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<div dir="ltr"><ol><li><h2 class="ReadMsgSubject" style="line-height: 24px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(42, 42, 42); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><font size="3">PHILOSOPHY OF TRADE UNION RIGHTS * MARXISMþ </font></h2></li><li><h2 class="ReadMsgSubject" style="line-height: 24px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(42, 42, 42); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><font size="3">Day Laborers See 'A Better Life' at Their National Assemblyþ </font></h2></li><li><font size="3"><b><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 15px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">"</span><a href="http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=MWTdTH5s2tXlRLTAMG8QZ9QAHNCAqAMH" target="_blank" style="line-height: 15px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(166, 66, 28); cursor: pointer; ">The Problem With ‘Jobs’</a><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 15px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">" </span> </b></font></li><li><font size="3"><b><span style="color: rgb(42, 42, 42); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 17px; ">Spring Preview: Protesters Nationwide Occupy Corporations, Education</span> </b></font></li><li><font size="3"><b><span style="color: rgb(42, 42, 42); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 17px; ">Rampant Workplace Hazards Endanger Pregnant Women</span> </b></font></li><li><font size="3"><b><span style="color: rgb(42, 42, 42); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 17px; ">Republic Windows Workers Consider Employee-Owned Co-Op</span> </b></font></li><li><font size="3"><b><span style="color: rgb(42, 42, 42); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 17px; ">Bye Bye American Pie: The Challenge of the Productivity Revolution</span> </b></font></li><li><font size="3"><b><span style="line-height: 17px; color: rgb(42, 42, 42); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">Reckless: The Inside Story of How the Banks Beat Washington (Again)</span> </b></font></li><li><h2 class="ReadMsgSubject" style="line-height: 24px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(42, 42, 42); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><font size="3">Arizona Anti-Worker Bills: 'Wisconsin on Steroids'þ</font></h2></li><li><h2 class="ReadMsgSubject" style="line-height: 24px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(42, 42, 42); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><font size="3">Last Chance for Conference Early-Bird Registration!þ</font></h2> </li></ol><div><br></div><div>@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@</div><div><br></div><div><pre style="line-height: 17px; white-space: normal; color: rgb(42, 42, 42); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">PHILOSOPHY OF TRADE UNION RIGHTS * MARXISM<br><br>Marxism and trade unionism<br><br>JOHN KELLY, Birkbeck College, University of London<br><br>The International Centre for Trade Union Rights<br><br><a href="http://www.ictur.org/" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 104, 207); cursor: pointer; ">http://www.ictur.org</a><br><br>Moderators Note: This article is taken from the latest<br>issue of the " International Union Rights Journal" in<br>which the IUR examines the history of ideas in the<br>search for a philosophy of trade union rights <br>Access this edition free, online, "The philosophy of trade <br>union rights"<br><br><br>One impact of the financial crisis that began in<br>2007-08 was to revive interest in Marxist ideas: sales<br>of the three volumes of Marx's Capital were given a<br>boost; Capital reading groups were started up; and<br>accessible introductions to Marxist political economy<br>such as David Harvey's A Companion to Marx's Capital<br>became best-sellers. This resurgence of interest in<br>Marxism raises many interesting questions for trade<br>unionists. First, what do Marxists have to say about<br>the activities and potential of the trade union<br>movement around the world? Second, how much influence<br>do Marxist ideas themselves have within the trade union<br>movement? And third, if the Marxist political project -<br>the abolition of capitalism - requires a coalition of<br>trade unions and leftist parties, what is the current<br>state of those parties?<br><br>Classical Marxists on trade unionism<br><br>Marx and Engels observed at first hand the emergence of<br>the British trade union movement, from the middle of<br>the nineteenth century through the partial legalisation<br>of unions in the 1870s and the emergence of the New<br>Unionism in the late 1880s. They noted dramatic shifts<br>in the objectives and organisation of the unions and<br>changes in the willingness of some employers and<br>governments to come to terms with union activity. Not<br>surprisingly their assessments of the political<br>significance of trade unionism displayed equally<br>dramatic shifts: the revolutionary optimism about<br>collective organisation, so prominent in the 1840s<br>writings, gave way to a more nuanced and critical<br>appreciation of the conservatism of the craft unionism<br>then emerging in Britain and other parts of Europe. It<br>was Lenin who crystallised what became known as the<br>'pessimistic' view of trade unionism when he argued in<br>1902 that trade unions, by themselves, could develop<br>amongst workers only a limited, trade union<br>consciousness. The hallmarks of this world view were<br>the beliefs that workers had to organise collectively<br>in order to bargain with the employer and that they<br>required political representation in legislatures in<br>order to pass favourable legislation. Whatever the<br>value of such collective bargaining and political<br>activity, it did not generally pose any threat to the<br>capitalist system of production itself, a view also<br>shared by Gramsci. Trade union leaders themselves were<br>largely content to pursue collective bargaining and<br>political representation and so for Lenin (and even<br>more so for Trotsky) the newly emerging trade union<br>bureaucracy was regarded as a potentially serious<br>obstacle to revolutionary activity. The radical Marxist<br>project, the abolition of capitalism and its<br>replacement with a planned, socialist economy and<br>society, required a disciplined and centralised<br>revolutionary political party to coordinate and lead a<br>revolutionary struggle against the capitalist state.