dAily pRoceedings oF The AFT nATionAl convenTion chicAgo, illinois | july 11, 2008 Friday McElroy: `I will be a foot soldier' Retiring AFT president vows to continue to support labor movement AFT president Edward J. McElroy delivered his final address as AFT president during the opening convention session on Friday, July 11, marking his retirement and the end of his 16year tenure as an AFT national officer. He promised delegates, however, that he would continue to put his energy into the battles that await the AFT and the labor movement. In a speech interrupted frequently by applause, McElroy said that, in many ways, the Chicago convention unites the AFT's past, present and future. "We are returning to our birthplace of Chicago. We are celebrating our many successes and impressive strength. And we will elect the leaders who will help usher in the next period of growth and accomplishments for our union." The AFT president reflected both on the union's recent successes and on the challenges ahead. The AFT, he noted, has grown by more than 108,000 in the two years since the last convention. "Our growth and potential growth span every division of the AFT, and add to the AFT's presence clear across the countryfrom the Lower East Side to the Pacific Northwest." He also cited the effectiveness of the national union's political action program, particularly our eActivist program, through which members have sent more than 100,000 letters to legislators on crucial issues, and the Activists for Congressional Education program. "Every AFT memberevery single one of youcontributes to the success of our union. Continued on page 2 together "Every AFT member every single one of youcontributes to the success of our union," McElroy told delegates. ChicagoShorts FASHION ON THE AVENUE The Magnificent Mile, a portion of Michigan Avenue that runs from the chicago River on the south to oak street on the north, is home to many of the city's finest shops, restaurants and hotels as well as some of the world's tallest buildings. Besides those yearround attractions, now is a great time to enjoy some of the avenue's seasonal appeal. Both sides of the Magnificent Mile feature beautiful garden beds, sponsored by organizations and businesses in the area. playing off the nature theme, designers located along the avenue, together with students from the illinois institute of Art and the international Academy of design and Technology, have created fashions using recycled materials. The 30 designs are displayed on dressing forms mounted in the middle of the garden beds. A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN This summer marks the 100th birthday of the song "Take Me out to the Ballgame," popularized by chicago White sox announcer harry caray, but the city's baseball fans have bigger things on their minds. each of the two local major league teams, playing at its own home field, swept the other last monththe chicago cubs fumigating the sox at Wrigley Field and the sox mauling the cubbies a week later on the south side. As AFT members arrived here this week, the alltime series was tied 3333 and each team also led its division, setting up the possibility that the two historic franchises may meet again this fall for the World series. or, as sox manager ozzie guillen puts it: "it's kind of crazy baseball." Continued from page 1 And when you join forces with your fellow members, the impact truly is greater than one," McElroy said, referring to the theme of this convention. He credited this kind of member activism with "fending off the reauthorization of what would have been a completely unacceptable version of the No Child Left Behind Act." The AFT is not afraid of change and has spearheaded many reforms in education throughout our history, McElroy said. "We will work with the next president and the new Congress to create a new lawa law that respects the knowledge of classroom professionals and helps teachers and paraprofessionals provide our students with the highquality education they deserve." Pointing to the loss of membership and benefits that many private sector unions have been experiencing, McElroy told delegates that the AFT and our affiliates also must be "active participants and leaders in the larger labor movement." "Rather than getting pulled into the trend of diminishing benefits, we must do what we can to ensure that more public and private sector employees have collective bargaining so they can secure a voice on the job, decent wages and good benefits." While there is much to be proud of, much more remains to be done, McElroy said, "starting with replacing the current occupant Top photo, AFT members respond enthusiastically to Edward J. McElroy's final address as president. Above, the Dunbar High School marching band performs at Friday's opening session. of the White House with a president who will lead our country into a new era of progress and opportunity." It's important that the union help "elect a president who will partner with this new Congress to promote an agenda that works for our members, their families and the communities they live in," he said. Presumptive Democratic presidential Continued on page 4 2 Friday Special Olympian inspires delegates, urges involvement Figure skater featured in convention segment on community service If any delegates at Friday's opening session were thinking about volunteering with the Special Olympics program, it took about 30 seconds of listening to Illinois Special Olympian Angie Picchi to see what incredible rewards can come from working with people with disabilities. Picchi, who competes internationally as a figure skater, brought the delegates to their feet with an inspiring talk about what the Special Olympics program has done for her and other children and adults. Her