“The U is interested in image,” Local 3800 President Cherrene Horazuk said during a rally last month. “U of M AFSCME is interested in substantive change.”
Enthusiasm high among labor volunteers as Election Day nears
October 29, 2018 by
Congressional races in Minnesota could be pivotal in determining control of Congress for the next two years.
Area Red Cross workers join AFSCME after first-of-its-kind union drive
November 14, 2016 by
In his 16 years working as a phlebotomist for the American Red Cross, Roy Nodsle had seen union-organizing drives start and sputter before. But last summer, he finally saw one cross the finish line. “I’ve never been union before, but the idea of a group of people having a voice to talk about our workplace […]
U of M workers: ‘Less than 1 percent won’t pay the rent’
September 29, 2015 by
Unions representing about 4,000 workers in contract negotiations with the University of Minnesota took new momentum into a bargaining session today, after workers, students, faculty and other supporters rallied behind their fight for raises and respect. “We’re only going to get what we’re organized to take,” Mick Kelly, a cook at Centennial Hall, said […]
High court will hear case targeting public-sector unions
June 30, 2015 by
The Supreme Court today announced it would hear arguments in a case challenging unions’ ability to collect fees from public-sector workers who choose not to join a union but, as members of the bargaining unit, enjoy equal access to benefits provided by the union contract. Eliminating so-called “fair share fees,” ruled constitutional by the Supreme […]
With Fast Track vote looming, Minnesotans join ‘last-ditch effort’ to sway Wisconsin rep
June 10, 2015 by
EAU CLAIRE, Wis. – In a showing of cross-border solidarity, fair trade activists from Minnesota bolstered the ranks of local activists protesting today outside the offices of U.S. Rep. Ron Kind, a lead proponent of legislation that would “fast track” more bad trade deals that threaten U.S. jobs. Fast Track, or “trade promotion authority,” […]
Unions backed comprehensive immigration reform bill 10 years ago … and still do
May 1, 2014 by
Democrats in Congress introduced legislation to provide a pathway to “legal residency” for an estimated 9 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. a decade ago. The measure drew support from unions, religious groups and immigrant organizations. Ten years later, of course, the fight for immigration reform continues. Unions 10 years ago made up a […]
School board to senators: Raise minimum wage to boost student achievement
March 14, 2014 by
School board members weighed into the minimum-wage debate this week, when all seven members of St. Paul’s Board of Education signed a letter urging state senators to help close achievement gaps in their district by supporting a substantial wage hike this session. Louise Seeba, a board member and AFSCME Local 3757 member, spearheaded efforts to […]
St. Paul unions urged public boycott of ‘Nazi-made’ goods 75 years ago
December 1, 2013 by
Three years before the attack on Pearl Harbor that drew the U.S. into World War II, American union members declared economic war on Nazi Germany. Unions in St. Paul scrambled in December 1938 to coordinate a local boycott of German goods after American Federation of Labor President William Green, speaking to a nationwide audience on […]
In negotiations on first contract, North Star Steel dropped anchor
August 1, 2013 by
North Star Steel approached “a new level of absurdity” in an attempt to avoid negotiating a first contract with 30 clerical and sales employees at its Newport facility, The Advocate reported in August 1988. The workers had voted a year earlier to join the United Steelworkers, but management refused to bargain with the union. After […]
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