A looming federal government shutdown is slated to take effect at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka released the following statement on the House Republicans' hostage taking:

As of today, it is clear that the Republican Party and the Tea Party have become one and the same when it comes to federal fiscal policy. House Republicans have decided that they will shut down critical public services, stiff public servants, hold America’s credit rating hostage and kill off jobs because they are upset that President Obama decisively defeated Mitt Romney last November. That some Republicans are participating in this fiasco against their better judgment does not obscure their responsibility. All responsible voices must speak and act against policy making by hostage taking.

SAG-AFTRA National President Ken Howard officially opened the union's national convention yesterday, in the most important governance event since the merger of SAG and AFTRA. “What we have created today is an overwhelming and moving tribute to the power of this union to improve the lives of its members all across the country,” he said. “When we work together, we are a powerful voice. When we work together, we are proud and strong. When we work together, we are an unstoppable force that diligently and selflessly works to empower and strengthen the union and our fellow members. We are taking the first, early steps on a remarkable journey. There will only ever be one first SAG-AFTRA convention.”

For those who followed the AFL-CIO 2013 Convention online this past week, here is full video coverage of the proceedings from Sunday to Wednesday, including speeches from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez and more. Watch Trumka's speech in this blog post, then click here to access the rest of the videos. 

Delegates to the 2013 AFL-CIO Convention today elected a trio of top officers to lead the labor movement to become, said re-elected AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, “the movement America needs us to be and we must be.”

AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Elizabeth Shuler was elected to a second term and, in a classic American success story, Tefere Gebre, a 45-year-old Ethiopian political refugee who immigrated to the United States as a teenager, was elected executive vice president.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka issued the following statement on the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. See the statement after the jump. 

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka sat down with USA Today's Susan Page to discuss the upcoming quadrennial AFL-CIO Convention to be held in Los Angeles in September, and how the federation is looking to make the labor movement more open and inclusive to anyone who wants to join, and creating a movement for all working people. 

Read Page's story here and watch the video of the interview after the jump. 

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka called on corporate America today to pay its fair share, saying, "At a time when the 1% have demanded so much sacrifice from working people in the name of deficit reduction, we must ask something of big corporations. That means “revenue positive” corporate tax reform that raises significant amounts of new tax revenue."

Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka appeared together Wednesday at a Center for American Progress event to call on the U.S. Senate to move forward on confirming President Obama's nominations to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). If those confirmations fail to be approved, the board would fall below a quorum on Aug. 1 and no longer would be able to do its job of protecting America's workers.

The workplace rights of millions of working people will be at risk if the U.S. Senate does not approve President Obama’s five bipartisan nominees to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). This morning, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka joined Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) for a discussion of the NLRB’s role as an advocate for all U.S. workers, how the board can function in the face of Republican attempts to prevent it from doing its job and potential Senate rule changes to end the obstructionism that’s blocking NLRB nominees. The discussion was held at the Center for American Progress in Washington, D.C.

Stay tuned for a video of the discussion!

The workplace rights of millions of working people will be at risk if the U.S. Senate does not approve President Obama’s five bipartisan nominees to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). On July 10, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka will join Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) for a discussion of the NLRB’s role as an advocate for all U.S. workers, how the board can function in the face of Republican attempts to prevent it from doing its job and potential Senate rule changes to end the obstructionism that’s blocking NLRB nominees.