Thursday, April 23, 2009 – Sunday, April 26, 2009

Crowne Plaza Chateau Lacombe, 10111 Bellamy Hill, Edmonton

The Alberta Federation of Labour will be holding its 46th Constitutional Convention in Edmonton this week. An expected 350 delegates will gather to discuss how labour should respond to the current economic crisis and to set the AFL’s agenda for the next two years.

Highlights of the Convention will include:

Thursday, April 23rd:

• 1:30 p.m. – Guest Speaker: David Foster, Executive Director, Blue Green Alliance, “Creating a Green Jobs Strategy that Works for Workers: Lessons from the U.S.” 3:30 p.m. – Panel: “Understanding the Global Economic Crisis and its implications for Alberta,” with Jim Stanford, CAW and Diana Gibson, Parkland Institute

• 7:30 p.m. – Book Launch: Jim Stanford, CAW, “Why the Current Economic Crisis Forces us to Rethink Economics”

Friday, April 24th:

• 9:45 a.m. – Guest Speaker: Dave Engledow, Field Director, AFL-CIO Working America Program. “New Strategies for Organizing the Unorganized and Mobilizing them to make Political Change” 12:00 noon – March and Rally: Health Care – Forward, Not Back

• 4:00 p.m. – Guest Speaker: Jerry Kachur, “Ten Alberta Bigshots: Exposing the Face of Corporate Alberta

Saturday, April 25th:

• 10:00 a.m. – Guest Speaker: Michelle Bissett, Australian Council of Trade Unions, “Using union power to influence policy agenda and win elections”
• 12:00 noon – Media Conference: Release of Second Temporary Foreign Worker Advocate Report

Sunday, April 26th:

• 11:15 a.m. – Election of President and Secretary Treasurer

Media are welcome to attend all portions of the agenda.

The AFL is Alberta’s largest labour organization, representing 29 unions from both the public and private sector with a combined membership of about 140,000. It was formed in 1912.

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For more information call:

Gil McGowan, AFL President (780) 483-3021 (office) (780) 218-9888 (cell)