The voice of Saint Paul's working families since 1897
U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum of Minnesota’s 4th Congressional District outlined a vision for “using the power of American manufacturing to secure America’s energy independence” in remarks made at the Good Jobs, Green Jobs National Conference in Washington, D.C. last month. The conference, now in its sixth year, met April 16-18, bringing together leaders from labor […]
The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee began hearings last week on an 844-page bill to overhaul the nation’s broken immigration system. The proposal includes a pathway to citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants, as well as new boarder-security measures, guest-worker programs, employee-verification methods and other changes to the immigration system. In Minnesota labor leaders who have […]
The state legislator spending a week on minimum wage met today with three Minnesotans for whom the minimum-wage challenge is an everyday reality. Four days into his five-day walk in the shoes of the state’s lowest-paid workers, Rep. Jason Metsa listened as three minimum-wage earners related the experiences Metsa wouldn’t have during his five-day experiment. […]
Peanut butter or jelly? Juice or coffee? Dry spaghetti or ravioli in a can? Those aren’t decisions Rep. Jason Metsa usually wrestles with in the grocery store, but the Iron Range DFLer is tightening his belt this week after signing a pledge to live on Minnesota’s minimum wage of $7.25 per hour for five days. […]
International trade agreements have a profound effect on Minnesota’s economy. But what effect does Minnesota have on international trade agreements? Companion bills progressing through the Legislature, House File 883 and Senate File 640, seek to amplify the state’s voice in debate over trade agreements by breathing new life into the Minnesota Trade Policy Advisory Council. […]
The fight is on to save Saturday mail delivery. Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton joined more than 100 demonstrators outside the main post office in Minneapolis yesterday, leading the call for federal lawmakers to strengthen – not dismantle – the U.S. Postal Service. “I’ve never heard of anyone whose business is in trouble deciding the way […]
State lawmakers will hear from union members Monday, April 8, at the Capitol during the Minnesota AFL-CIO’s annual Working Families Day at the Capitol. We need union members to step up and make their voices heard on issues like fair taxes, job creation, raising the minimum wage and protecting locked-out workers. To get involved, call […]
Transit advocates gathered at the Capitol today to show broad-based support for expanding investments in the state’s transportation system, from commuter rail and bus lines to bike paths and sidewalks. Such investments deliver a “trifecta” of benefits for state taxpayers, spurring business and job growth, reducing pollution and providing low- and moderate-income workers with greater […]
Surrounded by more than a dozen family child-care providers clad in pro-union T-shirts, two state lawmakers unveiled legislation Feb. 25 that would grant collective-bargaining rights to providers who receive subsidies from the State of Minnesota. The Child Care Collective Bargaining Act, introduced by Sen. Sandy Pappas (DFL-St. Paul) and Rep. Mike Nelson (DFL-Brooklyn Park), could […]
DFL lawmakers last month introduced a bill that would grant home health care workers the right to form a union, a move advocates say will help the state address a looming workforce crisis in Minnesota’s public home care programs. Authored by Sen. Chris Eaton and Rep. Michael Nelson, the bill targets workers in so-called “self-directed” home […]
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