Labor

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FILE - In this Jan. 25, 2012, file photo President Barack Obama speaks about manufacturing and jobs during a visit to Intel Corporation's Ocotillo facility in Chandler, Ariz. The economy is weak and the job market brutal. Nearly 13 million Americans can't find work; the national unemployment rate is 8.1 percent, the highest level ever three years after a recession supposedly ended. A divided Washington has done little to ease the misery. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

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FILE - In this July 30, 2011 file photo, Rep. Allen West, R-Fla. talks on Capitol Hill in Washington. Conspiracy theorists came out in force Friday, Oct. 5, 2012, after the government reported a sudden drop in the U.S. unemployment rate one month before Election Day. West agreed with former GE CEO Jack Welch's skepticism of the Labor Department's announcement that the unemployment rate had fallen to 7.8 percent in September from 8.1 percent the month before. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

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**FILE** Sheila Bird (right) waits in line for employment interviews at a job fair at City Target in Los Angeles on Aug. 17, 2012. (Associated Press)

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** FILE ** In this Monday, Sept 17, 2012, file photo, Robert Orkin, of the company TxT-Alert, third from left, talks with job seekers during a job fair held by National Career Fairs, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Economists forecast that the unemployment rate edged up in September to 8.2 percent from 8.1 percent, according to a survey by FactSet. Employers are expected to have added 111,000 jobs. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)

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Dr. Mohammad N. Akhter on Thursday outlined the District’s plans for a virtual marketplace where the uninsured and small businesses can buy health insurance to comply with the Affordable Care Act. (Associated Press)

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**FILE** Sheila Bird (right) waits in line for employment interviews at a Aug. 17, 2012, job fair at City Target in Los Angeles. (Associated Press)

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**FILE** Demonstrators protest Feb. 13, 2012, outside of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals after a panel heard oral arguments in San Francisco in a lawsuit seeking to overturn Proposition 209, which barred racial, ethnic or gender preferences in public education, employment and contracting. (Associated Press)

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Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke offers a defense Monday of the Fed’s policies to stimulate the weak economy, while cautioning Congress to respect its private discussions. Mr. Bernanke says the Fed needs to drive down borrowing rates because the economy isn’t growing fast enough to reduce unemployment. The unemployment rate is 8.1 percent. (Associated Press)

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D.C. United defender Dejan Jakovic, left, battles for the ball with Philadelphia Union midfielder Eduardo Coudet, right, during the first half of their MLS soccer game at RFK Stadium in Washington, Sunday, Aug. 22, 2010. DC United defeated the Union 2-0. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)