remarks were part of a segment led by AFT executive vice AFT executive vice president Antonia president Antonia Cortese highlighting Cortese welcomes the union's long Special Olympian tradition of community Angie Picchi to the convention. service. The AFT's involvement as a prime supporter of Special Olympics is just one recent example of labor working together with the community to promote the common good. Many AFT members are active in the program as coaches and volunteers. "You guys are great," Picchi said, "not only for your support of Special Olympics but also for your patience and support in teaching children with disabilities. Your open minds and caring hearts have given us a chance to amaze the world with our ability to learn." She talked about her lifelong desire to be a figure skater, despite her mother's fear that a child with Down syndrome would not have the balance or muscle strength to do it. But once Picchi took her first class at age 12and met the coach who has worked with her for 15 yearsshe felt she "could do anything on ice, as long as I kept on trying." Picchi echoed Cortese's call for the delegates to volunteer with Special Olympics. "I promise you will have a great time if you join us," she said. The session opened with a video highlighting the efforts of the AFT and its membersnot only in Special Olympics, but in other recent projects such as helping the victims of Hurricane Katrina, working to raise money to fight cancer, and Thursday's community event/health fair at Chicago's Bass Elementary School. Cortese closed by urging delegates to visit the Greater Together Action Center and talk with volunteers from Special Olympics in Illinois who will be on hand to answer questions about how to get involved. "You and your members will feel pride in your union, and your community members will feel pride in having teachers and unions who care deeply about their sons and daughters," Cortese said. "By coming together, we really are greater than one." A VOICE AT WORk Thousands of employees nationwide still have no voice on the job as they struggle to form unions in their workplaces. Attendees at each divisional meeting on Friday, July 11, heard details of the ongoing effort to give employees the basic right to form a union and about the importance of congressional passage of the Employee Free Choice Act. The act would strengthen the ability of private sector employees to form unions freely, and would stiffen penalties against employers who break the law during union drives. In addition to hearing from Fred Azcarate, director of the AFLCIO's Voice at Work program, most divisions also heard from employees of Resurrection Health Care, a chain of eight hospitals that has repeatedly suppressed the rights of employees who are seeking to form a union. They included Resurrection employees Miguel Bustamante, a storeroom clerk, and Margaret Nielsen, a registered nurse, who described firsthand workers' efforts to secure a voice through union representation. A rally in support of the employees will be held Saturday afternoon across from Saint Joseph Hospital, a facility in the Resurrection system. Buses will leave Navy Pier beginning at 4:30 p.m. for the 5 o'clock rally. Friday 3 Continued from page 2 nominee Barack Obama, whose endorsement has been recommended by the AFT executive council, is that candidate, McElroy said. "Barack Obama shares our commitment to making sure children have what they needin and out of school. ... [He] shares our belief that access to highquality healthcare is a right for all, not a privilege for the few. Barack Obama believes, as we do, that we can and must defend our country at the same time we protect civil and human rights." The AFT is "a political powerhouse" that can help Obama win, he said. "But our power comes from you, your colleagues, your friends and your family members. You don't want to wake up on Nov. 5 and think Ed Geppert, president of the Illinois Federation of Teachers, left, and Chicago Teachers Union president Marilyn Stewart welcomed delegates to the Windy City. What if 3,000 voices were raised as one to demand ... a new direction for the no child left Behind Act passage of the employee Free choice Act the end of worldwide attacks on trade unionists passage of the Fair pay Act passage of the public safety employeremployee cooperation Act passage of the 21st century green highperforming public schools Facilities Act a u.s. postage stamp to honor the yellow school bus Come to the Greater Together Action Center in the exhibit hall and see how powerful you really are! At the same time ... volunteer for AFT's election 2008 drive join the Faculty and college excellence campaign sign the Worthy Wage quilt for early childhood educators and child care workers volunteer for the special olympics donate to chicago's Fresh start schools jump into an AFT organizing campaign greater WE CAN MAKE CHANGE Swell the chorus and grab your free AFT Tshirt. We can make a difference! you didn't do everything you could to help elect Sen. Obamaespecially since we've had victory snatched away from us before." McElroy closed by saying that, while he was not planning to say goodbye to the AFT or the labor movement, he does want to say goodbye "to the governors, legislators, employers and labor commissioners who throw obstacles in the way of union organizing" and "to policies and politicians who make it possible for CEOs to reap enormous profits for themselves, but who leave their workers' pensions unprotected." "We have much unfinished business to attend to, and we must attend to it together. You will have new leadership, but they will be my leaders, too, since I will be a foot soldier with you in the work before us." Earlier, delegates were greeted by presiding convention chair Marilyn Stewart, president of the Chicago Teachers Union and an AFT vice president, who noted that AFT members need support from employers, elected officials, their communities and one another to accomplish their work and serve others. Ed Geppert, president of the Illinois Federation of Teachers and convention cochair, also greeted delegates, noting that with the November elections on the horizon, this is "an exciting and crucial time for the union" as it is poised to make positive changes for our members. 