The voice of Saint Paul's working families since 1897
The most recent state legislative session was a mess, with lawmakers failing to act to repair Minnesota’s crumbling transportation infrastructure or make jobs-creating investments in transit and public works. Electing legislators who will put the state’s working families first is a top priority for labor this year, and the St. Paul Regional Labor Federation will […]
Nearly 5,000 nurses employed by Allina Health began a seven-day strike this morning, setting up picket lines outside five metro-area facilities. In downtown St. Paul, well over 200 nurses and their supporters blanketed the sidewalk outside United Hospital in red, the Minnesota Nurses Association’s official color. Picketers put up cheers as nurses finishing the night […]
St. Paul’s task force on earned sick and safe time has issued its recommendations, and they include requiring employers to provide workers with one hour of sick time for every 30 hours they work, with sick-time earnings capped at 48 hours per year. If adopted by the city’s elected officials, the policy would extend […]
In a nearly unanimous vote yesterday, East Metro grocery workers rejected a hastily crafted “final offer” from their employers. About 3,700 members of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1189 began contract negotiations in late February with several St. Paul-area retail grocers, including Cub Foods, Rainbow, Jerry’s Foods, Lunds & Byerlys, Kowalski’s Markets, Festival Foods, […]
In bargaining initiated by a federal mediator last Friday, Allina refused to budge from its demand that nurses give up their quality health insurance, setting the stage for 5,000 nurses at five Twin Cities health facilities to begin a weeklong strike Sunday morning. Members of the Minnesota Nurses Association plan to erect picket lines outside […]
A protest planned by retail janitors today outside Best Buy’s corporate headquarters turned into a celebration after executives agreed to partner with workers on efforts to ensure people who clean the company’s stores have safe and fair working conditions. The agreement, reached late last night on the eve of Best Buy’s annual shareholder meeting, […]
Public events at the East Side Freedom Library this month include a discussion of German immigrants’ contribution to the the local labor movement, as well as a free Labor Movie Night screening. The independent, non-profit library is located at 1105 Greenbrier St. in St. Paul. “The German Contribution to St. Paul’s Labor History” As part […]
A St. Paul charter school’s campaign to deny employees a voice on the job reached a new low yesterday, when administrators announced a wave of staff cuts eliminating several key areas of classroom programming and decimating the union’s bargaining team. The number of teachers and support staff let go remains in flux, union leaders said […]
Nurses at four Allina Health facilities in the Twin Cities area are preparing to strike after a “super majority” of union members voted to reject the health care provider’s latest contract offer. The vote sends a clear message to Allina, members of the Minnesota Nurses Association said, that nurses will continue to stand together for […]
Construction workers and contractors formed a united front at the Capitol today in support of a special session allowing state legislators to compromise on two shared priorities – transportation and infrastructure – left unaddressed when session adjourned Sunday night. Lawmakers “still have time to finish,” Minnesota Building and Construction Trades Council President Harry Melander […]
Union Advocate 