<br><br>The record of trade unionism<br><br>Broadly speaking, the Leninist appraisal of the<br>limitations of trade unionism (at least from a Marxist<br>perspective) has been amply confirmed by their<br>subsequent development through the twentieth and into<br>the twentyfirst century. Trade unions have emerged in<br>almost every country in the world and have almost<br>invariably sought to engage in three major forms of<br>activity: collective bargaining with employers;<br>individual representation of workers in disciplinary<br>hearings, labour courts and other, similar<br>institutions; and political representation of workers'<br>interests in legislatures. Some trade unions are<br>affiliated to, or supportive of, political parties but<br>these links include not only Social Democratic and<br>Communist parties but also Christian Democratic<br>parties.<br><br>It might be objected that a number of trade unions have<br>played key roles over the years in more radical,<br>potentially revolutionary struggles, whether in Brazil<br>in the 1970s, South Korea and South Africa in the<br>1980s, or Egypt in 2011. Moreover trade unions have<br>occasionally transcended the limitations of isolated,<br>industry strikes against a single employer or group of<br>employers by organising overtly political, general<br>strikes directed against government policy: in Sweden<br>1902 for universal suffrage; Belgium 1960-61 in protest<br>at state-imposed wage controls; France 1968 against a<br>range of government policies; and in several West<br>European countries in the 1990s and 2000s against<br>pension reforms and austerity policies. Neither of<br>these claims stands up much scrutiny. The Brazilian,<br>South Korean and South African strikes were not<br>revolutionary struggles in any interesting sense of<br>that word: they were broad coalitions demanding freedom<br>of assembly, a free press, free political parties and<br>free elections; in short, liberal democracy not<br>socialism. As for general strikes, these are a<br>recurrent feature of capitalist societies and their<br>typical focus on a very specific issue means they do<br>not ordinarily pose any threat to the continuation of<br>capitalism per se.<br><br>Marxist ideas within the trade union movement<br><br>It is certainly the case that Marxist activists<br>belonging to Communist or Trotskyist political<br>organisations are frequently active in trade unions in<br>many countries. Most commonly their influence can be<br>seen in three areas of union activity: the construction<br>of ambitious, rather than moderate, demands in<br>collective bargaining; the promotion of strike action<br>as a way of enforcing those demands and of building<br>solidarity and class consciousness; and the affiliation<br>of trade unions to a range of social and political<br>movements and campaigns as a way of politicising trade<br>union goals and activity. However it has to be said<br>that oftentimes there is little specifically Marxist<br>about much of this activity. The trigger for collective<br>action by trade unions is normally a strong sense of<br>injustice that probably owes far more to diffuse<br>notions of 'fairness' than to Marxist ideas about<br>exploitation. For instance, many rank and file trade<br>unionists in the UK took part in the massive 30<br>November public sector pensions strike because of a<br>powerful sense of injustice about the betrayal of<br>government promises to protect their pensions. Marxist<br>activists continue to play prominent roles in these<br>unions, encouraging workers to vote for, and then<br>participate in the 30 November strike; but many more<br>non-Marxist activists did the same.<br><br>Perhaps the most enduring legacy of Marxist ideas<br>within the trade union movement is the Lenin-Trotsky<br>view of the trade union bureaucracy as a conservative<br>and potentially treacherous social force that should<br>neither be trusted nor relied upon. This attitude gives<br>rise to a significant amount of factional activity<br>within trade unions and undoubtedly generates sharp<br>debate within branches, regions and conferences, but<br>whether its net effect is to strengthen or weaken trade<br>unions is simply not clear. Marx himself of course<br>wrote very little about trade unions and trade unionism<br>and is rightly famous for his critical analysis of the<br>capitalist economy. It is therefore to the influence of<br>his political economy that we now turn.<br><br>Marx's analysis of capitalism<br><br>For Marx the capitalist system is driven by profit.<br>Each capitalist hires and exploits labour in order to<br>produce goods and services whose value when sold<br>exceeds the total costs of production thereby<br>generating the capitalist's profit. As new goods and<br>services are created, both old and new firms will be<br>attracted to the fresh opportunities for making profit.<br>In this competitive struggle one of the most common<br>ways in which firms try to secure an advantage over<br>their rivals and increase their own profits is to cut<br>workers' wages. The competitive scramble for profits<br>and the relentless downward pressure on wages leads<br>sooner or later to the most characteristic feature of<br>the capitalist system: periodic crises of<br>overproduction marked by mass unemployment and the<br>destruction of many firms. To restore the conditions<br>for further profit-making, firms in recession typically<br>engage in further wage reductions triggering a vicious<br>circle of falling tax revenues, cuts in public<br>spending, falls in consumption and further falls in<br>output. For Marx the only effective and enduring<br>solution to the wasteful, destructive and anarchic<br>character of capitalism was its overthrow and<br>replacement by socialist planning.<br><br>There are still trade union movements in various parts<br>of the world who adhere to this view and who espouse<br>the creation of a post-capitalist, socialist society as<br>one of their principal objectives. Equally there are<br>many trade unions who will endorse Marx' criticisms of<br>the waste and irrationality of the capitalist system<br>and the destructive consequences of the profit motive<br>following its introduction into public services. Yet<br>long before the demise of the Soviet Union and the<br>disintegration of almost all of the communist parties<br>in the advanced capitalist world, many trade unions had<br>already embraced the policy prescriptions of an equally<br>famous but non- Marxist economist, John Maynard Keynes.