Editor¹s Note: This week the Labor Assembly of the United American Nurses of the American Nurses Association (ANA) and the ANA House of Delegates meet to make decisions on the terms expected by the AFL-CIO for granting a charter of affiliation. This long-sought offer was made after the nearly unanimous vote of the AFL-CIO¹s Executive Council on May 24th, the day after the announcement of the formation of a new independent national organization of nurses, whose principles are listed near the end of this bulletin. Parallel to the form of any organization must be considered its content: what¹s the purpose, the goal, the program? Patient advocacy or corporate partnership? A national nurses¹ movement or eventual amalgamation into an ³industrial² union? Adaptation to the current health care model or all-out war to eliminate private insurance and other parasitical elements? Nurses and their allies are in rebellion around the country, across the continent and globally. History will, as always, decide which path will prevail. -- Sandy Eaton, RN, Quincy, Massachusetts


AFL-CIO Trying to Add Two Unions

<http://washingtonpost.com/ac3/ContentServer?pagename=article&articleid=A43899-2001Jun25&node=nation/latestap>


by Leigh Strope, AP Labor Writer


June 25, 2001


WASHINGTON ­­ The AFL-CIO is trying to add two unions as members just months after suffering a major blow when one of the nation's largest construction unions left the labor alliance.

The United American Nurses, which has 100,000 nurses as the labor arm of the American Nurses Association, is expected to approve the AFL-CIO charter at Thursday's vote, said spokeswoman Suzanne Martin.

The California School Employees Association, which represents more than 190,000 public school workers in that state, will vote on an independent charter at its annual conference that starts July 30. Whether it will join the AFL-CIO is less certain.

The AFL-CIO already has agreed to accept the new affiliates ­ a move that coincides with President John Sweeney's re-election bid.

Sweeney was elected in 1995 on a promise to rebuild declining union membership, but the percentage of American workers belonging to unions fell last year to 13.5 percent, or 13 million ­ the lowest in six decades.

The AFL-CIO is down to 64 union affiliates after the March departure of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters, which had nearly 324,000 members last year. The union left because it wanted the AFL-CIO to put more financial emphasis on organizing instead of politics.

Bob Welsh, the AFL-CIO's chief of staff and executive assistant to Sweeney, sidestepped the question of timing with the new charters and Sweeney's re-election.

"Everything we do is in preparation for an election," Welsh said. "We're a political organization." Both charters have been in the works for a while, he said.

New AFL-CIO affiliations have been infrequent. The Air Traffic Controllers Association was granted an independent charter about two years ago. Before that, several new members joined in the 1980s that were previous affiliates, such as the Teamsters and the United Auto Workers.

The new charters don't only benefit the AFL-CIO. Such affiliation comes with special protections from raids by other AFL-CIO unions seeking more members.

That's important to the California School Employees Association, which has fought such unions as the American Federation of Teachers.

"We spend a significant amount of money battling other unions," said CSEA spokesman Frank Polito. "With a federal government that we see as not education or labor friendly, it doesn't make sense. They're incredibly divisive events, almost like a civil war. And we've clearly reached a point where this has to stop."

Nurses also have been a big organizational target for a range of AFL-CIO unions, including the AFT, Service Employees International Union and United Food and Commercial Workers. A charter for the United American Nurses would prevent those unions from raiding its membership.

AFL-CIO membership also brings political resources to national heath care and education issues that are important to both the nurses and public school employees.

"They become part of a large organization that has significant political clout and connections," said Rick Hurd, Cornell University's director of labor studies. "For both these unions, politics is very important."

But affiliation by the school workers union is uncertain.

"There is a lot of debate," Polito said. "There are concerns by our members about having to pay dues and what that means budgetarily, and some of our members are concerned we won't have a national voice."

© 2001 The Associated Press

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AFL-CIO SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON NATIONAL CHARTERS


___________________________________
      
In The Matter Of:    
        
UNITED AMERICAN NURSES

   Jay Mazur
   Pat Friend
        Mike Sacco
      
___________________________________


Introduction

Article III, Section 4 of the AFL-CIO Constitution authorizes the Executive Council to ³issue charters or certificates of affiliation to other organizations desiring to affiliate with th[e] Federation.² This power may be delegated to the President. Approximately 20 national and international unions have chartered (or rechartered) directly as new affiliates over the past 43 years since the merger of the AFL and the CIO. Several have subsequently merged or consolidated in some fashion with other affiliates.

