Labor

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Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times D.C. firefighters and paramedics listen to Mayor Vincent C. Gray and Chief Kenneth B. Ellerbe announce the hiring paramedics and the purchase of 30 new ambulances by the end of the year.

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The construction site where a 106,000 square foot Wal-Mart is being built at 5968 Georgia Ave., NW, Washington, D.C., Thursday, July 18, 2013. Wal-Mart is stoping plans to build 3 new stores and reconsidering what to do with the 3 stores already under construction after the D.C. City Council passed a living wage bill on July 10th, requiring big box stores to pay their employees a minimum wage of $12.50 per hour. (Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times)

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Wal-Mart is building a 106,000-square-foot store on Georgia Avenue but is threatening to stop its plans to provide as many as six stores in the city after the D.C. Council passed a bill requiring a minimum wage of $12.50 per hour. The outcome will provide insight into whether mega-retailers can continue their drive into the nation's urban cores. (Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times)

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**FILE** Protesters sit July 24, 2013, across the street from the federal courthouse in Detroit after a judge stopped any lawsuits challenging the city's bankruptcy. Aug. 19, 2013, is the deadline for a host of banks, bond insurers, two employee pension systems and others standing to lose big if a federal judge declares Detroit insolvent to legally file their objections to the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history. (Associated Press)

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A supporter of ousted Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi clashes with security forces in Cairo's Nasr City district. (Associated Press)

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Jeff Caldwell, a Chrysler assembly line supervisor, is part of a growing workforce in Detroit. The auto industry is on a hiring spree, racing to find engineers, technicians and factory workers. (Associated Press)

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**FILE** President Obama, standing with families who benefited from the health care law provision that provides consumers with a refund if their insurance company doesn’t spend the majority of premium dollars on medical care, speaks about health care reform and the Affordable Care Act in the East Room at the White House in Washington on July 18, 2013. (Associated Press)

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President Barack Obama shares a humorous moment with a group of doctors from around the country in the Oval Office, Oct. 5, 2009, prior to a health insurance reform event at the White House. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)