<br>His response to the irrationality of capitalist crises<br>was to argue that governments should borrow and spend<br>their way out of recessions by paying people to work on<br>public projects, thereby increasing demand and<br>consumption, boosting production and increasing tax<br>revenues. Even in non-crisis periods government policy<br>should be directed towards the maintenance of full<br>employment. This Keynesian policy, or variants of it,<br>lay at the heart of much trade union economic policy<br>for most of the 'Golden Age of Capitalism', from the<br>mid-1940s until the late 1970s. Yet by underpinning<br>trade union power such policies sometimes led to high<br>levels of price inflation and to the erosion of<br>corporate profitability. The neo-liberal response to<br>these problems is by now well known and its own<br>problems in turn have led many in the labour movement<br>to see a fresh opportunity for the resurgence of<br>Marxist ideas.<br><br>Yet if Marxist ideas are enjoying something of a<br>renaissance amongst intellectuals, the same cannot be<br>said for the trade union movement. The main trade union<br>alternatives to the savage austerity policies now being<br>pursued throughout the advanced capitalist world owe<br>far more to Keynes than to Marx: increased government<br>borrowing, public works programmes, heavier taxes on<br>the rich and the protection of household incomes. Calls<br>for increased public ownership and economic planning<br>are largely absent from union programmes and public<br>debates. If we turn our attention to the far left<br>parties that have become more prominent around Western<br>Europe in recent years - the Left Bloc in Portugal, the<br>New Anti-Capitalist Party in France or Die Linke in<br>Germany for example - it is clear that a number of<br>these organisations have been strongly influenced by<br>Marxist ideas in their policies, programmes and<br>language. As a result they have often presented voters<br>with a clear challenge to austerity policies yet their<br>votes in recent elections have rarely exceeded 10 per<br>cent. In contrast, racist far right parties have often<br>polled two or three times as well as the far left in<br>these same elections. If we take two of the most recent<br>elections in Western Europe, the Socialist parties that<br>were implementing austerity policies in Portugal and<br>Spain lost heavily not to the anti-austerity far left<br>but to the pro-austerity conservatives. Finally if we<br>consider the anti-capitalist movements that have risen<br>to prominence in recent years, such as Occupy Wall<br>Street or the Spanish indignados, it appears that in<br>organisational structures, forms of action and contempt<br>for mainstream political institutions, they are far<br>more indebted to anarchism than to Marxism.<br><br>Conclusion<br><br>The period of economic recession that began in 2007-08<br>should have been an opportunity for Marxist ideas to<br>reacquire some purchase within trade union movements<br>around the world and to help unions challenge the<br>austerity policies that are being pursued almost<br>everywhere. Events have not quite turned out as many<br>had hoped or expected although Marx himself might not<br>have been surprised. He did after all once offer the<br>rather pessimistic insight that in every epoch, the<br>ruling ideas are the ideas of the ruling class.<br><br>International Office: UCATT House, 177 Abbeville Road,<br>London SW4 9RL Tel: +44 (0) 20 7498 4700 Fax: +44 (0)<br>20 7498 0611 Email: ictur@ictur.org Web Site:<br><a href="http://www.ictur.org/" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 104, 207); cursor: pointer; ">http://www.ictur.org/</a><br><br>____________________________________________<br><br>PortsideLabor aims to provide material of interest to<br>people on the left that will help them to interpret the<br>world and to change it.</pre><pre style="line-height: 17px; white-space: normal; color: rgb(42, 42, 42); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><br></pre></div><div>@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@</div><div><br></div><div><div style="line-height: 24px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">Day laborers view 'A Better Life' at their national assembly in Los Angeles. </div><div style="line-height: 24px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "> </div><div style="line-height: 24px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><a href="http://laprensa-sandiego.org/featured/day-laborers-see-a-better-life-at-their-national-assembly/" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 104, 207); cursor: pointer; ">http://laprensa-sandiego.org/featured/day-laborers-see-a-better-life-at-their-national-assembly/</a></div><div style="line-height: 24px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "></div><div style="line-height: 24px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "> </div><div style="line-height: 24px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">"Justice is what love looks like<br>in public." <br><br></div><div style="line-height: 24px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><br>-- Cornell West<br></div><br style="line-height: 24px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><br style="line-height: 24px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><div style="line-height: 24px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">Mark R. Day<br>Day Productions<br>2434 Alta Vista Dr.