The voice of Saint Paul's working families since 1897
The nationwide wave of Walmart strikes hit Minnesota this morning, when three women who work at the Brooklyn Center store informed management they were going on an unfair-labor-practices strike. U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison and Rev. Doug Mork of nearby Cross of Glory Lutheran Church accompanied the workers into the store, and dozens of supporters from […]
The National Labor Relations Board announced Nov. 18 its intent to prosecute the nation’s largest retailer, Walmart, for violating labor law in dealings with employees in 14 states, including Minnesota. The charges come after an investigation of employees’ charges that Walmart threatened, disciplined or even fired them for participating in legally protected protests and organizing […]
Retail workers and activists who join the protest outside Walmart in St. Paul on Black Friday will be armed with a scathing new report shedding light on the public cost of poverty-level wages paid by Walmart, Target and other big-box department stores. “At What Cost,” released Nov. 12 by the union-backed Minnesotans for a Fair […]
When are Keith Ellison and Michele Bachmann on the same side of an issue? When it comes to standing up for separation of powers and Congress’ ability to oversee trade policy that has a massive effect on us as constituents. In separate letters released Nov. 13, Rep. Bachmann and all five Democratic house members from […]
When the new Hastings Bridge, which carries U.S. Highway 61 across the Mississippi River, opens all four lanes to vehicles tomorrow after two years of construction, traffic-weary residents won’t be the only ones celebrating. Union members who built the $130 million bridge are joining in ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremonies, and one union joined their contractors […]
Hennepin County Medical Center saw no need to consult its staff of professional interpreters before implementing new video interpreting (VRI) technology into its hospitals and clinics. That was before interpreters mounted a unique mobilization campaign and their union, the Minnesota Newspaper and Communications Guild, filed charges of unfair labor practices against the hospital system in […]
To prepare for negotiations on a new contract, the St. Paul Federation of Teachers reached out to parents and the general public, using the feedback they received to craft an innovative, community-driven set of guiding principles for their contract talks. So you can imagine teachers’ frustration when the St. Paul Public Schools asked the state […]
On Black Friday, will you shop for doorbusters? Or protest union-busters? Twin Cities labor activists have announced their plans for the unofficial kickoff of the holiday shopping season, which in recent years also has become a day of action for unions and worker-advocacy groups fighting back against big-box retailers’ crazy hours, frenzied working conditions and […]
IBEW Holiday Lights in the Park, the larger-than-life display of holiday-themed light sculptures, will open its gates Nov. 26 and light up St. Paul’s Phalen Park nightly through New Year’s Day. Developed by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and King of Kings Lutheran Church of Woodbury, Holiday Lights in the Park is a volunteer-run, […]
Skip Black Friday and try a sweatshop-free shopping spree instead with the annual Fair Trade/Union Made Holiday Sale in Minneapolis. A benefit for the nonprofit Minnesota Fair Trade Coalition, the sale will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 8 at the CWA Local 7200 Hall, 3521 E. Lake St. Vendors include Ten Thousand […]
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