In 1997-1998, discussions of when and under what conditions an independent charter should be granted occurred in two forums. And ad hoc committee to consider chartering policy, headed by Vice President Doug Dority, and the Committee 2000 (recently re-named ³Committee on the Future²) both rejected the notion that a single formula can be applied in standard fashion to any and all such applications. Starting with the general principle that non-AFL-CIO unions should be encouraged to find merger or affiliation partners with existing affiliates as a means of entry into the Federation, the committees urged that exceptions to this rule would have to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Moreover, such case-by-case consideration must be undertaken with an understanding that the weight accorded to the relevant criteria may well vary from one situation to another.

A Special Committee on National Charters, consisting of former Executive Council members, was convened in 1998 to review the proposed direct affiliation of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.  The Special Committee examined the issue of direct affiliations and identified certain factors to be assessed in reviewing such applications.

The Special Committee began by reiterating one of the core purposes of the AFL-CIO, set forth explicitly in Article II of its Constitution: to ³affiliate national and international unions with this Federation and to establish such unions.² According to the Committee, this goal is grounded on the underlying premise ³that the strength of the labor movement lies in its size, in its diversity, and in its ability to more effectively carry out hit basic missions when acting in collective fashion.² The Committee recognized that this core purpose must necessarily be balanced with the Federation¹s policy to deny an independent charter when the independent union could instead achieve AFL-CIO affiliation by affiliating with an existing AFL-CIO national or international union. The Federation has strongly and consistently encouraged voluntary mergers and affiliations among affiliates for a variety of reasons, including the need to avoid jurisdictional and organizational conflicts and the desire to encourage economics of scale. These competing concerns led to the determination that a case-by-case approach which reviews a number of factors must be applied.

More recently, in early April 2001, the AFL-CIO Committee on the Future again took up the matter. Although still of the belief that each charter request by an independent organization will present a host of unique circumstances, the Committee identified a set of general principles that it determined would normally be applicable to the consideration of any particular charter application.

These principles have still been memorialized in the form of a draft Executive Council policy governing the issuance of charters, to be placed before the Council for its consideration at the May 2001 meeting.

At the same April 2001 Committee on the Future meeting, the Committee suggested that President Sweeney appoint a special committee consisting of three sitting Executive Council members to review the information that has been received in connection with the pending charter applications of two significant independent labor organizations, the ANA¹s United American Nurses and the California School Employee Association, and to prepare reports concerning recommendations as to each of the requests.

This report evaluates the application for a direct charter by the ANA United American Nurses (hereafter ³UAN²), against the backdrop of the general principles deemed relevant by the Committee on the Future, and the criteria identified in the National Air Traffic Control Association case as well as others considered relevant to this particular situation.

History of the UAN


The UAN is a separate and distinct labor entity recently created within the American Nurses Association (ANA). Its mission is to provide labor and collective bargaining support services to state nurses associations, which constitute the diverse coalition of the ANA.

The organization now know as the ANA was formed in 1896 when delegates from 10 alumnus associations met near New York City for the purpose of organizing a national professional association for nurses. In 1911, its name was changed from the Nurses Associated Alumnae to the American Nurses Association. In 1982, the ANA became a federation of constituent state nurses associations. The ANA works for the improvement of health standards and the availability of health care services for all people, to foster high standards of nursing and to stimulate and promote the professional development of nurses and advance their economic and general welfare. In accomplishing these goals, the ANA has established standards of nursing practice and a code of ethical conduct for nurses. It also initiates and influences legislation, governmental programs, and national and international health policy and promotes and protects the economic and general welfare of nurses, provides for their professional development, and provides leadership in national and international nursing. The official organ of the ANA is The American Nurse, its professional journal is the American Journal of Nursing.

Since 1962, when the New Jersey State Nurses Association organized a group of industrial nurses, the ANA and its state nurses associations have been challenged as dominated by management, in violation of Section 8 (a)(2) of the National Labor Relations Act because of a conflict of interest due to supervisor taint. This challenge was grounded in the participation of supervisory and managerial members in the ANA¹s governing bodies. Between 1962 and 1989, at least 42 cases were litigated before the National Labor Relations Board involving at least 25 state nurses associations.

