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President Obama meets at the White House with eight surviving Memphis sanitation workers whose 1968 strike changed labor history. The 1,300 strikers were inducted into the DOL's Labor Hall of Fame on April 28. "

The 1,300 Memphis sanitation workers whose 1968 strike changed history and showed Americans that workers' rights are human rights have been inducted into the Labor Hall of Fame.

The April 29 ceremony marked the first time the U.S. Department of Labor has inducted a group of workers into the Hall of Fame. Normally the honor is reserved for individuals.

As other states fixate on ways to take rights, services and benefits away from people, Vermont's legislature has boldly passed the nation's first single-payer bill to provide affordable health care for all Vermonters.

CWA members testified, rallied and helped educate the public about the bill, which removes from employers the costly burden of providing health insurance.

"We want health care to follow the individual and not be a requirement of the employer, which we think will be a huge jobs creator," said Gov. Pete Shumlin, speaking on the Rachel Maddow show. He said Vermont wants to be the first state to "treat health care as a right and not a privilege."

From Boston to Sacramento, hundreds of Workers' Memorial Day events last Thursday brought together union members and other activists to honor and mourn working people killed or injured on the job.

Memorial events reminded workers that 2011 marks the 40th anniversary of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, whose oversight has greatly reduced safety and health risks at U.S. workplaces.

America was built in significant part with the hands of immigrant workers, workers with a dream. Regardless of country of origin, men and women from around the world have committed themselves to the cause of equality and freedom while working to build strong communities.

CWA will hold another national stewards call, our fourth "virtual union meeting," on Tuesday, May 3 at 7:30 p.m. EDT. It's a good way for CWA activists to move forward together on next steps.