<br>Vista, CA 92084<br>(760) 630-7398<br>mday700@yahoo.com<br>www.dayproductions.com</div></div><div style="line-height: 24px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><br></div><div>@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@</div><div><br></div><div><span class="ecximgborder" style="line-height: 15px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); float: left; "><a href="http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=tH0ceWsvK4FRKHva9E4ectQAHNCAqAMH" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(166, 66, 28); cursor: pointer; "><img src="http://www.truthdig.com/images/eartothegrounduploads/protectamerica160.jpg" border="0" alt="" width="160" height="110" style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; border-top-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); border-right-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); border-left-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); "></a></span><p style="line-height: 15px; margin-bottom: 1.35em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">"<a href="http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=MWTdTH5s2tXlRLTAMG8QZ9QAHNCAqAMH" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(166, 66, 28); cursor: pointer; ">The Problem With ‘Jobs’</a>" -- For all this talk about the need for more jobs, politicians and the corporate media rarely discuss whether those positions empower individuals rather than simply boosting the economy. <br></p><p style="line-height: 15px; margin-bottom: 1.35em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><br></p></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@</div><div><br></div><div><font style="color: rgb(42, 42, 42); font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><strong style="line-height: 17px; font-weight: bold; ">Spring Preview: Protesters Nationwide Occupy Corporations, Education</strong></font><br style="line-height: 17px; color: rgb(42, 42, 42); font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><span style="color: rgb(42, 42, 42); font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">Allison Kilkenny, In These Times: "The past week has proven to be something of a resurgence for Occupy Wall Street with two major protests featuring thousands of activists unfolding in states across the country." </span><br style="line-height: 17px; color: rgb(42, 42, 42); font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><a href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=ChQO9tiaULuteqtfHqNryALKzwDYgmQc" target="_blank" style="line-height: 17px; color: rgb(0, 104, 207); cursor: pointer; font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><font color="#cc0000" style="line-height: normal; ">Read the Article</font></a><span style="color: rgb(42, 42, 42); font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "> </span>
</div><div><span style="color: rgb(42, 42, 42); font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><br></span></div><div>@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@</div><div><br></div><div><font style="color: rgb(42, 42, 42); font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><strong style="line-height: 17px; font-weight: bold; ">Rampant Workplace Hazards Endanger Pregnant Women</strong></font><br style="line-height: 17px; color: rgb(42, 42, 42); font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><span style="color: rgb(42, 42, 42); font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">Eleanor J. Bader, Truthout: "Candidates for public office typically offer hollow hosannas to future generations while ignoring the environmental health crisis facing women who hope to get pregnant and deliver healthy babies. It seems obvious that candidates for both national and local office should be questioned about what concrete actions they will take to create a toxin-free world. Anything less sidesteps one of the most salient pro-life issues of the 21st century." </span><br style="line-height: 17px; color: rgb(42, 42, 42); font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><a href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=bu4D7gL2XT0/Ont6mGry8gLKzwDYgmQc" target="_blank" style="line-height: 17px; color: rgb(0, 104, 207); cursor: pointer; font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><font color="#cc0000" style="line-height: normal; ">Read the Article</font></a><span style="color: rgb(42, 42, 42); font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "> </span>
</div><div><span style="color: rgb(42, 42, 42); font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><br></span></div><div>@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@</div><div><br></div><div><font style="color: rgb(42, 42, 42); font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><strong style="line-height: 17px; font-weight: bold; ">Republic Windows Workers Consider Employee-Owned Co-Op</strong></font><br style="line-height: 17px; color: rgb(42, 42, 42); font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><span style="color: rgb(42, 42, 42); font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">Laura Flanders, The Nation: "Three years ago, a worker occupation in Chicago saved a factory and sent up a flare of resistance. Three years on, workers at the same factory are illuminating not only how workers might resist layoffs but also what they might do next. The little factory that fought back just might be the factory that leaps forward." </span><br style="line-height: 17px; color: rgb(42, 42, 42); font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><a href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=YdDL/VtHEdBoqVd845/vCgLKzwDYgmQc" target="_blank" style="line-height: 17px; color: rgb(0, 104, 207); cursor: pointer; font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><font color="#cc0000" style="line-height: normal; ">Read the Article</font></a><span style="color: rgb(42, 42, 42); font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "> </span>
</div><div><span style="color: rgb(42, 42, 42); font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><br></span></div><div>@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@</div><div><br></div><div><font style="color: rgb(42, 42, 42); font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><strong style="line-height: 17px; font-weight: bold; ">Bye Bye American Pie: The Challenge of the Productivity Revolution</strong></font><br style="line-height: 17px; color: rgb(42, 42, 42); font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><span style="color: rgb(42, 42, 42); font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">Robert Reich, Robert Reich's Blog: "Here's the good news. The economic pie is growing again. Growth in the 4th quarter last year hit 3 percent on an annualized rate. That's respectable - although still way too slow to get us back on track given how far we plunged. Here's the bad news. The share of that growth going to American workers is at a record low." </span><br style="line-height: 17px; color: rgb(42, 42, 42); font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><a href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=yV2UmLfFN2BnIm6afuoddwLKzwDYgmQc" target="_blank" style="line-height: 17px; color: rgb(0, 104, 207); cursor: pointer; font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><font color="#cc0000" style="line-height: normal; ">Read the Article</font></a><span style="color: rgb(42, 42, 42); font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "> </span>