As a result of these challenges, the ANA initiated a series of efforts designed to insulate its collective bargaining units, represented by state nurses associations, from its other activities as a professional nurses organization. Its state nurses associations were encouraged to segregate their representational activities to avoid direct involvement in decision-making by State Nurses Association (³SNA²) Boards of Directors in which statutory supervisors were present and participated. As a result, SNAs created insulated collective bargaining programs within their own organizations.

In order to further facilitate the movement of SNAs away from any official knowledge, role or influence over local unit collective bargaining or contract administration, the ANA created the Institute of Constituent Member Collective Bargaining Programs. Its membership was limited to members of SNA represented bargaining units, who were themselves elected by non-supervisors. Under the ANA¹s Constitution, the Institute was designed to be autonomous. As such, it removed any and all reporting, assigning, delegating or other ³influencing² relationship between the Institute and the governing body of the ANA on collective bargaining matters. However, its role was ³advisory only.² The SNAs had the ³exclusive authority relative to collective bargaining and all related decisions.²

The creation of the UAN in 1999 was a by-product of these various efforts by the ANA to insulate its supervisory and managerial members from any role or participation in collective bargaining. The UAN is designed to be autonomous on labor issues and to advise the ANA Board of Directors on labor perspectives on various issues. Its purpose is to provide effective collective bargaining services for ANA members. Under its Constitution, UAN membership is limited to state nurse associational members of the ANA ³who have insulated collective bargaining programs and represent registered nurses for the purposes of collective bargaining or their separate insulated collective bargaining programs.²

The UAN was the first national body of collective bargaining associations created within ANA. To ensure its autonomy and defeat any suggestion of management domination, control or influence by supervisory members of the ANA, the Constitution provides that the UAN ³shall be autonomous with respect to all matters that are required by law to be addressed by an insulated labor body.²

Article VIII, Section 6. These have traditionally included decisions regarding local unit collective bargaining goals, proposals and strategies; the selection of local unit officers, negotiating committees and grievance representatives; the processing of grievances and arbitration cases; determinations affecting strike actions and ratification votes; and the approval and implementation of new organizing efforts.

In the implementing provisions of the constitutional amendments which gave birth to UAN, the ANA Executive Director is given ³the authority to manage the UAN² and is responsible for ³implementing the policies established by the National Labor Assembly and the Executive Council.² This authority was clarified in the ANA¹s 2000 convention to move to greater UAN autonomy, with specific provisions regarding the hiring and employment of the UAN Program Director to jointly involve the UAN Executive Council, through the UAN Chair, and the ANA CEO. Conflicts between the ANA and the UAN are subject to a mutually agreed upon conflict resolution process.

Prior to its 2000 convention in June, the UAN was still based on voluntary membership by SNAs. This theoretically allowed SNAs to withdraw from the UAN, but still retain membership in the ANA and thereby reap the benefits of the AFL-CIO affiliation. The non-permanence of the relationship between UAN and SNAs generated significant concern among AFL-CIO affiliates that the UAN could become a shell organization, without membership, through which ANA members could enjoy the advantages of AFL-CIO affiliation. At its June 2000 convention, the UAN was institutionally strengthened to require its constituent state nurses associations to maintain permanent membership in the UAN. In a further effort to meet this criticism, the UAN has committed to make necessary amendment changes for permanent SNA membership at its next opportunity.

Prior History in AFL-CIO and Intent to Actively Participate


Although UAN has no prior history as an affiliate of the AFL-CIO, the ANA has long history of working with the AFL-CIO and its affiliates on myriad issues. As a nationally recognized expert and resource on issues affecting health care in general and nursing professionals in particular, the ANA has joined the AFL-CIO and its affiliates with a variety of legislative and lobbying efforts that have served the broader interests of the labor movement. Admittedly, on certain occasions, such as on issues relating to advanced practice nursing, they have found themselves on opposing sides.

When they have successfully coordinated on issues, such as with needle stick legislation or national health care policy, the ANA and AFL-CIO affiliates have proven to be effective partner-advocates, on the front lines. In such situations, ANA was often provided educational and research materials, spokespersons, energy, and leadership. On those occasions that they have been generous in sharing such resources, the ANA and AFL-CIO have successfully served the interests not only of their own members, but of all health care workers and health care consumers as well.

