Unions’ student-centered demands are falling on deaf ears.
Union solidarity drives fight for $15 at MSP Airport
January 22, 2020 by
They may work different jobs or carry different union cards, but workers at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport are fighting together to raise MSP’s minimum wage to $15. And their solidarity is paying off. The Metropolitan Airports Commission, which oversees operations at MSP Airport, is advancing an ordinance that would raise the minimum wage in three […]
Labor trafficker’s victims speak out, pointing to need for reform
January 17, 2020 by
Notorious wage broker Ricardo Batres, who pleaded guilty to felony charges of labor trafficking and insurance fraud in November, received a nine-month sentence in Hennepin County district court Wednesday. The sentencing brought to a close the first labor trafficking case to emerge from Minnesota’s construction industry. But worker advocates, armed with the findings of an […]
Bobby Kasper: The strength of our union family is solidarity
December 19, 2019 by
It’s the time of year when families gather together to celebrate the holidays. Those gatherings take many different forms. Sometimes we gather as a nuclear family, just parents and their children. Other times we gather with our extended family, bringing together the grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins or in-laws. The ties that bind us together as […]
Kasper to retire, Peterson elected to lead St. Paul labor federation
December 12, 2019 by
The St. Paul Regional Labor Federation will have new leadership in the coming new year. After a decade in office, RLF President Bobby Kasper will retire at the end of December, a decision he made official at the federation’s delegate meeting Dec. 11. Kasper, a “proud” member of LIUNA Laborers Local 563, has served as […]
MSP catering workers protest on busy travel day
November 26, 2019 by
Their rallying cry: “One job should be enough.”
Wednesday is Public Post Office Day in Minnesota
November 25, 2019 by
Gov. Tim Walz issued a proclamation last week declaring Wednesday, Nov. 27, Public Post Office Day in the state of Minnesota. The proclamation, signed by both the governor and Secretary of State Steve Simon, is a token of the state’s gratitude for the U.S. Postal Service and its employees as they brace for a busy […]
To assess care crisis, Walz ‘walks a day’ in PCA’s shoes
November 22, 2019 by
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz walked in a home health care worker’s shoes today in St. Paul. The governor helped 41-year-old Jay Spika, who has primary progressive multiple sclerosis, bathe, dress and depart his St. Paul home. Walz worked alongside one of Spika’s home health aides, SEIU Healthcare Minnesota member Deb Howze. The “walk-a-day” event offered […]
Trafficker’s plea deal reveals construction industry ‘in distress,’ advocates say
November 20, 2019 by
When a notorious wage broker pleaded guilty to two felony charges in Hennepin County this week, it was welcome news for unions and community groups working to rid Minnesota’s construction industry of labor abuses. “We are grateful that the legal system is holding those who commit wage theft and illegal trafficking of construction workers seriously,” […]
IBEW 110’s growing minority caucus hooks up Habitat house in Faribault
November 18, 2019 by
Saturday was a national day of service for the Electrical Workers Minority Caucus, and 25 volunteers from St. Paul-based Local 110 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers spent the morning roughing in a Habitat for Humanity home in Faribault. The service project brought together journey-level workers, apprentices and their family members. Volunteer turnout was […]
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