</div><div><span style="color: rgb(42, 42, 42); font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><br></span></div><div>@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@</div><div><br></div><div><strong style="line-height: 17px; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(42, 42, 42); font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">Reckless: The Inside Story of How the Banks Beat Washington (Again)<br></strong><font color="#cc0000" style="color: rgb(0, 104, 207); cursor: pointer; font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: normal; "><a href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=8zzRr/PgqQ8ibsiYvvPqQgLKzwDYgmQc" target="_blank" style="line-height: 17px; color: rgb(0, 104, 207); cursor: pointer; font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">Read the Article at The Atlantic</a></font>
</div><div><br></div><div><strong style="line-height: 17px; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(42, 42, 42); font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">Fed Shrugged Off Warning, Let Banks Pay Shareholders Billions<br></strong><a href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=4BbToyrs7NwGfxJ406QICgLKzwDYgmQc" target="_blank" style="line-height: 17px; color: rgb(0, 104, 207); cursor: pointer; font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><font color="#cc0000" style="line-height: normal; ">Read the Article at ProPublica</font></a>
</div><div><br></div><div>@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@</div><div><br></div><div><div id="mpf0_bodyHdr" style="line-height: 15px; color: rgb(42, 42, 42); font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><div id="mpf0_details" aid="toggleDetails" class="DetailToggle FB ClearBoth" title="Hide details" style="clear: both; height: 11px; background-image: url(https://gfx6.hotmail.com/mail/w4/pr04/ltr/fadeBarCenter1.gif); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; padding-top: 7px; position: relative; top: 0px; cursor: pointer; margin-top: -7px; background-position: 0px 7px; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; "><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><div class="FBR" style="height: 11px; width: 80px; background-image: url(https://gfx5.hotmail.com/mail/w4/pr04/ltr/fadeBarRight1.gif); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; 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margin-left: 12px; overflow-x: hidden; color: rgb(42, 42, 42); font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><div class="SandboxScopeClass ExternalClass" id="mpf0_MsgContainer" style="line-height: normal; font-size: 10pt; display: inline-block; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; "><table align="center" width="626" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="1" style="line-height: 17px; "><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="FFFFFF"><table align="center" width="700" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" style="line-height: 17px; "><tbody><tr><td><table align="center" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" style="line-height: 17px; "><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://act.aflcio.org/salsa/track.jsp?v=2&c=uZhaJSObU7PQ135%2BRcaMJYrg9d078LOE" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 104, 207); cursor: pointer; "><img border="0" alt="" src="https://afl.salsalabs.com/o/4001/c/18/images/aflcionowblog_700x100.jpg" style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; "></a></td></tr><tr><td><table align="left" width="700" cellpadding="13" border="0" style="line-height: 17px; "><tbody><tr><td><p style="margin-bottom: 1.35em; "><span style="font-size: 13px; "><span style="font-family: Verdana; "><b style="font-weight: bold; ">March 2, 2012</b></span></span></p><table align="right" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="7" border="0" style="line-height: 17px; width: 22px; height: 38px; "><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center; "><a href="http://act.aflcio.org/salsa/track.jsp?v=2&c=Xnv02fsc7k0bBjtzP5aDuYrg9d078LOE" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 104, 207); cursor: pointer; "><img border="0" alt="Beyond the Weekend" title="Beyond the Weekend" src="https://afl.salsalabs.com/o/4001/c/18/images/Beyond-the-Weekend.jpg" style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; "></a><br><span style="line-height: 13px; font-size: 10px; "><span style="font-family: Verdana; "><a href="http://act.aflcio.org/salsa/track.jsp?v=2&c=5ZJLdPWX5MRxdElDp7IXe4rg9d078LOE" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 104, 207); cursor: pointer; "><font color="navy" style="line-height: normal; ">Check out this new report showing how unions and union members positively impact jobs, health care, education and their communities</font></a>.