Labor Speaks Out Day at Camp Democracy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
http://www.campdemocracy.org
Speakers available for interviews:
http://www.campdemocracy.org/speakers

Labor Speaks Out Day at Camp Democracy on September 8

WHAT: Labor Speaks Out Day
WHERE: Constitution Ave and 14th St, Washington DC
WHEN: Friday, September 8, 2006, noon to 9 p.m.

Summary of events on Friday, September 8, 2006:
For a full schedule of events, go to: www.campdemocracy.org/schedule

Labor Day was on Monday, but Labor will Speaks Out at Camp Democracy on Friday, September 8 with a full program of speakers and entertainment. The purpose is to talk about labor issues to peace activists, and to talk about peace issues to labor activists.

Starting with a panel on labor organizing and ending with a talk on labor history, activists and advocates, writers and researchers will inform and entertain all those visiting the Mall on Friday.

Among the featured labor issues are a presentation on the effort to change the way that WalMart treats its workers, a video on how depleted uranium hurts US soldiers and workers, and stories from striking steelworkers in Arkansas.

U.S. Labor Against the War, which mobilized 20,000 unionists to march in New York City last April 29, will discuss the current state of the Iraqi trade union movement and its role in creating a secular, democratic society. This will be followed by a special teach-in on Lebanon.

Camp Democracy is located in several tents erected on the Washington Mall at 15th and Constitution Ave.

NOON: Panel Discussion: NUTS AND BOLTS ORGANIZING IN THE LABOR MOVEMENT
Mackenzie Baris, DC Jobs with Justice
Kenneth Moffett, Labor Arbitrator-Mediator

NOON to 3:00 LIVE BROADCAST OF THOM HARTMANN SHOW BY GUEST HOST PETER B. COLLINS TO 40 STATIONS NATIONWIDE (thomhartmann.com)

1:00 WAKE UP WAL-MART
Buffy Wicks, Political Director, will do a presentation and reportback on “2006 Change Wal-Mart, Change America Tour,” a 35-day cross-country bus trip to 19 states and 35 cities ending on Labor Day

2:00 ORGANIZING AT SMITHFIELD FOODS
Leila McDowell, Communications Director with United Food & Commercial Workers’ national campaign to organize Smithfield workers, will present exciting developments in and background of this campaign.

3:00 Panel Discussion: HOW LABOR IS WORKING AGAINST THE WAR
Lane Anderson, National Association of Letter Carriers, Branch 290; cofounder of
Santa Barbara, CA chapter of Veterans For Peace, and organizer of Arlington West
Bill Barry, Director of Labor Studies, Dundalk Community College
Eric Geist, Director of Organizing, Communications Workers of America
Brooks Sunkett, Vice President, Communications Workers of America

3:00 DEPLETED URANIUM –
ITS USE IN IRAQ THREATENS IRAQIS, US WORKERS AND SOLDIERS
Marla Benoist, Project Director, Info-Mission, will do a one-hour presentation, including video on DU in Iraq and a photo exhibit. Literature regarding pending legislation, as well as a resource list on DU, will be distributed.

3:30 PUTTING PROGRESSIVE VOICES ON THE AIR: A SUCCESS STORY
Peter B. Collins (peterbcollins.com)

4:00 VIDEO SHOWING OF “MEETING FACE TO FACE” (30 minutes)
Meeting Face to Face follows six senior Iraqi labor leaders through 25 U.S, cities during the June 2005 Iraq-U.S. Labor Solidarity Tour, sponsored by U.S. Labor Against the War. The Iraqis explain why the primary condition for a peaceful resolution in Iraq is ending the U.S. occupation and why an independent labor movement is crucial in creating a democratic society.

5:00 US LABOR AGAINST THE WAR and the IRAQI TRADE UNION MOVEMENT
Fred Mason, President of the Maryland/Washington, D.C. AFL-CIO, and Bob Muehlenkamp, National Co-Convenors of US Labor Against the War, will discuss the mission, accomplishments and plans of USLAW as well as the current state of the Iraqi trade union movement and its role in creating a secular, democratic society. Challenges facing the Iraqi trade union movement will be addressed, such as a current strike of oil workers in Basra, the freezing of unions’ bank accounts, battles to keep Iraqi oil and industry in the control of Iraqis, and trade unions still not being legal in Iraq.

5:00 LEBANON/MIDDLE EAST TEACH-IN
Mark Lance, Professor of Philosophy at Georgetown University and leading member of End the Occupation will place recent events in Lebanon in an historical context.

6:00 STRIKING STEELWORKERS FROM ARKANSAS TELL THEIR STORY
Patrick Young, Strategic Campaign Dept. of United Steelworkers, will bring 11 striking steelworkers from Arkansas to tell their story. They’ve been on strike against National Wire Fabric for over a year and have been permanently replaced.

TALK AND DISCUSSION
Linda Rabben, author of Fierce Legion of Friends: A History of Human Rights Campaigns and Campaigners, will speak on the topic of “The Real Labor Days: Haymarket to Sacco and Vanzetti and Beyond”.

5:00-10:00 HEAD ON RADIO NETWORK – LIVE BROADCAST
Bruce Burch will conduct half-hour interviews. (headonradionetwork.com)

6:00 to 9:00 LIVE BROADCAST BY PETER COLLINS of his own show from Camp Democracy on a
number of west coast stations and at peterbcollins.com.

Evening Concert – 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.

To be emceed by Bob Muehlenkamp, Co-Convener of US Labor Against the War
CHRIS CHANDLER & DAVID ROE (chrishcandler.org; royalrounders.org)
JANET BATES (janetbates.com)
JOHN FLYNN (johnflynn.net)
NADIR (distortedsoul.com)

Camp Democracy is a 17-day event focused not only on ending the war but also on righting injustices here at home and on holding accountable the Bush Administration and Congress.

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