On Saturday, June 4th, we have participants for the Wal-Mart Conference at UCLA coming from around the world. We have a lunch-time debate, moderated by L.A. Times reporter Nancy Cleeland, between 2 Wal-Mart defenders and two key critics. We have two organizers from Teotihuacan who tried to stop the Wal-Mart from going in next to the Great Step Pyramid in Mexico City, and a representative from the Chinese Working Women's Network who are organizing around Wal-Mart worker issues in China.

Maybe the most interesting participant is the UFCW President for the Province of Saskatchewan. He has two supercenters in his jurisdiction where their union has been certified as the bargaining representative and Wal-Mart is now deciding whether to close down two more stores (as they did two weeks ago in Quebec) rather than face binding arbitration for a first contract, and their are seven more stores where the union is about to be certified.

And there are reps from the AFL-CIO Wal-Mart Taskforce, several environmental activists from out of town, Senator Gloria Romero, Assemblymember Jerome Horton, and several dozen local experts participating in some fascinating workshops and panels.

The conference is free, as is lunch. Parking is $7. We are hoping to get you to register in advance so we will know how many box lunches to order. The link to the registration is http://www.labor.ucla.edu/walmart.

Please join us, and whatever you can do to get out the word, will be tremendously appreciated as well.

I AM HOPING THAT YOU WILL COME. AND IF YOU HAVE A GROUP LIST OR KNOW OF A GOOD LISTSERVE, THAT YOU MIGHT FORWARD IT OUT THERE AND HELP US GET THIS INFORMATION OUT FAR AND WIDE.