The voice of Saint Paul's working families since 1897
Registration is open for Labor Bowl 2013, a team-bowling fundraiser to benefit the St. Paul Labor Studies and Resource Center on April 25 at Midway Pro Bowl in Saint Paul’s Midway Shopping Center. Click here to view registration details on the RLF website. The LSRC is a charitable nonprofit organization that assists and advocates for […]
Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton’s State of the State address last night drew glowing praise from the state’s union leaders, who applauded the DFL governor for his honesty, vision and commitment to middle class families. “In his address, Gov. Dayton rolled out a strong, reasonable path to a better Minnesota, a brighter future for our state,” […]
Fifty years ago, to the surprise of Minnesota’s labor community, Republican Gov. Elmer Anderson offered his opposition to a lethal brand of anti-union legislation unions are still fighting today. The Feb. 14, 1963, issue of The Union Advocate reported Anderson had issued a statement saying he would veto any “compulsory open shop legislation, which usually […]
U.S. citizenship isn’t something Mitch Azarcon takes for granted – not after watching her Filipino-born mother wait 25 years to move her family to the U.S. Now Azarcon, a surgical core technician at Rochester Methodist Hospital, is exercising her rights as a citizen, taking action through her union, SEIU Healthcare Minnesota, to change federal law […]
Emboldened by victories won at the polls in November, the state’s largest labor federation will push an ambitious legislative agenda that calls for hiking the state’s minimum wage, extending unemployment benefits for locked-out workers and expanding the freedoms and protections Minnesotans enjoy in the workplace. The Minnesota AFL-CIO, which represents more than 1,000 affiliate unions […]
Lockouts have gained popularity among Minnesota employers looking to flex their muscles in contract negotiations with union workers, but state lawmakers yesterday began examining the impact these prolonged work stoppages have had on families, communities and businesses. The House Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee’s hearing on lockouts was likely a first step toward legislative action […]
The 2013 legislative session presents Minnesota’s labor movement with opportunities we haven’t seen since 1990, the last time we had a pro-labor governor and labor-friendly majorities in both the House and Senate. After 22 years of playing defense, we finally have an opportunity to accomplish positive change for working people. The Minnesota AFL-CIO, working with […]
The Jean Jones Coats Initiative, an annual winter-clothing drive sponsored by the St. Paul Regional Labor Federation’s Labor Studies & Resource Center, had a record-breaking year, donating 127 new or gently used coats to homeless students in the St. Paul Public Schools. St. Paul unions and union members contributed $3,683 to the initiative this year, more […]
U.S. Sen. Al Franken has been at the forefront of congressional efforts to push the Obama administration to negotiate strong labor standards into the free-trade deal Obama has declared his top trade priority. Those efforts drew recognition yesterday from the Minnesota Fair Trade Coalition, which presented the senator with its Fair Trade Leadership Award. The […]
Progressive Rail is harassing, intimidating and firing its workers in an attempt to supplant their union, leaders and members of the United Transportation Union said during informational picketing outside the company this morning. Eight workers at the Lakeville-based railway have been fired or harassed into resignation since February 2012, when a union contract covering 12 […]
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