In meetings to discuss affiliation, the UAN has informed the Federation of its strong desire and intent, upon affiliation, to continue to work together and share its resources even more closely in efforts involving health and safety issues, education, legal, legislation, policy and politics in general.

Reasons for Desiring Affiliation


The UAN has presented substantial reasons for direct affiliation with the AFL-CIO. The UAN is already a national organization with major bargaining units, organized through some 26 state nurses associations, throughout the country. It recognizes that its collective bargaining and organizing goals are better served by a closer working relationship with other AFL-CIO unions. It is committed to the AFL-CIO¹s program, and particularly to bringing collective bargaining rights to all Registered Nurses. Its constituent state associations have been advancing the working conditions and dignity of Registered Nurses, with and without collective bargaining, for almost a century. It also acknowledges its interest in securing Article XX and XXI protection, and commits to adhering to its responsibilities under these constitutional provisions as well.

There are currently well over two hundred thousand organized Registered Nurses represented by UAN and AFL-CIO affiliations. But there are two million unorganized Registered Nurses in this country. These numbers dramatically demonstrate the pressing need to cooperate in organizing these unorganized health care professionals in a strategic way. It is desire of the UAN to work with affiliates towards this goal.

As set forth above, the UAN has expressed its strong desire to improve its work with affiliates on issues affecting Registered Nurses. It had indicated its intent to intensify its collaborative efforts in the areas of education, legislation, politics and health care policy and to expand its contributions of expertise, resources, and prestige in support of these endeavors.

In accordance with its established preference, the AFL-CIO has, from the outset, explored the possibility of affiliating UAN through an existing affiliation. The UAN has been adamant, however, that no consensus can be reached to do that, much less to agree on a particular affiliate.

Geographic Scope


The United American Nurses is a national labor organization. It consists of a coalition of state nurses associations which engage in representation and collective bargaining for registered nurses in the health care industry. At the present time, the UAN represents nursing units in some 26 states.

Size


The UAN represents that it even without the Massachusetts chapter, which has recently taken steps to disaffiliate from the ANA, the UAN has approximately 100,000 dues-paying members. At this level, the UAN is larger than some two-thirds of the existing AFL-CIO affiliates in per capita membership. It would rank 24th in size.

Occupational Jurisdiction


The exclusive focus of UAN representation is Registered Nurses. It does not represent LPNs, service and maintenance employees, physicians, or any other health care employees. It proclaims to have no desire or intent to extend its focus to these or any other health care employees or to any other employment sector.

Nevertheless, even within this narrow occupational focus, there exists an obvious potential for jurisdictional conflict. To be sure, there are real areas of conflict at the present time, particularly in certain states. Various AFL-CIO affiliates have substantial interest and experience in organizing and representing Registered Nurses and certain affiliates are currently engaged in actively pursuing representation rights for Registered Nurses. At least three present affiliates of the AFL-CIO have formal nursing bodies within their larger national or international union structure.

With regard to these, UAN has voiced a strong desire to resolve and minimize such conflict. It has pledged to undertake serious, good-faith efforts to this end. The UAN has committed to working intensively on both a national and state-by-state level to identify such conflict and to using due diligence to accomplish its resolution. It agrees to adhere in all respects to the Article XX and Article XXI provisions and utilize their mediation and, if necessary, hearing procedures, as well as any other dispute resolution mechanisms that might prove productive.

Financial Stability and Adherence to Democratic Principles


The UAN has credibly represented that they presently have a sufficient degree of financial stability and wherewithal to continue their representational and organizing goals.

As discussed above, the UAN¹s adherence to democratic principles has been challenged only to the extent that the ANA accepts involvement by Registered Nurses who may be supervisors within the meaning of the National Labor Relations Act. As also discussed above, the ANA, primarily in the 1980s, instituted a variety of steps to insulate its collective bargaining units from any supervisory influences. Although frequently challenged in representation proceedings before the National Labor Relations Broad, there are scores of cases rejecting any disqualification due to a conflict of interest because of supervisory participation. Indeed, few challenges either before the Board or in the courts seem even to have been initiated over the past decade.