4 Friday Energize and organize On Saturday afternoon, July 12, convention delegates will celebrate the union's organizing successes with a presentation from AFT secretarytreasurer Nat LaCour, chair of the union's organizing committee, that includes a video showcasing affiliate activities around the country. Since the last AFT convention, the union has implemented an unprecedented organizing initiative that has resulted in a string of victories and the addition of more than 108,000 members. Also, check out the AFT's organizing "wall of fame" in the convention hall, which features colorful pennants of all the new units and charters, as well as state federations that have grown by 5 percent or 500 members since the 2006 AFT convention. Organizing is not an armchair endeavor, however. At the end of the session, delegates are invited to put their activist skills into motion by joining a 5 p.m. rally in support of workers at Resurrection Health Care and passage of the Employee Free Choice Act; buses to the rally, which will be held at a park across from Saint Joseph Hospital, will leave Navy Pier beginning at 4:30 p.m. AFT's Wall of Fame recognizes affiliates' organizing successes. Building on a legacy of activism Retiree activism has always played an important role in the AFT's political and legislative programs, and it will be even more important in this year's presidential election, said AFT secretarytreasurer Nat LaCour during the opening session of the AFT's preconvention Retiree Leadership Conference on Thursday, July 10. Thanks to the exploding growth of the retiree ranks, the AFT will be able to call on more than 239,000 retired members to help coordinate volunteers, staff phone banks, stuff envelopes and canvass neighborhoods for the 2008 elections. "If we can encourage members to get involved, we can build on the legacy [of activism] that you have started," said LaCour, who was part of a panel on retirees and the union, the community, and the election. The other panelists were Harris Wofford, retired U.S. senator from Pennsylvania, and William Benson, a policy expert on health and aging. "The union is being confronted with many challenges, and we must redouble our efforts and energies to focus on turning members into activists," said LaCour. "Most of the baby boom generation will hit 65 on the next president's watch. So that makes who gets elected in 2008 very important," explained Benson. "It is a window of opportunity to address the needs of the aging." Retirees also honored Leon Shore of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers with the 2008 Retiree of the Year award. Shore was selected for his outstanding leadership and advocacy. After his retirement in 1993, he served as president of the PFT's retiree chapter for four years and was named vice president of the Pennsylvania Alliance for Retired Americans in 2007. The twoday conference also featured workshops on financial planning, health and wellness, and organizing around legislative and political issues. AFT secretarytreasurer Nat LaCour, left, presents the 2008 Retiree of the Year award to Leon Shore of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers. Friday 5 Divisional meetings AFT TEACHERS A thoughtprovoking discussion of how "curricular chaos" is robbing children of educational opportunity took center stage at the AFT Teachers division meeting on Friday, july 11, at the sheraton chicago. Michigan state university distinguished professor William schmidt told the gathering that the typical u.s. classroom, unlike classes in most other nations, operates based on a curriculum that lacks the rigor, focus and coherence necessary to give all students a chance to learn at high levels. Most of schmidt's comments focused on the need for a curriculum that gains coherence through a logical progression of ideas, generated not by laypeople but by the academic discipline itself. coherence provides transparency in the curriculum, "a sequence of [ideas] that fit together" as students move from grade to grade, he explained. That standard is a far cry from what is happening around the states, where curriculum reflects nothing more than "arbitrary choices left to the discretion of people" who are not experts in their discipline. compounding the problem, he said, is the bloated menu of academic courses (many of which are centered on basic skills) that many schools offer, particularly in the upper grades. it's a system driven by the idea that schools "should teach everything everywhere because somehow someone somewhere will learn something," schmidt said. "When we don't have any sense of commonness in our educational experiences and opportunity, it's a crapshoot" whether any individual student will truly realize his or her potential. AFT executive vice president Antonia cortese noted that curriculum quality is one of many key missing pieces in the debate over education today. "curriculum is central to the education of children," and the AFT will be pressing this issue in policy circles, she pledged. The divisional meeting also previewed a resolution that will come before delegates. The resolution, which urges affiliates to develop peer assistance and review (pAR) programs for new teachers, recognizes that many current systems for the