Labor 2012 Endorsed: Carlson, Masin, Morgan eye return to Legislature

Jim Carlson, Sandy Masin and Will Morgan are hoping voters who bounced them from office two years ago will show buyer’s remorse in 2012. All three DFLers represented suburban areas south of St. Paul, including Burnsville, Eagan and Lakeville, from 2007 to 2010, but they were swept out of office by a wave of support […]

Labor 2012: Minnesota unions eye legislative seats in suburban areas

On a sunny Saturday morning Oct. 20, dozens of union volunteers trickled into a coffee shop downtown Burnsville. They paired up, gathered routes and handbills, and fanned out across the suburb, knocking on fellow union members’ doors and talking about their labor-endorsed candidate for Minnesota House, Will Morgan. Similar campaign activities have been taking place […]

Farm Bill stalls, McCollum and Ellison join call for Crystal Sugar to end lockout

American Crystal Sugar appears to be losing favor in Congress at a time when the company needs it most. With the federal Farm Bill stalled in the House of Representatives, 37 members of Congress, including Minnesota Reps. Betty McCollum and Keith Ellison, advised Crystal Sugar CEO Dave Berg to get serious about finding “common ground” […]

Working America members target John Kline for blocking middle-class tax cuts

BURNSVILLE – If millionaires don’t get a tax cut, then no one gets a tax cut. That’s 2nd District Congressman John Kline’s stance, and it was the target of workers protesting outside Kline’s Burnsville offices Sept. 12 during a national day of action for tax fairness sponsored by Working America, the AFL-CIO’s community affiliate. “John […]

Statewide labor convention opens with political call to action

Election-year politics dominated Day 1 of the Minnesota AFL-CIO’s 51st Constitutional Convention in Rochester yesterday, as speakers, including U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, urged delegates to take action in support of labor-endorsed candidates up and down the Nov. 6 ballot. Klobuchar, whose campaign for a second term has the state labor federation’s endorsement, said unions will […]

St. Paul Steelworkers pitch manufacturing policy to Dems’ platform committee

Eighteen of the nation’s most prominent lawmakers listened last weekend as two Steelworkers from St. Paul testified about the importance of revitalizing the U.S. economy with initiatives designed to grow middle-class manufacturing jobs. Bob Ryan and David Hallas, members of the United Steelworkers union, addressed the committee charged with drafting the Democratic Party’s platform in […]

Two labor-endorsed candidates to watch in the Aug. 14 primary election

East Metro unions will be watching two labor-endorsed candidates for Minnesota Legislature who face competitive challenges in the Aug. 14 primary: Robert Humphrey in Senate District 67 and Peter Fischer in House District 43A. [Click here for more information on the Aug. 14 Primary Election, including how to identify your electoral district and find your […]

Politics take center stage at state Building Trades convention

One by one, DFL state lawmakers took the podium on the opening day of the Minnesota Building and Construction Trades Council’s annual convention July 19-20 in St. Cloud. Invariably, each offered his own variation on three common themes: • DFLers salvaged the 2012 legislative session by providing the votes – or the veto power – […]

Oakdale community forum to tackle money in politics

River Valley Action will host a forum entitled “Follow the Money: How big money influences our elections and public policy” Aug. 8, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., in Peter O’Neill Hall at Guardian Angels Church in Oakdale. From the Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling to the influence groups like ALEC are having on the legislative […]

Union leaders applaud Supreme Court decision upholding Affordable Care Act

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act, announced today, keeps the country moving toward a health care system that ensures affordable, high-quality coverage for all Americans, Minnesota’s union leaders said. The court’s narrow, 5-4 decision to keep intact the landmark 2010 law, known as “Obamacare,” drew cheers from workers, retirees, students […]