The voice of Saint Paul's working families since 1897
Harry Melander has stepped down after 10 years as the executive secretary of the St. Paul Building and Construction Trades Council, which swore Don Mullin into office as Melander’s successor in the full-time position at a delegate meeting tonight. Delegates voted unanimously to elect Mullin at a meeting last month. They also elected Tom […]
Analise Adams, a 22-year-old from Minneapolis, was working in a Linden Hills childcare center two months ago. When her aunt, a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, told her about a free training opportunity for women considering careers in construction, Adams decided to take a chance. She quit her childcare job and […]
Marcus Smith would like more reliable bus service from south Minneapolis to his job in St. Paul. Jessica Treat wants dedicated lanes that make bicycling to work safer. James Boney hopes rebuilding and repairing the state’s roads and bridges will mean jobs for workers who need them. From bicyclists to Building Trades members, public employees […]
For the second consecutive year, the Minnesota Construction Crew will host the Trades Hiring Expo, an opportunity for work-ready individuals looking to begin a career in the industry to meet with 25 contractors hiring for the 2015 construction season. Organizers particularly encourage veterans, women and people of color to attend. The expo will run from […]
Unions are joining a national day of action to stop fast track March 4, and two members of Congress from Minnesota got an earful as to why last week at a field hearing in Richfield. DFL Reps. Keith Ellison and Rick Nolan heard testimony from trade experts, union leaders, business owners and advocates for family […]
The holidays can be a particularly stressful time for everyone. Job losses, financial troubles and workplace injuries or accidents often compound the stress faced by workers and their families. For many union workers, help with these and other problems – substance abuse, depression, anxiety – is available through their employee assistance program, or EAP. “We […]
The Minneapolis Building and Construction Trades Council will launch a mobile ad campaign tomorrow warning Ridgedale Center shoppers of serious safety hazards at the Minnetonka mall. The coalition of 28 unions opted to ramp up the campaign after Ridgedale tenants and the mall’s Chicago-based ownership group, General Growth Properties (GGP), largely ignored complaints of serious […]
Minnesota’s construction industry has its first Yellow Ribbon Company, and it’s a union contractor headquartered in St. Paul. In a ceremony yesterday at McGough’s warehouse in White Bear Lake, Gov. Mark Dayton delivered a proclamation making the general contracting firm part of a select group of employers recognized for their exemplary support of Minnesota’s active […]
ROCHESTER – With two new stadiums in the works and $1 billion in new state infrastructure investments – as well as jobs-creating regional improvements like the Destination Medical Center here – the Building Trades unions in Minnesota are riding a wave of momentum. That momentum is at stake in elections up and down the Nov. […]
Maria Meza watched intently as Robbie Luukkonen, a journeyman member of Bricklayers Local 1, installed ceramic tile onto a makeshift practice wall. When Luukkonen had finished the demonstration, Meza picked up the tools and tried tiling for herself. This is the way Meza, who graduated from St. Paul Johnson High School in the spring, learns […]
Union Advocate 