ARCHIVE OF PAST L&EC EVENTS
AT THE NLG NATIONAL CONVENTION

The NLG Law for the People Convention 2011 took place October 12-16 in Philadelphia, PA.

National Lawyers Guild members have actively worked for social justice in Philadelphia since the 1930s, when they opened neighborhood law offices to bring affordable legal services to low-income communities.  NLG lawyers responded to the wave of anti-communist hysteria of the 1950s by providing pro bono counsel to those arrested and charged with treasonous offenses in Philadelphia.  Today, the National Lawyers Guild continues to have a strong presence in Philadelphia through the Legal Observer program, criminal legal representation by Guild members, direct legal services clinics, and continuing legal education in the forms of workshops, panels, and trainings.  The Philadelphia Chapter remains involved in ongoing legal efforts around police misconduct, drug policy, prisoners' rights, and more.

CALL/ALAL/NLG panel on solidarity work
WEDNESDAY October 12 - 5:30 - 7 pm
Location: University of Pennsylvania Law School

Labor & Employment Committee Meeting
THURSDAY October 13 - 2 - 4 pm
Location: Independence A

International Labor Justice Working Group Meeting
THURSDAY October 13 - 4:15 - 5:30 pm
Location: Senate

Labor & Committee Reception
THURSDAY October 13 - 5:30 - 7 pm
Location: Constitution

Foreign Workers/Temporary Visas
FRIDAY October 14 - 8:30 - 9:45 am
Location: Liberty B

American Legislative Exchange Council Exposed
FRIDAY October 14 - 8:30 - 9:45 am
Location: Liberty B

From Madison to Michigan
FRIDAY October 14 - 10:00 - 11:15 am
Location: Senate

Workshop Description: Since April, as the Madison crowds dissipated, the legal and political challenges to Governor Scott Walker's assault on public workers have escalated.  Meanwhile, in late March, in Michigan, the Republican controlled government passed an unprecedented law called the "Emergency Management Act," bestowing upon so-called "emergency managers" nearly unlimited, unilateral and unchecked authority, from making and changing all local laws to selling off public assets and saddling local taxpayers with debt without their approval to laying off workers and repealing collective bargaining contracts.  Last month, in response, the Maurice & Jane Sugar Law Center for Economic & Social Justice filed suit on behalf of 28 Michigan citizens to block the unconstitutional law.

Legislation passed in Wisconsin and Michigan has been emblematic of a conservative wave of human-rights-crushing actions taken by state governments in 2011.  The backlash was unprecedented and the energy remains high.  As the initial protests die down, organizers are searching for a meaningful way to channel this energy.  This workshop will give leaders of political action the opportunity to discuss the steps they have taken and will take to protect human rights, fight for workers rights, and establish a truly representative democracy.

International Committee Reception
FRIDAY October 14 - 5:30 - 7 pm
Location: Independence

Plenary Session - Human rights throughout the Americas: progressive lawyers join forces
SATURDAY October 15 - 1 - 3 pm
Location:  Liberty Ballroom  

Philly Workers Rising Up
SATURDAY October 15 - 3:15 - 4:30 pm
Location:  Senate

Workers Rights are Human Rights: Fighting the Right Wing Attack on Public Sector Workers
SUNDAY October 16 - 10:30 am - 12 pm
Location:  Liberty C

Panel Description: Attacks on public sector workers and their unions are developing on many fronts from Wisconsin to Florida, while public sector jobs are being privatized everywhere.  While the battles are local, the issues are of fundamental importance to all:  the right of workers to have a voice in the workplace and outside it.

Attempts to strip collective bargaining from public employees are "ground zero" for democracy.  Permanently weakening unions leaves working people at the mercy of the rich.  The crisis is forcing labor and its allies to confront the limitless reach of corporate power, the inability of our politicial system to curb it, and the hollowing out of our economy as military expenditures soar.  Panelists will discuss what social movements are doing to seize this moment and ensure that going forward, workers' rights are human rights.