Here’s an early Labor Day present from the Bush administration—a nice little package of workplace chemicals, toxins and carcinogens all neatly wrapped up with a new proposed rule that Bush's Labor Department tried to keep secret earlier this summer.

The proposed rule, published today on the Federal Register's website, could increase workers’ exposure to dangerous chemicals and toxins and make it more difficult for the next administration to enact new safety rules. The rule's development was pushed by Bush political appointees over the objections of career health and safety professionals.

The Bush administration has just a few months left in office and faces the possibility that a Barack Obama administration would reverse many of the anti-worker policies and rules—including workplace safety—that have been a Bush hallmark and have been strongly backed by Big Business.

Alison Omens, AFL-CIO media specialist, is in Denver this week at the Democratic National Convention and shares this post.

People from across the country have converged on Denver this week—there are women wearing red, white and blue hats that remind me of the old movie "Easter Parade," union members proudly displaying their union colors, politicians, leaders in the Democratic Party and even celebrities.

Are they kidding?

An adviser to Sen. John McCain made some revealing comments to the Dallas Morning News yesterday, showing the truly wrong-headed thinking that has shaped McCain’s health care policies.

John Goodman, who helped write McCain’s health care plan, said we can solve the problem of the uninsured by pretending they don’t exist. Really.

I have a solution. And it will cost not one thin dime….The next president of the United States should sign an executive order requiring the Census Bureau to cease and desist from describing any American as uninsured.

With $2 water, $7 pillows and $25 checked-bag fees, when you get on an airplane these days you expect to see signs on the emergency oxygen mask compartments, "In case of emergency, swipe credit card."

Passengers aren't the only ones fed up with being nickled, dimed and dollared by the airlines. The Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA) and Air Line Pilots (ALPA) say if the airlines stopped handing out stock options, bonuses and perks and started making some sound business decisions, they'd have more money to pay the rising fuel costs—and maybe we could still get that pillow or water without shelling out.