AMSTERDAM, Netherlands — Shareholders of European stock exchange operator Euronext rejected a proposal today to declare a merger with Deutsche Boerse in the company's best interest, rather than a rival bid by the New York Stock Exchange.

Earlier, the company said that between competing bids on the table from Deutsche Boerse and the NYSE Group Inc., it preferred the one from the New York Stock Exchange.

Full details of the bids are not known, but the NYSE said its cash-and-stock offer was worth around 8 billion euros ($10.2 billion), while Deutsche Boerse estimates its bid is worth 8.6 billion euros ($11 billion) at current share prices.

Euronext CEO Jean-Francois Theodore said he and the board had not made a final decision to endorse either bid, but advised shareholders to vote against declaring a preference for Deutsche Boerse.

"Your board is only telling you, asking you, advising you, not to deprive yourself of your freedom of choice," he said.

The vote was 44 million shares against the proposal and 33.5 million in favor.

In a statement ahead of today's Euronext shareholder meeting in Amsterdam, the European exchange's chief financial officer, Serge Harry, said that new details of the Deutsche Boerse bid released today had not changed his company's mind.

WASHINGTON — The Laborers' Union, which represents 700,000 workers in the construction industry, has decided to leave the AFL-CIO, officials said.The Laborers were already part of the Change to Win coalition, breakaway unions that have left the giant federation of more than 50 unions in an effort to forge a new direction for organized labor. But the Laborers had remained in the federation."We are leaving so that we can place our full efforts and focus on growth in order to help millions of construction workers improve their lives," said Richard Greer, a spokesman for the Laborers.AFL-CIO officials had no immediate comment on the latest defection from their ranks.

CINCINNATI — Cedar Fair will have a more national presence in the regional theme-park business with its announcement Monday that it will buy Paramount Parks Inc. from CBS Corp. for $1.24 billion in cash.Industry experts say that the acquisition should make Cedar Fair the third-largest theme-park operator in North America in terms of attendance, behind first-place Walt Disney Co. and second-place Six Flags Inc. It will also mean that all of Ohio's major theme parks will be owned by one company.The acquisition provides an enormous opportunity for the Ohio-based amusement park operator and some challenges, and should benefit park visitors, industry experts say.The five parks being sold to Cedar Fair are: Canada's Wonderland, near Toronto; Kings Island, near Cincinnati; Kings Dominion near Richmond, Va.; Carowinds, near Charlotte, N.C.; and Great America in Santa Clara, Calif.Cedar Fair and Paramount Parks generated nearly $1 billion and about 25 million guests in 2005, Kinzel said.Cedar Fair is a publicly traded partnership that operates seven amusement parks and five water parks, including Cedar Point, on Lake Erie between Cleveland and Toledo; Knott's Berry Farm near Los Angeles; Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom near Allentown, Pa.; Valleyfair near Minneapolis/St. Paul in Minnesota; Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, Mo.; Geauga Lake & Wildwater Kingdom near Cleveland; and Michigan's Adventure near Muskegon, Mich.