The voice of Saint Paul's working families since 1897
Retail cleaning workers celebrated a hard-fought victory yesterday in their campaign for better wages and working conditions, as the Twin Cities-based worker center CTUL announced Target had agreed to hold its cleaning contractors to a new set of standards designed to protect workers’ rights. In a letter to CTUL organizers last week, Target agreed to […]
It’s a multimodal transportation hub poised to serve the Twin Cities Metro. It’s an architectural jewel in St. Paul’s booming Lowertown district. And according to the results of a study released today, the renovated Union Depot has been – and continues to be – an engine for job creation and economic growth. The Union Depot rehabilitation […]
Sam Walton famously required that Walmart employees flash a smile and offer a greeting to anyone coming within 10 feet of their path. Moronica Owens this week discovered a few exceptions to the “10-foot rule” at Walmart’s annual shareholder meetings in Fayetteville, Ark. “I’m a Walmart associate; I know the 10-foot rule,” Owens said. “But […]
Any day now, the U.S. Supreme Court will rule on Harris v. Quinn, the most important labor law case in decades. The lawsuit is another attempt to kill off public employee unions. It centers on a small group of Illinois home care workers who sued to avoid paying fees to the very union that would […]
BROOKLYN CENTER – Walmart associates from Apple Valley and Brooklyn Center walked off the job today, joining another nationwide wave of strikes and demonstrations targeting the world’s largest retailer for its low pay and retaliation against workers looking to organize. Similar strikes took place today in 20 other U.S. cities, as members of the workers’ […]
The boycott of Staples is official. The AFL-CIO last Friday approved the American Postal Workers Union’s request to add the office-supply retailer to the national federation’s list of endorsed boycotts. The APWU and other postal unions launched the “Stop Staples” campaign earlier this year, after the U.S. Postal Service announced plans to expand a pilot […]
It’s Mark Newton and Eric Swanson’s job to maintain the grounds at historic Keller Golf Course in Maplewood, but the members of AFSCME Local 1935 haven’t moved a pin or filled a divot in over a year. Newton and Swanson will shake off the rust July 19, when Keller reopens for public golf after closing […]
In over your head on a home-improvement job? Whether it’s a leaky pipe or a kitchen remodel, your best bet for quality and value is a union contractor. Fortunately, Building Trades unions and their signatory contractors are making it easier than ever to get a bid or a price quote on residential work. [For a […]
The St. Paul Regional Labor Federation, AFL-CIO, awarded its 2013 Humanitarian Award to longtime United Way staff member Elizabeth “Biz” O’Mara. President Bobby Kasper presented O’Mara with the award at the RLF’s May delegate meeting. O’Mara, who retired from Greater Twin Cities United Way over the winter, embodied the connection between area unions and the […]
It doesn’t take most people very long to realize I’m not a native Minnesotan. My New York accent is usually a dead giveaway. But after living here for 20-plus years, Minnesota is the place I’m proud to call home. That’s why I was thrilled to learn the Twin Cities will play host to Super Bowl […]
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