Labor

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JAMES IMBROGNO VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS This mural by Judy Taylor was removed over the weekend from the Maine Labor Department's lobby and put into storage. An anonymous fax sent to the governor's office said it was propaganda in line with "communist North Korea where they use these murals to brainwash the masses."

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Associated Press Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad has signaled his intent to clash with state-employee unions on some issues, making the same point his Wisconsin counterpart has; namely, that some trimming of benefits will be necessary to prevent layoffs.

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Associated Press Maryland Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr., Prince George's Democrat, is among those supporting teacher pension-cost sharing by the state's 23 counties and Baltimore.

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Medical workers in protective gear gather around an ambulance which arrived at a hospital in Fukushima City, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, carrying two workers from the tsunami-damaged Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant after they stepped into contaminated water while laying electrical cables in one unit Thursday, March 24, 2011. (AP Photo/Yomiuri Shimbun, Jun Yasukawa) JAPAN OUT, MANDATORY CREDIT

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Vice President Biden whispers sweet nothings to President Obama during the health care ceremony at the White House a year ago. (Associated Press)

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Union workers have staged daily rallies this month at the Statehouse in Indianapolis to protest bills they say are unfair to Indiana's union workers. Public employees across the country are feeling the budget squeeze as legislators try to take the knife to their health care and pensions. (Associated Press)

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D.C. Council member Mary M. Cheh seeks subpoena power for testimony ahead of a hearing into the mayor's high salaries for public-service employees. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)

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In this photo taken on on Thursday , Feb. 3, 2011, an unidentified job seeker looks for an auto mechanic job opportunity at the Verdugo Job Center in Glendale, Calif. Fewer laid-off workers applied for unemployment benefits, marking third drop in four weeks. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

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Demonstrators wave signs and shout as unionized workers and supporters turned out Feb. 25 outside New Jersey's Statehouse in Trenton, N.J., to rally in support of Wisconsin public employees who at the time were locked in a battle over collective-bargaining rights. (Associated Press)

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Hotel employees squat down in horror at the hotel's entrance in Tokyo after a strong earthquake hit Japan Friday, March 11, 2011. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)

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Union supporter Stanley Minnick of Madison, Wis., protests outside of the the state Capitol in Madison, Wis., Thursday morning March 10, 2011, in opposition to the governor's proposed budget to eliminate collective bargaining rights for many state workers. (AP Photo/Andy Manis)

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Rep. Darrell Issa, California Republican, says President Obama's idea of a pay freeze is not a freeze because it allows for step increases for federal employees. (Associated Press)

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In this picture taken Tuesday March 8, 2011, a Chinese man enters a community clinic for medical treatment in downtown Beijing, China. Eight million more Chinese will be covered by the urban basic health insurance in 2011, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security said Wednesday. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

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A union supporter raises his fist in opposition to the governor's bill to eliminate collective bargaining rights for many state workers on the 18th day of protests at the state Capitol in Madison, Wis., Saturday, March 5, 2011. (AP Photo/Andy Manis)

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A soldier from the Tunisia army gestures, as men from Bangladesh, who used to work in Libya but recently fled the unrest, walk with their belongings alongside a road, as they head to a refugee camp after crossing the Tunisia-Libyan border, in Ras Ajdir, Tunisia, Friday, March 4, 2011. Bangladeshis were angry at their country's government for not doing more to get the refugees home Most of the Bangladeshis appear to have arrived in Tunisia penniless because their Libyan employers did not pay them or because they were robbed on the way.(AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

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Men from Bangladesh, who used to work in Libya but recently fled the unrest, wash themselves in a refugee camp after crossing the Tunisia-Libyan border, in Ras Ajdir, Tunisia, Friday, March 4, 2011. Many of the men were angry at their government's inaction in aiding their return to Bangladesh. Further adding to their difficulties, many appear to have arrived in Tunisia penniless because their Libyan employers did not pay them or because they were robbed on the way to the border. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

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In this March 1, 2011, photo, Mariam Bario, recently relocated to Seattle from Kenya, fills out an application with others at a job fair, in SeaTac, Wash. Employers in February hired at the fastest pace in almost a year and the unemployment rate fell to 8.9 percent -- a nearly two-year low. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

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Islamic students hold placards welcoming Mr. Vastanvi as they await his arrival Feb. 24 in Ahmadabad, India. The council that hired him in January is already considering his dismissal. (Associated Press)

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Businesses solicit prospective employees as students fill out job applications during the Springfield Collegiate Career Job Fair at the University of Illinois at Springfield, Ill., on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2011. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman)

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Rep. Lamar Smith, Texas Republican, said Tuesday that a Pew Hispanic Center report showed more than 7 million people are working in the country illegally and noted that the unemployment rates in minority communities are well above the national average. (Associated Press)