Moreover, the UAN is continuing to maximize its autonomy within the ANA, proposing constitutionally-mandated changes at each of its two constitutional conventions since its creation. The ANA asserts no control or direction over the conduct of its bargaining units or over their contract administration or enforcement. With the constitutional amendments of 1999, the UAN is specifically and explicitly granted autonomy with respect to all these matters. It was expressly formed to ³operate as an insulated body.² Article VIII, Section 3a. It continues to take steps to further increase its autonomy.

Nonetheless, affiliates do point to certain instances where the ANA¹s state associations, directly or through managerial nurses, have appeared to unduly interfere in the collective bargaining sphere: situations, for example, where ANA affiliates' managers advise staff nurses against unionization, or against membership in an already certified or recognized representative. If the AFL-CIO is to charter the UAN, it would seem that understandings must be reached that would preclude its parent body, the ANA, from endorsing or supporting conduct that is hostile to the collective bargaining process or to the interests of the labor movement more generally.

Symbolism


The UAN, together with its parent entity ANA, would bring into the House of Labor an organization widely perceived by the public, by management and by health care employees as an authoritative organization speaking to policy issues for Registered Nurses. In matters affecting these health care workers, its expertise, experience and dedication is well-established and well-recognized, not only among our affiliates, but also on Capitol Hill, in state legislatures, before regulatory agencies, with academia and among the public at large. This affiliation would bring the benefits of this prestige, expertise, experience and dedication to the AFL-CIO¹s, and its present health care affiliates¹, own stature in all of these forums.

Moreover, at a time when working families and their unions are under such relentless attack from the current Administration, as well as from corporate America, it is all more critical for the American Labor Movement to mount a united front and speak with one voice on matters of common concern.

AFL-CIO Unions¹ Positions on UAN¹s Request


A consideration of this proposed direct affiliation must necessarily include a consideration of the views of existing affiliates, particularly those with a potentially overlapping or conflicting jurisdictional interest.

National and international affiliates which have the most reason to be concerned with this aspect of the affiliation are those actively organizing Registered Nurses, the narrow focus of UAN¹s representation. These affiliates are understandably wary of including an organization with which they have been and are now competing for members.

Moreover, with organized healthcare workers already dispersed in their representation among several existing affiliates, the prospect of adding yet another affiliate active in the same jurisdiction runs counter to many unions' desire to encourage a greater focus on their respective core density. Indeed, even the registered nurse occupation is already ably represented by existing affiliates, with SEIU, for example, claiming as many or more registered nurse members as UAN¹s entire membership. Thus, this is not a situation where the Federation would be affiliating a union with a new or unique segment of the workforce, nor one that would be speaking exclusively for their particular occupational jurisdiction.

Over the past several months, several of those affiliates have engaged in direct dialogue with UAN regarding a number of matters of mutual concern. It would seem fair to characterize these discussions as only partially conclusive; several remain loss than fully resolve. AFGE, for example, remains concerned about current and potential conflict in the Veterans Administration registered nurse units; SEIU has pressed without resolution for partnership arrangements that would protect bargaining standards and minimize organizing conflicts in certain states, such as New York; AFSCME has sought ways to institutionalize dual membership opportunities for affiliates seeking to enroll their registered nurse members in the ANA as well as the AFL-CIO, pointing out that otherwise the UAN would have the exclusive and unintended competitive advantage of being able to hold out to unorganized nurse the prospect of simultaneous membership in both the AFL-CIO and the ANA; UFCW and AFT have expressed their respective convictions that UAN should neither be disadvantaged nor advantaged by a defined industrial or occupational jurisdiction --- that just as no AFL-CIO affiliate is barred from organizing outside its core areas, nor does any one  union have exclusive rights in such areas. Although agreements were not concluded on any of these matters, UAN, for its part, asserts that it is willing to continue these discussions once chartered, and that mutually acceptable solutions may in that context prove easier to achieve.

AFL-CIO affiliates recognize the tremendous value, in practice and symbolically, of having the UAN and, through it, the ANA, join with it in legislative, legal, educational and political battles on behalf of registered nurses and health care workers more generally. The UAN has voiced its sincere interest, not only in identifying and eliminating jurisdictional conflicts, but also in identifying and maximizing opportunities for cooperation with affiliates in advancing their common objectives in support of registered nurses. With UAN¹s enthusiasm and expertise, the prospects for such collaboration outweigh the potential for conflict, which UAN has pledged to help avoid and resolve.

