The voice of Saint Paul's working families since 1897
On July 8, home care workers from across the state came together to file a union petition that triggered what will be the largest union election in the history of our state. Ballots will go out to more than 26,000 home care workers on August 1, and we will have our election results before Labor […]
A new, independent library is seeking to celebrate and preserve the heritage of St. Paul’s East Side – its working-class roots, its rich diversity and its fighting spirit. But first, organizers must preserve and restore a 98-year-old architectural landmark, from the roof to the ground floor. The East Side Freedom Library is the new name […]
Dakota Premium, the only meatpacking plant still operating in South St. Paul, idled production July 2, leaving 300 workers, including 275 members of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1189, out of work indefinitely. Local 1189 President Don Seaquist thinks the closure is more definite than indefinite. “The company’s public statement is that this is […]
On Aug. 2 Gary Fitch, a retired letter carrier from St. Paul, will begin a long walk that he hopes will be a big step toward ending hunger in Minnesota. Fitch, 62, will walk from International Falls to the State Fairgrounds in Falcon Heights, arriving on Labor Day. The 300-mile journey, dubbed the Minnesota Miracle, […]
Attention muscle-car enthusiasts and family-fun seekers: Mark Saturday, Aug. 9 on your calendars. That’s when local Carpenters unions, for the third consecutive year, will host a vintage car show to benefit their food shelf. Hot-rod owners will compete for 10 best-in-show trophies, and the first 50 vintage cars to arrive at the event will receive […]
The state’s largest labor federation, the Minnesota AFL-CIO, hired Todd Dahlstrom as director of organizing and growth and Bill Breon as coordinator of the Path to Power program this month. Path to Power is the state federation’s new effort to support union members running for public office, ensuring that working Minnesotans have more voice in […]
The Twin Cities Labor Chorus will host its annual summer concert and sing-along, “Labor Sing,” at the State Fairgrounds July 29. The 7 p.m. concert will take place inside the Minnesota AFL-CIO Labor Pavilion, located at the corner of Dan Patch Ave. and Cooper St, near the Snelling Avenue entrance to the fairgrounds. Admission is […]
Minnesota has an urgent transportation problem that’s making it difficult for Minnesotans to get to their next destination, whether that’s work, school, play or family. Transportation is about opportunity for all no matter who you are or where you live. Workers need safer roads and better public transit to get to work. Our seniors need […]
MINNETONKA – Laborers, bricklayers, painters, electricians and other union craftspeople picketed together outside Ridgedale Center in Minnetonka this morning, targeting several contractors working inside the mall that are undermining area wage and safety standards, according to the unions. Ridgedale’s Chicago-based ownership group, General Growth Properties (GGP), is spending $100 million to upgrade the mall, which […]
When home care workers in Minnesota launched their campaign to form a statewide union less than two years ago, they set out to raise wages, improve working conditions and bring legitimacy and respect to a career path seen as critical to meeting the needs of an aging population. They may not have set out to […]
Union Advocate 