induction and support of new teachers in schools are flawed, haphazard or nonexistent. The resolution also reflects survey data, which shows that AFT members are enthusiastic about uniondeveloped pAR systems for evaluating and mentoring new teachers. divisional meeting participants also received a legislative update on nclB. The current law is all about punishing and testing, not teaching and learning, and AFT members have worked hard and successfully to convey that message to congress and to help check destructive proposals for the reauthorization of the law, AFT legislative director Tor cowan told the audience. political action will be important in the future, cowan added. Recently, one of the keys in preventing even more flawed nclB legislation from moving through capitol hill has been strong proeducation stands taken by more than 30 new members of congress, many of whom secured victory with the help of AFT political activists, cowan noted. thing we can do to make ourselves noticed, to make a decent living. in unity there is strength." Another top priority is reauthorization of the no child left Behind Act, which johnson called a failure for its obsession with testing. on the topic of privatization, threats to public education include subcontracting and charter schools. A number of delegates observed that economic pressures will push more school systems toward privatizing, which usually comes with initial promises that aren't kept later. Two locals, detroit and st. louis, reported success fighting food service privatization. johnson also noted that despite charters' drain of funds from traditional public schools, AFT members should not treat charter school employees as a threat but must act quickly to organize them. The meeting began with a celebration of the addition over the past two years of more than 34,000 new pRsp members, about 20,000 of them from the affiliation of the oregon school employees Association earlier this year. johnson also reviewed other division initiatives, including the creation of brochures on hotbutton issues such as student discipline and workplace stress, and the division's spearheading of the AFT's "Building Minds, Minding Buildings" campaign. AFT PSRP When it takes at least $60 to fill up the gas tank and school cafeterias are having trouble paying for food, the skyrocketing cost of living has put the u.s. presidential election uppermost in the minds of psRp delegates, many of whom stepped up and exhorted their fellow delegates to get out the vote this fall. shelvy y. Abrams, chair of the paraprofessional chapter for the united Federation of Teachers and an AFT vice president, cheered on democratic candidate Barack obama and said the union must work to help him understand who we are and what we stand for. Robert chacanaca, president of the santa cruz (calif.) council of classified employees, advised delegates to run for school boards, as well as mobilize members to vote in the general election. "if you only have faith that obama is going to win, then you're going to get john Mccain" and the continued tyranny of giant corporations, he warned. "get out the vote." "We've got to put a president in there who cares about people," agreed psRp chair and AFT vice president lorretta johnson. "This corporate greed has destroyed our country." Also high on delegates' lists is passage of the employee Free choice Act (eFcA), which would guarantee workers the right to unionize. Former AFT vice president Maria portalatin pointed out that the members we organize today will lead the unions of tomorrow. "The struggle continues," she said. "We've been through so many things together, but the thing that keeps us together is the unity we have. it's the best AFT HEALTHCARE AFT's healthcare division has made involving members and active participation in shaping healthcare policy and legislation its main priorities in the next two years. "Many of our locals have been around a long time," said candice owley, AFT vice president and chair of the AFT healthcare program and policy council, pointing to the need for locals to recapture the feeling members had when they first organized. newly organized locals have an unmistakable energy, but that changes over time, noted owley. AFT healthcare will work with its locals to reach out to members, especially its newer, younger members, to encourage greater activism in the union. A little encouragement was all christine judd needed. A financial counselor at the university of connecticut health center in Farmington and member of university health professionals, judd got involved in her union because someone simply asked her, she told the group. she started out making signs for 6 Friday an informational picket. Today she is a vice president of her local. if you want younger, newer members to get active, ask them to do things in increments, advised judd. "you have to take baby steps. otherwise members get overwhelmed." This year, all healthcare members will be asked to participate in policy and legislative matters. healthcare reform, for example, is a critical issue for the next president and the new congress, and AFT healthcare members must be part of shaping that reform. And later this year, Medicare will stop paying for socalled avoidable conditions, such as bedsores and patient falls. There also will be a huge shift in how government and hospitals pay for care, said owley, warning that nurses could end up spending more time documenting care instead of providing it. The division also will continue to push for federal legislation that focuses on workplace issues such as short staffing and mandatory overtime. Finally, helping the union grow through organizing will continue to be a priority for the division. "it is an enormous challenge to organize private hospitals, and