The voice of Saint Paul's working families since 1897
Fast-food workers in 160 cities nationwide went on strike today, including 50 workers from 14 restaurants in the Twin Cities. The strikers are demanding $15 per hour and union rights. The strike comes on the two-year anniversary of the initial “Fight for $15” action in New York City, which sparked a movement that has since […]
The holidays can be a particularly stressful time for everyone. Job losses, financial troubles and workplace injuries or accidents often compound the stress faced by workers and their families. For many union workers, help with these and other problems – substance abuse, depression, anxiety – is available through their employee assistance program, or EAP. “We […]
Nellie Stone Johnson, the Minnesota-born labor and civil-rights activist, left a legacy of “firsts.” Now, Minnesotans have an opportunity to add to that legacy by making Johnson the first woman, first African American and first labor leader honored with a bust in the State Capitol. The Legislature and Gov. Mark Dayton last session authorized honoring […]
A series of community conversations about the City of St. Paul’s new Responsible Banking Ordinance will convene Wednesday, Dec. 3, at the East Side Freedom Library. The new ordinance requires the City of St. Paul to look at how well financial institutions are serving the community before deciding which banks benefit from the city’s business. […]
Demonstrators in the Twin Cities yesterday echoed an expansive call put forth at Black Friday actions across the country to lift workers and their families out of poverty by guaranteeing livable wages, access to earned sick time and a path to forming a union without fear of retaliation. The target of most Black Friday protests […]
On the biggest shopping day of the year, nearly 500 people in St. Paul demonstrated outside the Midway Walmart, demanding that the retailer pay its associates living wages and stop retaliating against workers organizing for change. Four striking Walmart workers from Apple Valley led a march from Walmart to a nearby McDonald’s, where activists called […]
CAMBRIDGE – Nurses at Cambridge Medical Center picketed the hospital today, warning the public that looming staff cuts pose a threat to patient safety. Members of the Minnesota Nurses Association called on Allina Health, which operates the Cambridge facility, to put patients over profits in contract negotiations that began Sept. 30, when management opened the […]
What can East Metro residents do to increase their access to effective transportation, and what should lawmakers do about the issue when the Legislature convenes in next year? That’s the topic of a free, public program in Oakdale next month. What: “Getting There from Here: Transportation Challenges in the East Metro When: 7 to 8:30 […]
As the holiday shopping season shifts into high gear, workers who stock Walmart’s shelves, serve McDonald’s hamburgers and clean big-box stores are planning a week of action in the Twin Cities to draw attention to the low wages and poor conditions plaguing their industries. The day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday is the highest-profile shopping day […]
April VanMassenhove gave birth to her second child, Miles, last Tuesday. A clerical worker in the City of St. Paul’s Public Works department, VanMassenhove will exhaust her paid-sick days, then her vacation time and, finally, land on short-term disability in order to maintain an income while she cares for her newborn son. Fortunately for parents-to-be […]
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