<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: center;" class=""><b class=""> </b><o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: center;" class=""><b class="">Labor Rights in Colombia and Trade Agreements:</b><o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: center;" class=""><b class="">Steps to Demand Protection and Respect for Worker Rights </b><o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: center;" class=""><b class="">Monday, May 16th at 10AM</b><o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: center;" class=""><b class="">AFL-CIO</b><o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: center;" class=""><b class="">815 16<sup class="">th</sup> St. NW</b><o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""> <o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">On May 15, 2012, the US-Colombia Trade Agreement went into effect. While the agreement was supposed to help reduce violence and labor rights violations, it hasn’t produced results on the ground. Four years later, conditions faced by workers have actually gotten worse in many industries. Illegal forms of outsourcing and subcontracting have increased by 10%. Only one person has been convicted for murdering a trade unionist. No one has been convicted for violation of freedom of association, though criminal charges have been filed against employers in over a thousand cases. The Colombian government is moving forward in a long-awaited peace process with armed insurgents, but workers who organize to claim rights are still often met with violence. Join Colombian labor leaders and their allies for a discussion of conditions in Colombia and field questions on labor issues in trade agreements and discuss concrete steps they are taking right now to seek enforcement of labor law in Colombia.<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""> <o:p class=""></o:p></div><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt 0.5in; line-height: 15.399999618530273px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol;" class="">·</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: 9.799999237060547px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""> </span>Diogenes Orjuela, Secretary of International Relations, Central Unitaria de Trabajadores, CUT Colombia on Violations of Freedom of Association. <o:p class=""></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt 0.5in; line-height: 15.399999618530273px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol;" class="">·</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: 9.799999237060547px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""> </span>Lisa Haugaard, Executive Director, Latin America Working Group. Protecting and Respecting Labor Rights and Sustainable Peace in Colombia<o:p class=""></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt 0.5in; line-height: 15.399999618530273px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol;" class="">·</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: 9.799999237060547px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""> </span>Miguel Morantes, President Confederación de Trabajadores de Colombia, CTC Colombia. Violence and Threats against unions<o:p class=""></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt 0.5in; line-height: 15.399999618530273px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol;" class="">·</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: 9.799999237060547px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""> </span>Luciano Sanin, Rights Defenders Team, Escuela Nacional Sindical (ENS), Colombia. Labor informality and outsourcing<o:p class=""></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt 0.5in; line-height: 15.399999618530273px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol;" class="">·</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: 9.799999237060547px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""> </span>Celeste Drake, Trade and Globalization Policy Specialist, AFL-CIO. Lessons learned from the Colombia experience and the future of labor rights in trade agreements.<o:p class=""></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt 0.5in; line-height: 15.399999618530273px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol;" class="">·</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: 9.799999237060547px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""> </span>Cathy Feingold, Director, International Department, AFL-CIO. Moderator<o:p class=""></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt 0.5in; line-height: 15.399999618530273px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> <o:p class=""></o:p></p><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: center;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="">Followed by questions and answers from press and public</span><o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: center;" class="">Please RSVP to Karen Bien, <a href="mailto:kbein@aflcio.org" style="color: rgb(149, 79, 114);" class="">kbein@aflcio.org</a></div></body></html>