Coming Up

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)The next two weeks are bursting with local and national actions in the metro area. Mark your calendar now for the following events, and be sure to check the dclabor calendar regularly for updates.
DC Emancipation Day 150th Anniversary (April 11-16)
DC will celebrate the 150th anniversary of President Lincoln signing the Compensated Emancipation Act, releasing the 3,100 enslaved persons in the District, with many events across the District from Wednesday’s March Through the Monuments to the following Monday’s Parade on Pennsylvania Avenue. Organizers are seeking volunteers for the various events to act as marshals, Grand Marshals and to portray emancipated slaves; contact Estelle Lloyd at ELloyd@dccouncil.us.
National Action Network Annual Convention (April 11-13)
Highlights include the April 12 panel on Labor: American Jobs Act & Collective Bargaining at 10a, featuring  IAM President Thomas Buffenbarger; Lee Saunders, AFSCME  Secretary-Treasurer; Arlene Holt Baker, AFL-CIO Executive Vice President; Loretta Johnson, AFT Secretary-Treasurer; Annie Hill, CWA Secretary-Treasurer and Eliseo Medina, SEIU Secretary-Treasurer. A 30-minute plenary session with Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis will start at 11a. NOTE: NAN welcomes volunteers to assist panel speakers, work the registration table, greet and direct attendees to appropriate rooms, help in the resource center, and assist the National Action Network staff. If you can volunteer any time during the Convention, contact Rev. Toon at 646-981-5972 or toon@nationalactionnetwork.net.
School of the Americas Watch April Days of Action (April 14-17)
Activists will gather in Virginia for a training camp, then head to DC for a strategy session and rally and action on the US Capitol to demand the closing of the “School of the Americas” -- a military training academy for union-busting Latin American military and police located in Fort Benning, Georgia
DC Jobs with Justice 99% Spring Training (April 15)
As the 99% Spring kicks off a national week of training in non-violent direct action, DC JwJ and the Metro Council team up to offer a training in DC at the AFL-CIO
Go to Grover’s for Tax Day (April 17)
Activists for tax fairness target Grover Norquist,  creator of the infamous tax pledge shielding the wealthy and big corporations from paying their fair share.