the AFT is committed to organizing healthcare workers," said owley. evidence of this difficulty was offered by union activist Margaret nielsen, an emergency room nurse at our lady of the Resurrection Medical center in chicago, who described efforts to organize nurses in the Resurrection health care system. "i thought our problems were unique to Resurrection, but these problems are everywhere," she said. AFT HIGHER EdUCATION At their divisional meeting on Friday morning, july 11, higher education activists heard about important policy directions the AFT higher education program and policy council (ppc) has set through its strategic planning process. These directions are reflected in resolutions that will come to the floor, explained AFT vice president sandra schroeder, who is ppc chair and president of AFT Washington. Among the key topics is the AFT's Faculty and college excellence campaign (FAce). "The huge systemic abuse of labor" in higher education has profound implications for faculty, students and our institutions, said AFT vice president Barbara Bowen, president of the professional staff congress of the city university of new york. she described how the FAce campaign addresses the exploitation of contingent labor and the erosion of fulltime, tenured faculty ranks. FAce provides model legislation that AFT affiliates already have introduced in 11 states. Meanwhile, academic freedom is "the building block on which our entire system of higher education works," noted Art hochner, president of the Temple Association of university professionals. last year, the higher ed ppc released a statement that reformulates definitions of academic freedom for the 21st century, said hochner. A resolution on academic freedom lays out the standards of that statement and asks the entire union to throw its weight behind it. The division also discussed the challenges of achieving faculty diversity: delegates will consider a resolution to affirm the union's support of affirmative action, to join with other organizations to fight ballot initiatives that would outlaw affirmative action, and to direct resources to achieve diversity at all institutions where the AFT has faculty and staff locals. college access also is a key issue for the division. decreasing state support of higher education, hikes in tuition and fees, and highly publicized debt for recent college graduates have made a lie of the notion that anyone in the united states who is qualified has access to a higher education degree, said carl Friedlander, president of the los Angeles college Faculty guild. last year, the AFT enlisted the AFlcio executive council "to help reopen the doors of higher education" and especially to recognize that access to college is a necessity for all working families. Finally, one of the fastest growing groups in higher education is professional staff, but with their widely varying job titles, they can be hard to define, said juliette Romano, president of the united college employees of the Fashion institute of Technology. she described a resolution endorsing a new report of the AFT that outlines standards of good practice in the employment of professional staff in higher education. The Temple Association of university professionals received the professional issues Award for standing up for academic freedom at the university and before the pennsylvania legislature when it was considering socalled Academic Bill of Rights legislation. AFT PUBLIC EMPLOYEES how to pull the plug on the privatization of public services was a featured topic at the AFT public employees divisional meeting on Friday, july 11. The main focus of the discussion was the go public campaign of the new york state public employees Federation (peF), launched in 2005. The campaign paid dividends: The state legislature has enacted several bills requiring accountability in government contracting and in june 2008, new york gov. david paterson signed an executive order requiring a costbenefit analysis before contracting out state services to private consultants. Tom centrino, director of research and civil service enforcement at peF, noted that the gold standard in antiprivatization laws is contract disclosure. "if i were in a state that had a problem with contracting out, i would say the first law to get passed is the contract disclosure law," said centrino. "it is difficult for the business community to say that taxpayers don't have a right to know." new york's law requires annual disclosure of the number of consultants, their employment category, their hours worked and their pay, among other things. "We are finding that they are paying contractors two to three times more even when state employee benefits are included," said centrino, noting that the state is reevaluating its use of consultants. Whether the issue is privatization, workers' rights on the job, or wages and benefits, program and policy council chair Bruce ludwig said, "political action has to be at the top of our priority list." While political actionelecting candidates to office who support the work and rights of our membersis a necessity, the reality is that more members need to make the connection between election results and legislative outcomes. This was made clear by a report from guy Molyneux, partner and senior vice president of peter d. hart Research Associates, who discussed a survey of AFT public employees members nationwide. The survey showed that many divisional members would contact their elected officials about important union issues but were less interested in campaigning for unionendorsed candidates. These and other findings suggest the union must find ways to energize public employee members to greater political involvement, participants were told. peter Waldorff, general secretary of