WASHINGTON, DC - On August 29, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) will hold a press conference in St. Louis to launch its Take Back Labor Day" caravan that will tour the Midwest to bring the message that America needs a new vision for the 21st Century that honors hard work, respects the freedom of workers to unite on the job and rebuilds the American Middle Class.

Additionally, the SEIU Missouri State Council, UNITE HERE, UFCW and Teamsters will unveil a statewide effort asking 10,000 union households to call congressional members and urge them to support the Employee Free Choice Act, which would help restore the American Dream by making it easier for workers to unite in the workplace without employer interference or intimidation.

WHAT: SEIU's "Take Back Labor Day" Caravan Launch Event

WHO:
Local union members from St. Louis and other major U.S. cities;
SEIU's Missouri State Council representatives;
Anna Burger, SEIU Int'l Press Secretary-Treasurer and Chair of Change to Win; and
Union leaders from UNITE HERE, UFCW and Teamsters

WHEN: Friday, August 29; promptly at *12:30 PM (statewide Mobile Action
Center [MAC] activities begin August 26; full tour runs through August 31st)
1:00 PM- MAC and Bus leave for Iowa City

WHERE: 5585 Pershing Ave., St. Louis, MO, 63112

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Traveling with the Mobile Action Center (MAC), the SEIU RV, and a bus, SEIU members and leaders will stop in Iowa City/Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Madison, Wisc.; arriving in St. Paul, Minn. on August 31, the day before the Republican National Convention is set to begin.

During the tour, workers will declare their commitment to issues including:
- Affordable, quality healthcare for everyone;
- Wages that can support families;
- Freedom to join unions without intimidation; and
- Retirement security.

A Labor Day concert and festival with lead acts including Steve Earle, Tom Morello and Mos Def (for more information, visit www.takebacklaborday.com) will mark the end of the three-state tour as a celebration of workers and the trade union movement.

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