The outspokenness of Iraq’s Federation of Oil Unions against foreign military occupation and corporate incursions into the oil fields has gained it a lot of powerful enemies.

Since the 2003 U.S. invasion, it has been organizing workers in publicly owned oil fields into the nation’s largest independent worker federation, even though organizing in the public sector continues to be illegal, as it was under Saddam Hussein.

Long after the fanfare of the World Cup soccer tournament dies down, harsh working conditions for the soccer-ball stitchers who make the competition possible will remain. Atrocious work is still pervasive across the industry—which pledged to reform following the “Atlanta Agreement” made 13 years ago. That supposedly bound major firms including Adidas and Nike to end child labor in soccer-ball factories.

While the Bay Area’s Castlewood Country Club hosted a Mother’s Day brunch, its locked-out workers were outside on a three-day hunger strike.

Since December workers from UNITE HERE Local 2850 in Pleasanton, California, have struggled over health care with management. The dispute arose when management amended the contract to include a $739 qualification fee for family medical coverage. Previously, family medical was fully covered in the contract. The fee would put the coverage out of reach for workers, whose average wage is $12.50 per hour.

Members of UNITE HERE, the hospitality workers union, protested at the Austin, Texas, Department of Health April 12 in a campaign to reinstate four of their leaders fired by a food concessions company at the Austin airport. They need your help.