Benefit concert Nov. 1 will showcase arts community’s support for strike-ready opera musicians
Orchestra musicians are tapping into solidarity from the arts community in another tough round of contract negotiations with the Minnesota Opera. Members of Twin Cities Musicians Union–AFM Local 30-73, who voted unanimously this month to authorize a strike against the opera company, will hold a … [Continue Reading ...]
Mobile billboard shines light on price of Trump’s deportation agenda
The cost of unleaded isn’t the only painfully high price confronting drivers in St. Paul – at least not today. That’s because the Minnesota AFL-CIO’s mobile billboard is crisscrossing the capital city, highlighting the local cost of President Trump’s mass deportation agenda. The public-awareness … [Continue Reading ...]
Union members say Ellison has stuck up for workers as Attorney General
Locked in a tight re-election campaign, Attorney General Keith Ellison deserves working Minnesotans’ vote because he puts the power of his office to work for them, union members and labor leaders say. And they have the receipts to prove it. Hospitality workers at Target Field, members of UNITE … [Continue Reading ...]
Elevator Constructors retiree recognized for a lifetime of leadership at national convention
Terri Stave almost skipped this year’s Tradeswomen Build Nations convention. Instead, she came home with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the nation’s largest annual gathering of union tradeswomen in Houston last month. The award, presented Oct. 11 in front of about 5,000 conventiongoers, came as … [Continue Reading ...]
Feature Story
Union members say Ellison has stuck up for workers as Attorney General
Locked in a tight re-election campaign, Attorney General Keith Ellison deserves working Minnesotans’ vote because he puts the power of his office to work for them, union members and labor leaders say. And they have the receipts to prove it. Hospitality workers at Target … [Continue Reading ...]
Organizing News
Labor in the Community
Elevator Constructors retiree recognized for a lifetime of leadership at national convention
Terri Stave almost skipped this year’s Tradeswomen Build Nations convention. Instead, she came home with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the nation’s largest annual gathering of union tradeswomen in Houston last month. The award, presented Oct. 11 in front of about 5,000 conventiongoers, came as … [Continue Reading ...]
TSA officers’ commemoration comes with warning against privatization
As Transportation Security Adminis-tration agents at Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport commemorated the 25th anniversary of 9/11 last month, union leaders made a point of warning against new attempts by the Trump administration to privatize U.S. airport security. American Federation of Government … [Continue Reading ...]
Heat’s On volunteers ready local homeowners in need for winter
Members of St. Paul Steamfitters Pipefitters Local 455 teamed up with Minneapolis-based Local 539 and local union contractors Sept. 19 to provide no-cost heating repairs for low-income, elderly and disabled homeowners across the Twin Cities. The annual day of service, known as Heat’s On, sent … [Continue Reading ...]
Best of the Midwest: Local roofers sweep regional apprenticeship competition
Roofers Local 96 hosted the “Best of the Midwest” regional apprenticeship competition at its training center in Ham Lake this year, and the local union’s apprentices made good use of the home-site advantage. Local 96 members placed first in all three divisions of the Aug. 22 competition, and … [Continue Reading ...]
Labor Voices
Labor-endorsed ballot question would deliver funding for schools without raising taxes
Minnesota voters have an opportunity in the Nov. 3 election to send more funding to the state’s public schools – without raising taxes – by voting “yes” on a proposed amendment to the state’s constitution. With high-profile races for governor and U.S. Senate dominating the media cycles and control … [Continue Reading ...]
Kera Peterson: On this Labor Day, let’s commit to stopping the billionaire takeover
You might think of Labor Day as the unofficial end of summer or the last day before school starts. Maybe it’s just a welcome three-day weekend. But in the labor movement, Labor Day is a celebration of the power that we, as workers, have when we join together in unions – the power of solidarity. When … [Continue Reading ...]
Kate Perushek: Labor Department aims to increase awareness of rights, responsibilities
As we celebrate Labor Day, I am honored to begin a new role as commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI). For seven years, I have served at DLI, and this new role is a continuation of the same commitment that has guided me throughout my career: protecting worker rights, … [Continue Reading ...]
Gap between CEO, worker pay continues to widen, report shows
The nation’s top executives gave themselves far bigger raises than the average worker saw last year. The AFL-CIO Executive Paywatch report, released earlier this month, found that the pay gap between CEOs and the rest of us widened in 2025, with companies on the S&P 500 paying their chief … [Continue Reading ...]