People Organization Afl Cio National Improve Working Rights Website

The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) is a national organization representing 56 national and international unions. Combined, they represent more than 11 million workers. From 1955, when the organization was founded, until 2005, the AFL-CIO represented nearly all of the "organized workers" (employees participating in a union) in the United States. However, in 2005, some large unions "broke away from" (separated from) the organization, creating a "rival" (competing) organization called the Change to Win Federation.

The AFL-CIO tries to help people who want to join unions, so that they can improve their working conditions through collective bargaining. The organization also provides training opportunities for people who want to improve their job skills and possibly "change careers" (begin working in a different field or industry).

The AFL-CIO provides a lot of information to people about important issues. They try to "keep workers informed" (make sure people have accurate, updated information) about workers' rights, health care, retirement savings, "cost of living" (typical expenses in a particular area), and more.

The organization has often worked with civil rights organizations and the women's movement to fight against "employment discrimination" (when jobs are given to people based on their skin color or gender). The organization's website includes a section where people who believe they have been victims of discrimination can read about their rights under different circumstances, such as if they become pregnant or if they "get hurt on the job" (become injured while working). The website then provides instructions about what they should do if they believe an employer has "violated" (gone against; broken the rules regarding) their rights.