The AFL-CIO on Tuesday launched a new advertising campaign to promote unions as a voice for all working people, a move that comes amid declining membership and growing hostility to organized labor in a number of states.

President Barack Obama recess-appointed three members to the National Labor Relations Board on Wednesday, bypassing fierce opposition from Republicans who claim the agency has leaned too far in favor of unions.

In a win for organized labor, the National Labor Relations Board on Wednesday approved sweeping new rules that would speed the pace of union elections, possibly making it easier for unions to gain members at companies that have long rebuffed them.

A proposed rule announced Thursday by the Labor Department would require most federal contractors to set a goal of having disabled workers make up at least 7 percent of their employees.

The National Labor Relations Board on Wednesday moved ahead with plans to speed the pace of union elections, even as Republicans in Congress threatened to derail the process.

Republicans are maneuvering to short-circuit an effort by Democrats on the National Labor Relations Board to approve rules that would quicken the pace of union elections.

The National Labor Relations Board is rushing to approve new rules before the end of the year that would make it easier for unions to organize new members.

The Service Employees International Union endorsed President Barack Obama's re-election bid on Wednesday, saying it would deploy its formidable political machine earlier and on a wider scale than it did four years ago.