored by the White House today for her work with immigrants, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. Cancela is the only union organizer to be named one of 11 honorees of this year's César Chávez Champions of Change awards, named after the United Farm Worker leader. She is being honored for her work in organizing Nevada residents in favor of creating an immigration process that includes a road map to citizenship.

The old building that housed the Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center in lower Manhattan was crowded by skyscrapers. The interior was dark and cramped and devoid of natural light.

“The space we were in wasn’t meeting the needs of the children, each of whom has multiple chronic illnesses,” says Pat Tursi, CEO of the center. The Manhattan facility was designed based on more of a custodial care model—and when the center had to find a new space, it found a new opportunity.