public services international, told participants that public employees in other countries are facing the same issues as government employees in the united states. one area in which Waldorff wants more involvement from the international union movement is climate change. pointing to the recent meeting of the group of eight (g8) in japan where world leaders targeted a carbon dioxide reduction for 2050, Waldorff said that public sector unions globally have a responsibility at all levels of government to pressure their elected officials and "insist that [government] workplaces become greener." Friday 7 Locals honored for outstanding growth pride of the union program marks 20th year The AFT's Pride of the Union awards program celebrated 20 years of success on Thursday afternoon with a special reception honoring AFT affiliates that have achieved significant growth over the past two years. More than 530 locals qualified for the award, which was first launched at the 1988 AFT convention to recognize affiliates' unionbuilding efforts. AFT affiliates qualify for the Pride of the Union award in one of three ways: membership at a level of 90 percent or more of those eligible to join; increased net membership of at least 25 percent either in the 200607 or the 200708 membership year (between July 1 and June 30); or a net increase of 100 members in either the 200607 or 200708 membership year. "It's important to recognize the local leaders who do more than just bring in a few new members," AFT president Edward J. McElroy told the honorees. Their task is to "organize the organized," he added, because it's increasingly evident that just because someone is a member of a union, he or she is not necessarily prepared to take action and support the union's work. "It's the activism to get things done," he saidin contract negotiations, politics and other effortsthat is so essential to a vital, successful union. Perry's Picks chicAgo is youR kind oF ToWn for just about every interest, from sports to museums to good food. visit the chicago Teachers union hospitality tables in the exhibit hall for information on things to do, places to visit and the best eateries in the city. Also, delegate Perry Buckley, president of the cook county (ill.) college Teachers union, offers his favorites (we'll include more over the next few days). Best tourist sites: The Art institute of chicago, Michigan and Adams. it's a worldclass art museum. The chicago Museum campus, an area along south lake shore drive that has three great museums at the same location: the Field Museum of natural history, the Adler planetarium and the shedd Aquarium. The Architectural cruise, which navigates both lake Michigan and the chicago River and features excellent docents. The boat tour leaves every 90 minutes from north pier (walkable from navy pier); the actual address is 465 north Mcclurg court. The last cruise departs at 4 p.m. Although "i'm a sox fan," says perry, he admits that the chicago cubs are in town through sunday for day games with the san Francisco giants at Wrigley Field. The only way to go, he says, is the Red line, part of the chicago elevated (known as the "el") system. catch it either at state and lake or state and grand. it lets you off right next to the ball park. Museum of science and industry. it's further afield but worth the cab ride. highlights are the u505 german submarine, a working coal mine, trains, planes and "much esoterica." A new exhibit is a "green" house built on the grounds. Labor history exhibit Be sure to check out the Illinois Labor History Society's exhibition. "The History of Labor in Chicago" features historical photos and documents mounted in a series of display units, each of which is devoted to a general theme. Highlights include a section on the teachers of Chicago and their struggle from the 1880s. The exhibit (at Terrace A East, Level Two) will be on display throughout the convention. Illinois Labor History Society's Linn Orear shows the exhibit to visiting international guest Dhaya Govender, general secretary of the Educational Labour Relations Council of South Africa. The daily summary is prepared by the AFT communications department: kris kemmerer, director; Trish Gorman, consulting editor; Laura Baker and Jane Feller, copy editors; Adrienne Coles, Roger Glass, daniel Gursky, Annette Licitra, Barbara Mckenna, Mike Rose and kathy Walsh, staff writers; dave Berver and Barbara Tobias, AFT online staff; Charles Glendinning, art director; Pam Wolfe, graphic designer, Sharon Francour and Sharon Wright, production coordinators; Shawnitra Hawkins, production assistant. photography by Lee Balgemann, Michael Campbell and Russ Curtis. illustrations by William Coulter. 8 Friday phoTo oF peRRy Buckley By BoB BlAckWood jAzz And Blues spoTs There are good ones throughout the city, but here are a few favorites that are all a short cab ride, or even walkable, from the convention hotels: Buddy guy's legends, 754 s. Wabash (the street behind the hilton). it features a free acoustic set on Fridays and saturdays from 5:30 p.m. 8 p.m. The regular show starts at around 8 o'clock or 8:30. Andy's jazz club, 11 east hubbard. it's an easy walk from the hotels. performances are at 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. every night. Food is available, but next door is shaw's crab house, and two blocks east is Brasserie jo, a good French restaurant. joe segal's jazz showcase, a chicago classic in a new location: 47 West polk. playing this week is the corey Wilkes Quintet. There are several good restaurants down dearborn street in "printers Row." underground Wonder Bar, 10 east Walton. This is a smaller, magical place! Music every night and open until 4 a.m. (5 a.m. on saturday).
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