The voice of Saint Paul's working families since 1897
St. Paul school board member Jean O’Connell worked at 3M for 34 years. As an engineer, she learned quickly that it wasn’t enough for an idea merely to work on paper; it also had to work on the factory floor. It’s an approach O’Connell hopes to expand upon in a second term on the St. […]
Ronald McDonald House of the Twin Cities honored the Minnesota Laborers Ride for Charity with its prestigious 2013 Don Shelby Service Award at a banquet Oct. 5 in Minneapolis. In 2013 the Laborers Ride raised $12,000 for Ronald McDonald House charities. The ride has delivered over $75,000 to the charity over its 10-year run since […]
At least three union members are running campaigns for local office in the East Metro this fall, a positive sign in an odd-year election cycle for those who believe union members naturally make the best advocates for working families’ issues. Don Mullin, a second-generation trade show decorator and member of the Painters and Allied Trades, […]
Garrison Keillor, the great Minnesota author and radio personality, put it best: “Nothing you do for children is ever wasted.” At the St. Paul Regional Labor Federation, we’re putting Keillor’s words into action, working in support of five levy referendums in East Metro suburbs that have been endorsed by our delegation of 100-plus local unions. […]
As a military veteran with a college education, Darcy Landau is overqualified for his job as a wheelchair agent at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Earning wages of $7.25 per hour, Landau struggles to make monthly car payments, pay back his student loans and meet his basic needs. “If it weren’t for the VA,” Landau said, […]
Members of the International Association of Machinists voted yesterday to approve new, nationwide collective bargaining agreements with United Airlines covering employees in the airline’s fleet service, passenger-service and storekeeper workgroups. The agreements cover more than 28,000 workers at United, Continental and subsidiary airlines, including 158 members of Machinists Local 1833 who work at the Minneapolis–St. […]
Volunteer members of St. Paul Pipefitters Local 455 and Minneapolis Pipefitters Local 539 serviced furnaces for the needy Sept. 28 during the 28th Annual HEAT’S ON Program. The day of service safeguards low-income, elderly, and disabled homeowners – and reduces their fuel costs. Area union contractors supplied parts and vehicles to the effort, which drew […]
The union working to organize home-care workers statewide is lending its support to employees who accuse Richfield-based Crystal Care Home Health of failing to pay their wages. Some claim they worked up to three months for the company without pay. SEIU Healthcare Minnesota helped organize a picket Wednesday morning outside Crystal Care, and more than […]
That extra value meal might seem like a bargain, but a new report shows low prices on the fast-food menu come at a high cost to U.S. taxpayers. How much? Nearly $7 billion a year. That’s the cost of public assistance for fast-food workers and their families, according to “Fast Food, Poverty Wages,” a report […]
Leaders in the U.S. Senate today unveiled a bipartisan agreement to end the partial government shutdown and extend the nation’s borrowing authority, but doubts remain as to whether the compromise will pass the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. As the spotlight shifted to the House, federal employees, union leaders and retirees paid a visit to Minnesota […]
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