</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="margin-bottom: 1.35em; "><span style="font-size: 13px; "><span style="font-family: Verdana; ">Nearly 1,000 Arizona union and other activists rallied yesterday in Phoenix to oppose a package of <a href="http://act.aflcio.org/salsa/track.jsp?v=2&c=3m2HokhXqDkqsADFENYk2Irg9d078LOE" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 104, 207); cursor: pointer; "><b style="font-weight: bold; "><font color="navy" style="line-height: normal; ">harsh anti-worker bills</font></b></a> Gov. Jan Brewer (R) and Republican legislators are trying to ram through. The attack on workers’ rights has been dubbed “Wisconsin on steroids.” <a href="http://act.aflcio.org/salsa/track.jsp?v=2&c=zVU4yBfAHztR/lUyaF%2B50Irg9d078LOE" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 104, 207); cursor: pointer; "><b style="font-weight: bold; "><font color="navy" style="line-height: normal; ">Read more and comment</font></b></a>. <img src="https://afl.salsalabs.com/o/4001/c/18/images/navy_arrow.jpg" alt=""></span></span></p><hr align="left" width="30%" color="#cccccc"><p style="margin-bottom: 1.35em; "><img src="https://afl.salsalabs.com/o/4001/c/18/images/button_most-recent-blog-posts_225.jpg" alt=""></p><p style="margin-bottom: 1.35em; "><img width="16" border="0" height="12" src="https://afl.salsalabs.com/o/4001/c/18/images/blog_arrow-blt.gif" alt=""> <a href="http://act.aflcio.org/salsa/track.jsp?v=2&c=BD%2BlVgKjd7lgcq%2B9D9kVTorg9d078LOE" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 104, 207); cursor: pointer; "><font face="Arial" color="navy" style="line-height: normal; font-size: 13px; "><strong style="line-height: 17px; font-weight: bold; ">Beyond the Weekend: How Unions Boost Us All</strong></font></a></p><p style="margin-bottom: 1.35em; "><img width="16" border="0" height="12" src="https://afl.salsalabs.com/o/4001/c/18/images/blog_arrow-blt.gif" alt=""> <a href="http://act.aflcio.org/salsa/track.jsp?v=2&c=/xRkx0HV7is9z91Njc4CR4rg9d078LOE" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 104, 207); cursor: pointer; "><font face="Arial" color="navy" style="line-height: normal; font-size: 13px; "><strong style="line-height: 17px; font-weight: bold; ">Sheriff Rips Proposed Georgia Anti-Picketing Law</strong></font></a></p><p style="margin-bottom: 1.35em; "><img width="16" border="0" height="12" src="https://afl.salsalabs.com/o/4001/c/18/images/blog_arrow-blt.gif" alt=""> <a href="http://act.aflcio.org/salsa/track.jsp?v=2&c=0DHeULLcOYm7KD/Gpbdru4rg9d078LOE" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 104, 207); cursor: pointer; "><font face="Arial" color="navy" style="line-height: normal; font-size: 13px; "><strong style="line-height: 17px; font-weight: bold; ">Young Workers Still Struggling to Find Jobs</strong></font></a></p><p style="margin-bottom: 1.35em; "><img width="16" border="0" height="12" src="https://afl.salsalabs.com/o/4001/c/18/images/blog_arrow-blt.gif" alt=""> <a href="http://act.aflcio.org/salsa/track.jsp?v=2&c=oi8zJ8oPrD/u%2Br1HXW%2B72Yrg9d078LOE" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 104, 207); cursor: pointer; "><font face="Arial" color="navy" style="line-height: normal; font-size: 13px; "><strong style="line-height: 17px; font-weight: bold; ">What Unites Republican Candidates?</strong></font></a></p><hr align="left" width="30%" color="#cccccc"><p style="margin-bottom: 1.35em; "><span style="font-size: 13px; "><a href="http://act.aflcio.org/salsa/track.jsp?v=2&c=OgydUSbeTNFVWVO6jmP04Irg9d078LOE" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 104, 207); cursor: pointer; "><span style="font-family: Verdana; "><strong style="font-weight: bold; "><font color="navy" style="line-height: normal; ">Read more important news</font></strong></span></a></span><span style="font-family: Verdana; "><span style="font-size: 13px; "> of the day on the issues working families care about.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 1.35em; "></p><table align="center" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="7" bordercolor="#cccccc" border="1" style="line-height: 17px; "><tbody><tr><td><table align="center" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" style="line-height: 17px; "><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="middle"><p style="margin-bottom: 1.35em; "><nobr><span style="font-size: 13px; "><span style="font-family: Arial; "><strong style="font-weight: bold; ">Follow the AFL-CIO:</strong></span></span><strong style="font-weight: bold; "><br></strong><a href="http://act.aflcio.org/salsa/track.jsp?v=2&c=DQYPiJWjRC8Sgapc3doqp4rg9d078LOE" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 104, 207); cursor: pointer; "><img border="0" src="https://afl.salsalabs.com/o/4001/images/icon_24x24_facebook.jpg" alt="Facebook" title="Facebook" style="border-style: initial; 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Become a mobile activist</nobr><br><nobr>by joining the AFL-CIO Rapid Action Text Team.</nobr><br><nobr>Text <strong style="font-weight: bold; ">NEWS</strong> to <strong style="font-weight: bold; ">AFLCIO (235246)</strong> to receive action alerts and more.</nobr><br>(Message and data rates may apply.)<br></em></span></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><p align="center" style="margin-bottom: 1.35em; "><span style="font-family: Verdana; "><span style="font-size: 13px; ">To find out more about the AFL-CIO, please visit our website at <a href="http://act.aflcio.org/salsa/track.jsp?v=2&c=UkFVt4YpuDYuqwt6NMKUNYrg9d078LOE" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 104, 207); cursor: pointer; "><b style="font-weight: bold; "><font color="navy" style="line-height: normal; ">www.aflcio.org</font></b></a>.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 1.35em; text-align: right; "><a href="http://act.aflcio.org/salsa/track.jsp?v=2&c=uiLpS60jFYR7jIG2zgE7SYrg9d078LOE" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 104, 207); cursor: pointer; "><span style="line-height: 13px; font-size: 10px; "><span style="font-family: Verdana; "><font color="navy" style="line-height: normal; ">Click here to unsubscribe</font></span></span></a>.</p></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><img width="1" height="1" src="http://act.aflcio.org/salsa/TrackImage?key=483948736" style="line-height: 17px; "></div></div></div><div id="mpf0_readMsgBodyContainer" class="ReadMsgBody" style="line-height: 15px; padding-top: 8px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 12px; overflow-x: hidden; color: rgb(42, 42, 42); font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><div class="SandboxScopeClass ExternalClass" style="line-height: normal; font-size: 10pt; display: inline-block; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; "><br></div></div><div>@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@</div><div><br></div><div><div align="center" style="line-height: 17px; color: rgb(42, 42, 42); font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); padding-bottom: 10px; "><div align="left" style="line-height: 14px; font-family: verdana, arial; font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><font