Nonetheless, the affiliates¹ remaining concerns in these areas are not insubstantial. Assurances must be extended that will give affiliates sufficient confidence that the remaining problems can, indeed, be adequately addressed, albeit by way of post-charter processes.

Conclusion and Recommendation


For all the reasons discussed above, it is the recommendation of this Committee that the Executive Council, with its authority set forth in Article III, Section 4 of the AFL-CIO Constitution, approve the issuance to the United American Nurses of a charter of affiliation with the Federation, subject to the following understandings between UAN, ANA, and all affected AFL-CIO affiliates:

1) The ANA and the UAN will continue to take all necessary steps, constitutionally and in practice, to ensure that permanent membership in the UAN will be required of all ANA constituent members that provide collective bargaining services.

2) In states where UAN and one or more other AFL-CIO affiliates have significant density, the UAN will form a partnership with such other AFL-CIO affiliate(s) to promote nurse and healthcare worker interests or public policy, legislation, and bargaining issues, and to avoid or minimize the potential for conflict in organizing. UAN will form a similar partnership with AFGE governing nurse representation in the Veterans Administration Hospitals. Furthermore, the UAN will not seek to expand into states where the UAN does not presently have collective bargaining status, without first making good faith efforts to reach an agreement with any affected affiliate(s) then active in such a state.

3) Active and good faith efforts will continue, involving the UAN and other AFL-CIO affiliates with a primary or major interest in nurses¹ representation, to reach a binding agreement following issuance of a charter, regarding dual membership arrangements in the AFL-CIO and the ANA.

4) Appropriate assurances will be sought from and extended by the ANA to the effect that the ANA recognizes the legitimacy of collective bargaining and the right of staff nurses to organize and seek union representation in any and all states. With these understandings, we recommend that the Executive Council authorize the President to issue a charter to the UAN, upon acceptance of these understandings and at the appropriate opportunity. We further recommend that the Federation provide the parties, including the UAN, with any and all appropriate assistance to ensure that the accompanying understandings are adhered to. Such assistance might include having the officers or their designees facilitate the parties¹ efforts to comply with these understandings, having them report back periodically to the Executive Council on the parties' progress or lack thereof, and having them otherwise exercise their existing authority to ensure compliance to the greatest extent possible.


       ________________________
        Jay Mazur
       ________________________
        Pat Friend
       ________________________
        Mike Sacco
 
-------------------------

May 23, 2001    
            

RNs Chart Course for New National Nurses Organization
Leaders of 60,000 RNs Adopt Principles, Goals for New Group


Leaders of nurses' organizations representing over 60,000 registered nurses in California, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Maine, and Missouri met in Baltimore today to chart a course for creating a new national organization of direct care RNs.

Top elected representatives of the California Nurses Association, Massachusetts Nurses Association, Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals, Maine State Nurses Association, and United Health Care Workers of Greater St. Louis, participated in the Baltimore meeting.

Proposed principles of the new organization include:

*    Establishing a progressive national voice of nurses.
*    Protecting, preserving and promoting RN practice, such as requiring safe staffing and opposition to deskilling and intrusion on RN scope of practice.  
*    Autonomy and independence of the individual member organizations.
*    Support for universal health care, with establishment of a single-payer style national healthcare program.
*    Unionization of any RNs throughout the U.S. who desire representation.
*    Solidarity with international nurses organizations that share similar goals and values.

-----------------------------

Web Directory:


Sandy's Links                                                        <http://users.rcn.com/wbumpus/sandy/index.html>
Massachusetts Nurses Association                           <http://www.massnurses.org>
California Nurses Association                                  <http://www.califnurses.org>
Penn. Assoc. of Staff Nurses & Allied Professionals    <http://www.calnurse.org/cna/pasnap/index.html>
United Health Care Workers                                    <http://www.uhcw.org>
Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions                     <http://www.nursesunions.ca>
Revolution Magazine                                               <http://www.revolutionmag.com>
Massachusetts Labor Party                                      <http://www.masslaborparty.org>
LabourStart                                                           <http://www.labourstart.org>

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