We are coming off of an exciting two days of Debriefs: Successful Strategies and Tactics for Winning Campaigns! This Organizing Institute (OI) Exchange Clinic took place Oct. 22-23 and was held at the historic AFSCME Local 1733 union hall in Memphis, Tennessee.  Sixteen advanced and lead level organizers from Ironworkers International Union and Communications Workers of America (CWA) leading campaigns across the country participated. The clinic focused on how lead organizers understand and apply the components of effective debriefs into their campaigns.

On Friday, in response to a petition originally filed by the AFL-CIO in 2017, the U.S. government gave Mauritania an ultimatum: It must make sufficient progress toward protecting internationally recognized workers' rights, including combating the scourge of hereditary slavery, or face the loss of trade benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). Mauritania has until Jan. 1, 2019 to take action.  

The U.S. economy gained 250,000 jobs in October, and unemployment was unchanged at 3.7%, according to figures released this morning by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Growth under Donald Trump's policies has slowed down compared to Barack Obama's last years in office. Continued slow wage growth means the Federal Reserve's Open Market Committee should pause current plans to raise interest rates.

With Halloween only two weeks away, people across the country are getting ready to go shopping to buy the candy and snacks that are a staple of the holiday's tradition. But did you know that when you do your Halloween shopping, you can use the power of your paycheck to support good jobs that pay well and respect the rights of working people? Here is a handy guide to the union-made treats that will make your holiday not only fun, but will help working people, too.

Last week, reports came out that because of Georgia's "exact match" law, 53,000 residents of the state who registered to vote have had their registration marked as "pending," raising questions about whether or not those voters will be allowed to cast their ballots in this year's election. An analysis of the pending applications by The Associated Press showed that they overwhelmingly belong to African American applicants. The American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia responded to the news by ensuring Georgians that the "pending" status does not prohibit them from voting if they have proper identification.