face="verdana,arial" size="1" color="#000000" style="line-height: normal; font-size: 8pt; "><center style="line-height: 14px; "><table bgcolor="#ffffff" width="595" id="ecxVWPLINK" style="line-height: 14px; "><tbody><tr><td width="100%" rowspan="1" colspan="1" style="font-size: 8pt; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; ">Having trouble viewing this email? <a shape="rect" href="http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=7msuvzcab&v=001GW57Qq-hwGRlxb1JRFAl-VH98LaWiHiFz5GEloWWK9cSEg0d0rLljA8cnHFqnYaplZNq2I2d2HzqqmAvaZ6p5uldYNP4TpW90R7hOnf_d5b4-4032FdNOeriJN32yKFXkEELCzEjV3vOEVyrFAjhjyHykODXwF2KWPzOJYN9T-tQ880-cBBpwyf_KPBSMVRGX5P_be3qew1IQvfjdd6SH22Xzyb9X8jzk1tFMrwGNqt_kUvVNg1xguDwcm3RFjSr-LXdkzIG_gKMG-kzqf3TYg%3D%3D" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 104, 207); cursor: pointer; ">Click here</a></td></tr></tbody></table></center></font></div></div><div id="ecxrootDiv" align="center" style="line-height: 17px; color: rgb(42, 42, 42); font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><table bgcolor="#FFFFFF" border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="line-height: 17px; "><tbody><tr><td valign="top" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center"><table border="0" width="600" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="1" style="line-height: 17px; width: 650px; "><tbody><tr><td valign="top" width="100%" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left"></td></tr><tr><td bgcolor="#003366" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" style="background-color: rgb(0, 51, 102); padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-bottom: 1px; padding-left: 1px; "><table bgcolor="#FFFFFF" border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="line-height: 17px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><tbody><tr valign="top"><td width="100%" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><table bgcolor="#FFFFFF" border="0" width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" id="ecxcontent_LETTER.BLOCK1" style="line-height: 17px; background-image: none; background-position: 100% 0%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; "><tbody><tr><td width="300" rowspan="1" align="left" colspan="1"><a shape="rect" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1109434076113&s=7084&e=001lUqp05cIi54dI55O7la1_w0KT2V-iCSMfPslxuGMNNDo6PHBv_7em9znolCCqCZCFwl28AtG3YHuT29-YQdZbmKae4thB4UE13kkbv1arnaanmH-RPBgKQ==" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 104, 207); cursor: pointer; "><img height="62" border="0" width="650" alt="Labor Notes Logo" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs063/1102520666524/img/5.gif" style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; "></a><br></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" id="ecxcontent_LETTER.BLOCK2" style="line-height: 17px; "><tbody><tr><td rowspan="1" align="center" colspan="1"><img height="27" border="0" width="650" alt="" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs063/1102520666524/img/6.jpg"><br></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr valign="top"><td rowspan="1" colspan="1" style="padding-top: 10px; "><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="line-height: 17px; "><tbody><tr valign="top"><td width="390" rowspan="1" colspan="1" style="width: 423px; "></td><td width="200" rowspan="1" colspan="1" style="width: 217px; "></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td width="100%" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" id="ecxcontent_LETTER.BLOCK3" style="line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px; "><tbody><tr><td rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" style="line-height: 20px; text-align: left; margin-left: 210px; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; "><div><span style="line-height: 45px; font-size: 26pt; "><b style="font-weight: bold; ">Labor Notes Conference</b></span><BR><span style="line-height: 24px; font-size: 14pt; "><b style="font-weight: bold; ">Chicago</b></span><span style="line-height: 24px; font-size: 14pt; "> <span style="font-size: 14pt; ">*</span><b style="font-weight: bold; "> May 4-6 </b></span><span style="line-height: 24px; font-size: 14pt; "> * <b style="font-weight: bold; ">Solidarity for the 99%</b></span><BR><b style="font-weight: bold; "> </b><BR><p align="left"><strong style="font-weight: bold; ">Join more than a thousand</strong> union members, officers, and grassroots labor activists. Get training, get re-energized, and rub shoulders with the people working to wake up the labor movement. </p><p align="left" style="margin-left: 30px; "> </p><b style="font-weight: bold; "><span style="line-height: 24px; font-size: 14pt; "><b style="font-weight: bold; ">Today is your last chance to sign up for the early-bird rate! </b></span><br>Register here: <a shape="rect" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1109434076113&s=7084&e=001lUqp05cIi57iPmEPpquR_0jU4LBsekuFun9aZHnzLuAJzwLhK7lv8BTJDk_guz0zYris_8N5-wGIImBwqQiZijQLXc9ckYB5dT6Djfv3eppkB7U3QaWPMMHsbKvb7Blf" target="_blank" style="font-weight: inherit; color: rgb(0, 104, 207); cursor: pointer; ">www.labornotes.org/<wbr>conference</a></b><b style="font-weight: bold; "><br><br></b><span style="line-height: 17px; font-size: 10pt; ">The Labor Notes conference is the <strong style="font-weight: bold; ">biggest gathering of troublemakers</strong> out there.</span><span style="line-height: 17px; font-size: 10pt; "> Come hear from: </span><BR><ul style="margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 1em; padding-right: 0px; padding-left: 1em; "><li style="line-height: 17px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 10pt; ">Chicago teachers defending public education with bold action</li><li style="line-height: 17px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 10pt; ">An Egyptian labor activist struggling to form new unions in a still-repressive climate </li><li style="line-height: 17px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 10pt; ">Dan Coffman, a leader of the militant ILWU fight against a multinational grain company </li><li style="line-height: 17px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 10pt; ">Larry Hanley, president of the ATU transit union, pushing for green jobs </li><li style="line-height: 17px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 10pt; ">Warehouse, telecom, and health care workers organizing against the odds </li><li style="line-height: 17px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 10pt; ">Public sector union leaders breaking out of the austerity box</li><li style="line-height: 17px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 10pt; ">Food Chain Alliance members coordinating campaigns that link good food to good jobs </li></ul><div><span style="line-height: 17px; font-size: 10pt; "><strong style="font-weight: bold; ">More than 100 meetings and workshops</strong></span> <span style="line-height: 17px; font-size: 10pt; ">build skills, sharpen analysis, and prepare us to expand the fight.