Labor

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There were some exceptions, particularly in the Senate, where the newly minted legislative team of Sens. Dean Heller (left) and Jack Reed hooked up. The Nevada Republican and Rhode Island Democrat made waves over the last two months by partnering to try to pass an extension of federal unemployment benefits, with Mr. Heller bucking many in his own party to work with Democrats.

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"This will be the year that conservatives begin pulling the nation back from the brink of Barack Obama's disaster with a movement that inspires, unites, and discovers new solutions to our current challenges," says Daniel Schneider, executive director of the American Conservative Union. (AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION)

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REUTERS TEST IMAGE FROM STATE OF THE UNION BROADCAST POOL SERVER ** NOT FOR TRANSMISSION** U.S. President Barack Obama delivers his State of the Union address in front of the U.S. Congress, on Capitol Hill in Washington, January 28, 2014. REUTERS/Larry Downing (UNITED STATES)

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William Hamilton, the president of the Pennsylvania Conference of Teamsters, speaks at a rally in a packed Pennsylvania Capitol Rotunda as labor unions widened their fight against legislation to prevent the state and local governments from deducting union dues and union political action committee contributions from the paychecks of unionized workers, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2014 in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)

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Rob McCord, the Pennsylvania state treasurer and prospective Democratic candidate for governor, speaks at a labor union rally in a packed Pennsylvania Capitol Rotunda as unions widened their fight against legislation to prevent the state and local governments from deducting union dues and union political action committee contributions from the paychecks of unionized workers, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2014 in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)

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Labor union demonstrators wait outside the Pennsylvania Capitol in the freezing cold after police shut off access to a building already packed with labor union members protesting legislation to prevent the state and local governments from deducting union dues and political action committee contributions from the paychecks of unionized workers, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2014 in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)

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Labor union members packed Pennsylvania's Capitol Rotunda for a rally as they widened their fight against legislation to prevent the state and local governments from deducting union dues and union political action committee contributions from the paychecks of unionized workers, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2014 in Harrisburg, Pa. Supporters of the bill also showed up to wave signs critical of labor unions. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)

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A visitor to the Detroit Institute of Arts walks past The Wedding Dance, a oil painting by Flemish artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder with an estimated value of $100-200 million Wednesday Jan. 22, 2014. Today Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder pledged $350 million in state funds over two decades to boost Detroit pension funds and protect the DIA art from any sale to satisfy creditors of the bankrupt city. (AP Photo/ Daniel Mears The Detroit News )

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In this Jan. 19, 2014 photo, Debbie Jurcak, left, talks during lunch with her 16-year-old son Dakota at the family apartment in Aurora, Ill. Jurcak, 43, was among many Americans who lost unemployment benefits in late December. On the verge of eviction, she and her husband sought the help of faith-based organizations to help them pay rent. (AP Photo/Martha Irvine)