
Samantha Schanus was among four Tradeswomen Heroes award winners named in July, the month she took office as Roofers Local 96’s new secretary-treasurer.
The voice of Saint Paul's working families since 1897

Samantha Schanus was among four Tradeswomen Heroes award winners named in July, the month she took office as Roofers Local 96’s new secretary-treasurer.

Building Trades unions in the U.S. and Canada have launched a peer mentorship and training program to help tradeswomen thrive in an industry historically dominated by men. Lean In Circles for Union Tradeswomen, a partnership between unions and LeanIn.Org, brings tradeswomen together in small groups – virtual gatherings during the pandemic – to connect, share […]

Teamsters aren’t the only union members Marathon is looking to replace with nonunion, out-of-state workers at the St. Paul Park refinery. They aren’t the only ones fighting back, either. Earlier this month, several Building and Construction Trades unions began setting up banners around the refinery, publicly shaming Marathon for turning its back on Minnesota contractors […]

Operating Engineers Local 49 is hoping a new partnership with Minnesota Virtual Academy will draw more high-school graduates into the union’s registered apprenticeship program – and help meet future demand for skilled, trained workers in the heavy-equipment industry. At the start of this school year, instructors from Local 49 began teaching for-credit courses open to […]

Women in Construction Week runs from March 7 to 13, and local tradeswomen, in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI), will celebrate with a virtual event showcasing career opportunities available in the unionized trades. The Women Building Success Info Expo is open to women statewide who are interested in learning more […]

As unions pause to remember their fallen members, COVID-19 has given new urgency to their fight for worker safety.

Allowing IRAPs in the industry would have created a shortcut around the rigorous standards of registered apprenticeship, unions argued.

As the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Minnesota grows higher, prompting the state’s health care system to brace for a wave of hospitalizations, registered nurses are holding a collection drive at their union headquarters in St. Paul to stock up on personal protective equipment (PPE) and other supplies. The public’s support in just the […]

Elevator Constructors Local 9 and the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance co-hosted Take Kids Ice Fishing Day last Saturday on frozen Chisago Lake, where dozens of union volunteers introduced more than 75 young anglers to the sport. “We had a great turnout, and the event went really well,” project leader and Local 9 member Dave Morin said. […]