</span></div><div><span style="line-height: 17px; font-size: 10pt; ">Hands-on trainings share tips on beating apathy, continuous bargaining, technology in the workplace, aggressive grievance handling, and dozens more essential topics. </span><br></div><br><div><span style="line-height: 17px; font-size: 10pt; "><strong style="font-weight: bold; ">Tackle big questions</strong> that challenge conventional union thinking, whether it's how we're engaging in the electoral arena or the kind of health care system we need.</span><br></div><span style="line-height: 17px; font-size: 10pt; "><b style="font-weight: bold; "><br>Conference Details: </b></span><a shape="rect" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1109434076113&s=7084&e=001lUqp05cIi57iPmEPpquR_0jU4LBsekuFun9aZHnzLuAJzwLhK7lv8BTJDk_guz0zYris_8N5-wGIImBwqQiZijQLXc9ckYB5dT6Djfv3eppkB7U3QaWPMMHsbKvb7Blf" target="_blank" style="line-height: 17px; color: rgb(0, 104, 207); cursor: pointer; font-size: 10pt; ">http://www.labornotes.org/conference</a> <BR><span style="line-height: 17px; font-size: 10pt; "><b style="font-weight: bold; "> </b></span><BR><span style="line-height: 17px; font-size: 10pt; "><b style="font-weight: bold; ">Schedule:</b> Workshops and meetings begin Friday, May 4, at 1 p.m. and end at Sunday, May 6, at <span style="font-size: 10pt; ">3 p.m. </span></span> <BR><span style="line-height: 17px; font-size: 10pt; "><b style="font-weight: bold; "> </b></span><BR><span style="line-height: 17px; font-size: 10pt; "><b style="font-weight: bold; ">Registration:</b> $130. Includes Saturday banquet. <b style="font-weight: bold; "><i><a class="ecxfalse" shape="rect" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1109434076113&s=7084&e=001lUqp05cIi56ythmX-sDPL7Y06kuWRL8VikdxONUI3sPOcxsIrlLHsRa3yj1XwnX-AIcv-ac5-0gsEdOjbuSKhQ0Ny2IoZ7hDoY0Ij8RHRGkjfnqAWNlJ3ULEQ1JQX-i82JUhlMWeSqw=" target="_blank" style="font-weight: inherit; color: blue; cursor: pointer; ">Get $35 off if registered BY TODAY, March 2</a>. </i></b>Some scholarships are available.</span> <BR> <BR><span style="line-height: 17px; font-size: 10pt; "><b style="font-weight: bold; ">Location:</b> Crowne Plaza Hotel at Chicago's O'Hare Airport. Near Rosemont CTA train station (blue line).</span> <BR> <BR><span style="line-height: 17px; font-size: 10pt; "><strong style="font-weight: bold; ">Hotel Booking</strong>: Single/Double/Triple/Quad: $115 per night. Book at </span><a shape="rect" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1109434076113&s=7084&e=001lUqp05cIi54E67xqtP69NHcHsmiE67IzUaNv_tzpD7RlwIraFwisE79XXrZgdmgeRSIv3rSWFNm9-PIb-MGOmICPHtv5Uwf-68NG0w75bWOxQKem2C6VVGQLZ06KYz7reeZTnQnk_1I=" target="_blank" style="line-height: 17px; color: rgb(0, 104, 207); cursor: pointer; font-size: 10pt; ">labornotes.org/conference/hotel</a><span style="line-height: 17px; font-size: 10pt; "> or by calling the hotel at 847-671-6350. Mention "Labor Notes Conference" to get our room rate, until April 12. </span><BR> <BR><span style="line-height: 17px; font-size: 10pt; "><b style="font-weight: bold; ">Air Travel:</b> Fly in to Chicago O'Hare (ORD). There is a free shuttle to the hotel.</span> <BR> <BR><span style="line-height: 17px; font-size: 10pt; "><b style="font-weight: bold; ">Train Travel:</b> Amtrak is offering Labor Notes Conference attendees a 10 percent discount. Call </span><span style="line-height: 17px; font-size: 10pt; ">800-872-7245</span><span style="line-height: 17px; font-size: 10pt; ">and use discount code X59J-949. </span> <BR> <BR><span style="line-height: 17px; font-size: 10pt; "><b style="font-weight: bold; ">Childcare: </b>Available for a donation for children over 1 year. <a class="ecxfalse" shape="rect" href="mailto:conference@labornotes.org" style="color: blue; cursor: pointer; ">Request by April 2</a>.</span><BR> <BR><span style="line-height: 17px; font-size: 10pt; "><b style="font-weight: bold; ">Register today </b>at </span><a shape="rect" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1109434076113&s=7084&e=001lUqp05cIi57iPmEPpquR_0jU4LBsekuFun9aZHnzLuAJzwLhK7lv8BTJDk_guz0zYris_8N5-wGIImBwqQiZijQLXc9ckYB5dT6Djfv3eppkB7U3QaWPMMHsbKvb7Blf" target="_blank" style="line-height: 17px; color: rgb(0, 104, 207); cursor: pointer; font-size: 10pt; ">http://www.labornotes.org/<wbr>conference</a> <BR> <BR><span style="line-height: 17px; font-size: 10pt; "><b style="font-weight: bold; ">For more info</b>, visit the <a class="ecxfalse" shape="rect" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1109434076113&s=7084&e=001lUqp05cIi57iPmEPpquR_0jU4LBsekuFun9aZHnzLuAJzwLhK7lv8BTJDk_guz0zYris_8N5-wGIImBwqQiZijQLXc9ckYB5dT6Djfv3eppkB7U3QaWPMMHsbKvb7Blf" target="_blank" style="color: blue; cursor: pointer; ">conference website</a>, email us at </span><a shape="rect" href="mailto:conference@labornotes.org" style="line-height: 17px; color: rgb(0, 104, 207); cursor: pointer; font-size: 10pt; ">conference@labornotes.org</a><span style="line-height: 17px; font-size: 10pt; ">, or call </span><span style="line-height: 17px; font-size: 10pt; ">313-842-6262.</span><BR></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="line-height: 17px; "><tbody><tr><td rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center"><img height="37" vspace="0" border="0" hspace="0" width="600" src="http://img.constantcontact.com/letters/images/1101093164665/newshr-ftr.jpg" align="left"></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td height="10" width="100%" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left"></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div align="center" style="line-height: 17px; 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