Fundraiser for displaced food workers Sept. 8

United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1189 will hold a fundraiser to benefit members who lost their jobs when two large employers, Dakota Premium and Rainbow Foods, closed earlier this summer. The Fundraiser for Food Workers will run from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Sept. 8 at Local 1189’s union hall, located at 266 Hardman Ave. […]

Dunn retires after nearly three decades of leadership at Teamsters Service Bureau

Over the last 28 years, the Minnesota Teamsters Service Bureau has progressed from an idea on paper to a fully realized human-services agency that serves both Teamsters families and non-Teamster dislocated workers statewide. The woman who served as executive director of the Service Bureau for all 28 of those years, Jean Dunn, retired June 27, […]

East Side stories will find new home at Freedom Library

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 […]

Letter carrier walks the (300-mile) walk to fight hunger

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, […]

Carpenters Union plans vintage car show Aug. 9 in St. Paul

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 […]

‘Labor Sing’ to benefit AFL-CIO Community Services

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 […]

With support from bonding bill, MN Workers Memorial Garden nears completion

The $1 billion package of public infrastructure investments approved by state lawmakers earlier this year includes $250,000 for a mural and other improvements that will complete the Minnesota Workers Memorial Garden in St. Paul. Construction of the memorial, located near the intersection of 12th and Cedar in the southeast corner of the Capitol grounds, wrapped […]

AFSCME members lend Ramsey County golf courses a steady hand amid changes

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 […]

When it comes to home improvement, skip the hassle, hire union

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 […]

O’Mara receives St. Paul labor federation’s Humanitarian Award

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 […]