The voice of Saint Paul's working families since 1897
As striking food service workers in Hastings put a spotlight on hardships faced by some of the lowest-paid school employees, state lawmakers this week debated bold, new legislation to lift standards for all hourly school workers. The “Education Support Professionals’ Bill of Rights,” introduced by DFLers in both the House and Senate, would establish a […]
The International Labor Communications Association (ILCA) announced winners of its annual Labor Media Awards last month, recognizing outstanding work published in 2021. The Saint Paul Union Advocate received a first-place award for photography and a third-place award for analysis. ILCA’s awards contest is the largest competition exclusively for labor journalists, drawing thousands of entries that […]
Refinery safety is back on the agenda at the Minnesota Capitol. Union tradespeople helped pack the Senate Labor Committee’s hearing Jan. 12, when members heard public testimony on a bill that would require registered apprenticeship training for workers performing certain jobs in the state’s two petroleum refineries. “In my career it was easy to spot […]
The St. Paul plumbers union has a pair of heroes in its apprenticeship pipeline. Twice in 2022, apprentices with Plumbers Local 34 have been named Tradeswomen Heroes by North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU). Each month the awards program recognizes four union trades-women, selected from across the country, for their work on and off the […]
A new statue unveiled in the Capitol yesterday celebrates the legacy of Nellie Stone Johnson, a towering figure in Minnesota’s labor, political and civil rights history. After a ceremony that included music, a video remembrance and speeches from the honoree’s colleagues and admirers, Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan joined the youngest members […]
Longtime union leader Harry Melander is hoping to give working people a voice on the HealthPartners board of directors. Melander, who retired as president of the Minnesota Building and Construction Trades Council last year, is one of four candidates running for three open seats on the 16-member board, which oversees the largest consumer-governed health care organization […]
Over 1 million Minnesotans will begin receiving payments of $487.45 from the State of Minnesota this week as a token of public appreciation for their work on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It was another successful year for Project Heat’s On, the community service initiative sponsored by local pipe trades unions and their signatory contractors.
The tax credits will create a projected 9 million jobs building energy-efficient commercial buildings, housing and electric vehicle charging stations, as well as investments in energy sources outside of fossil fuels.
The Minnesota Nurses Association’s trademark red radiated from picket lines outside Twin Cities hospitals during the union’s three-day strike Sept. 12-14, but nurses were far from alone. Elected officials, union leaders and supporters from the community bolstered nurses’ ranks, honking horns, joining picket lines and dropping off coffee and treats for the health care heroes […]
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