Laborers’ inaugural family picnic raises $23,000 for charities

The Laborers District Council of Minnesota and North Dakota hosted a family picnic for LIUNA members in Minneapolis’ Minnehaha Park on Aug. 16, featuring food, carnival games, a car and motorcycle show – and a big boost for local charities. The inaugural event raised over $23,000 for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Upper […]

Bobby Kasper: Labor Day reminds us what’s at stake in November

We are at another crossroad. The Minnesota labor movement holds its destiny in its own hands. In 2012 we ran one of the most successful political programs in the country. We took back the Minnesota House and Senate. We took back seats that our own polling said it was highly unlikely we would win. As […]

Sandy Pappas: Honoring the legacy of American workers

Labor Day marks more than just the end of summer. It’s a celebration of American workers and the contributions they make to the strength, prosperity and economic well-being of our country. This Labor Day, the continued need for sustainable, living wage jobs is first and foremost on my mind. As a state legislator, the decisions […]

In Minneapolis, hundreds rally against Social Security’s closed-door policy

Doors to the Social Security Administration’s field office in Minneapolis were locked at 3 p.m. yesterday, and they could stay locked permanently – in Minneapolis and at field offices across the country – if the federal agency gets its way. That’s the warning sounded by federal workers rallying on the street outside the Chicago Avenue office […]

Home care workers win election, take momentum into contract talks

Home health care workers in Minnesota have spoken, and they voted decisively to form a union, the state’s Bureau of Mediation Services announced yesterday. Now the fight to improve the lives of home care workers and the people they serve shifts from the organizing field to the negotiation table – and back to the State […]

Panel: Women workers making gains in Minnesota, but work toward equity remains

On the 94th anniversary of women’s suffrage in the U.S., a panel of three state lawmakers from the East Metro discussed the gains women workers in Minnesota made with passage of the Women’s Economic Security Act this year – and the work for equality that remains to be done. Sen. Sandy Pappas of St. Paul, […]

East Side Freedom Library program to consider Labor Day’s origins

The East Side Freedom Library will host “The History of Labor Day,” a free, public event to explore how Labor Day became a holiday, from 7 to 9 p.m. Aug. 28. The event will feature readings from historic labor speeches, music and solidarity. The East Side Freedom Library is a new, independent library focused on […]

Peter Rachleff: Turbulent history sheds light on Labor Day’s relevance

Monday, Sept. 1, will mark the 120th celebration of Labor Day as a legal, national holiday. The holiday had a turbulent, complicated beginning. Understanding more about this can help us rethink the significance of this holiday today. American labor in 1894 was a volatile force. The industrial revolution had radically transformed work, replacing skilled labor […]

Visit the Labor Pavilion at the Minnesota State Fair!

Heading to the great Minnesota get-together? Stop by the Labor Pavilion for live music and entertainment, interactive exhibits and several opportunities to take action in support of working Minnesotans. The Labor Pavilion is open daily throughout the fair at the corner of Dan Patch and Cooper, 1657 Dan Patch Ave. The Minnesota AFL-CIO coordinates daily […]

Union contractor McGough recognized for outreach to military families

Minnesota’s construction industry has its first Yellow Ribbon Company, and it’s a union contractor headquartered in St. Paul. In a ceremony yesterday at McGough’s warehouse in White Bear Lake, Gov. Mark Dayton delivered a proclamation making the general contracting firm part of a select group of employers recognized for their exemplary support of Minnesota’s active […]