Fresh air, free clinics, lots of smiles at union-sponsored outdoors clinic

More than 40 boys and girls sampled shooting sports, fishing and archery under the guidance of local union volunteers Sunday, Sept. 15, at Get Youth Outdoors Day in Clear Lake Township. Among the attendees were four siblings from Princeton: 9-year-old Jack Kohl, 12-year-old Laura, 13-year-old Timothy and 15-year-old James. It wasn’t long after they arrived […]

Union volunteers step ‘outside their element’ on ice palace job site

“It’s out of the ordinary for anyone in the trades to be using a chainsaw.”

Minnesotan named North America’s top tile apprentice

The trophy on display in Local 1’s New Hope training center may be small, but the accomplishment behind it – Brandon Peterson’s first-place finish in the Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers’ International Apprentice Contest – is as grand as they come. Peterson, a 33-year-old apprentice tile setter from Ham Lake, advanced from local and regional tiling competitions […]

Trades showcase apprenticeship programs at Construct Tomorrow career fair

Maria Meza watched intently as Robbie Luukkonen, a journeyman member of Bricklayers Local 1, installed ceramic tile onto a makeshift practice wall. When Luukkonen had finished the demonstration, Meza picked up the tools and tried tiling for herself. This is the way Meza, who graduated from St. Paul Johnson High School in the spring, learns […]

Unions raise safety concerns at Ridgedale mall construction site

MINNETONKA – Laborers, bricklayers, painters, electricians and other union craftspeople picketed together outside Ridgedale Center in Minnetonka this morning, targeting several contractors working inside the mall that are undermining area wage and safety standards, according to the unions. Ridgedale’s Chicago-based ownership group, General Growth Properties (GGP), is spending $100 million to upgrade the mall, which […]