Shop Ridgedale Center at your own risk, Building Trades warn

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 […]

Union contractor McGough recognized for outreach to military families

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 […]

At convention, Trades build momentum for 2014 election push

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. […]

Trades showcase apprenticeship programs at Construct Tomorrow career fair

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 […]

An engine for economic growth, Green Line opens to big crowds

Minnesotans celebrated the opening of Metro Transit’s Green Line with ribbon-cuttings, neighborhood-centric events and more than 107,000 free rides June 14-15. But there was more to celebrate than the long-anticipated arrival of a sleek, new transit option between the Twin Cities’ downtown areas. Jobs – and plenty of them – were also reason to celebrate. […]

When it comes to home improvement, skip the hassle, hire union

In over your head on a home-improvement job? Whether it’s a leaky pipe or a kitchen remodel, your best bet for quality and value is a union contractor. Fortunately, Building Trades unions and their signatory contractors are making it easier than ever to get a bid or a price quote on residential work. [For a […]

Bobby Kasper: Super Bowl will showcase union workers

It doesn’t take most people very long to realize I’m not a native Minnesotan. My New York accent is usually a dead giveaway. But after living here for 20-plus years, Minnesota is the place I’m proud to call home. That’s why I was thrilled to learn the Twin Cities will play host to Super Bowl […]

For Building Trades, state’s infrastructure investments mean ‘millions of work hours’

Utilizing the first state budget surplus in seven years, state legislators pushed the value of a package of public infrastructure investments passed during the 2014 Legislative Session to over $1 billion. Gov. Mark Dayton signed off on the construction bill May 20, green-lighting projects across the state that will create “millions of work hours” for […]

In Forest Lake, Electrical Workers picket City Hall construction site

FOREST LAKE – Construction of a new City Hall in this northeast suburb slowed to a snail’s pace yesterday, as members of Local 110 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers erected a picket line to protest the city’s use of an electrical contractor that, members say, undermines area standards for wages and benefits. Efforts to […]

Plumbers mark 20 years of community service through ‘Water’s Off’

Members of St. Paul Plumbers Local 34 were among 96 union plumbers from across Minnesota who volunteered to fix plumbing problems for 81 elderly, disabled and low-income homeowners April 5, during the annual “Water’s Off” service event. It marked the 20th consecutive year Minnesota’s union plumbers teamed up with their contractors, members of the Minnesota […]