Challenges remain, but soccer stadium breaks ground in Midway district

December 14, 2016 by
MN United’s Nick Rogers (L), Mayor Chris Coleman and Dr. Bill McGuire (R) supervised a crew of youth soccer players at the new stadium's groundbreaking ceremony Monday.

MN United’s Nick Rogers (L), Mayor Chris Coleman and Dr. Bill McGuire (R) supervised a crew of youth soccer players who broke ground on the new soccer stadium in St. Paul on Monday.

Youth soccer players and local dignitaries sent dirt and snow flying during a ceremonial groundbreaking Dec. 12 for the planned 20,000-seat pro-soccer stadium in St. Paul’s Midway district.

The $250 million construction project remains in the early, exploratory stages, and snarls remain both at the Capitol, where lawmakers must sign off on a property-tax exemption for the stadium, and in acquiring nearby property, including a shopping center that houses union-staffed Rainbow Foods.

But developers hope to begin work in earnest next spring and, potentially, host games in 2018.

Don Mullin, executive secretary of the St. Paul Building and Construction Trades Council, said a project labor agreement (PLA) covering construction work already has been negotiated. PLA’s establish terms and conditions for construction employees and contractors on a project, from wages and benefits to overtime pay, grievance procedures and more.

By setting terms and conditions at the outset, project owners make their labor costs more predictable, weed out irresponsible bidders and ensure labor peace with local unions for the entirety of the project. Several studies show projects built under PLAs are more likely to be completed on time, within budget and with quality construction.

The soccer-stadium PLA covers not only construction, Mullin said, but “all future maintenance and improvements” to the facility. “We’re building into the future,” he said. “Future generations of union tradespeople are going to be working on this project, and that’s amazing.”

Planning models show the stadium oval extending north from I-94 toward University Avenue, a configuration that would require acquisition of land owned by Midway Shopping Center and other retailers. The largest is Rainbow, which employs 45 members of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1189.

Bernie Hesse, Local 1189’s director of special projects, said he doesn’t expect land-acquisition negotiations to prevent construction of the stadium, but he warned of an expanding “food desert” in the area if the development squeezes out Rainbow.

Hesse called on city officials to ensure UFCW members, other retail workers and business owners impacted by the project won’t be left “high and dry.”

“Let’s not marginalize these workers,” he said.

Filed Under: Union Events Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Council vote gives St. Paul nation’s strongest earned sick time ordinance

September 7, 2016 by
St. Paul business owner Diane Brennan speaks in support of a citywide earned sick time policy at a press conference before a public hearing on the issue.

St. Paul business owner Diane Brennan speaks in support of a citywide earned sick time policy at a press conference before a public hearing on the issue.

Members of the St. Paul City Council today voted 7-0 to pass an ordinance hailed by working people, small business owners, clergy members and other advocates as the strongest earned sick and safe time law on the books nationwide.

Mayor Chris Coleman immediately indicated he would support the ordinance, making St. Paul the 35th U.S. location to pass sick-pay legislation, according to Family Values at Work.

“We are experiencing tremendous momentum as a city,” Coleman said in a statement. “We need to do everything we can to ensure even the most vulnerable among us are experiencing that same momentum. This ordinance brings us one step closer to doing so, and I support it for that reason.”

Set to take effect July 1, 2017, the ordinance will extend ESST benefits to an estimated 72,000 working people in St. Paul.

It requires all employers – regardless of size, unlike the ordinance passed in Minneapolis earlier this year – to provide one hour of sick time for every 30 hours an employee works, with sick-time earnings capped at 48 hours per year. Employees will begin accruing sick time after working 80 hours, and they become eligible to use the benefit after 90 calendar days of employment.

Supporters like Nuurto Mohamed, a janitor for 3M in St. Paul, said the new ordinance will give healthier choices to working families like hers.

“I am so excited that we won paid sick days for families like mine in St. Paul,” Mohamed said. “We work hard, and having more paid sick days will mean we no longer have to choose between our health and our paycheck when someone in our family is sick.”

The ordinance also gives employees the right to sue if they face retaliation for using their paid sick time. Michelle Parker, a member of Neighborhoods Organizing for Change who works at Papa John’s in St. Paul, welcomed the enforcement provision.

Pastor Bradley Schmeling explains his support for a citywide earned-sick-time ordinance during a press conference at St. Paul City Hall.

Pastor Bradley Schmeling explains his support for a citywide earned-sick-time ordinance during a press conference at St. Paul City Hall.

“When I have to call in sick, my employer cuts my hours for the next week,” she said. “My family needs this safeguard.”

The ordinance closely follows the recommendations of a task force established earlier this year by Mayor Coleman and council members to study the issue. It included labor, faith and community leaders, as well as representatives of the Chamber of Commerce and small business owners.

“The benefits to providing sick time outweigh the costs a hundred fold,” said Workhorse Coffee’s Shannon Forney, one of more than 50 business owners citywide to back the ordinance publicly. “If we, a scrappy small business not supported by capital investments, can do it, certainly other businesses can too.”

Supporters celebrated the council vote as the culmination of a yearlong campaign that included congregational meetings, forums, door-knocks, phone banks, strikes, rallies and meetings with elected officials.

“This vote is a big step toward improving the quality of life for all working people in Saint Paul,” said Bobby Kasper, president of the St. Paul Regional Labor Federation and a member of the ESST task force. “We’re grateful to the elected officials who showed courage on Earned Sick and Safe Time, and proud to be part of a coalition of community groups that, by working together, made history today.”

Filed Under: Organizing, Politics Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Task force recommends extending sick pay to 70,000 workers in St. Paul

June 17, 2016 by
St. Paul business owner Diane Brennan speaks in support of a citywide earned sick time policy at a press conference before a public hearing on the issue.

St. Paul business owner Diane Brennan spoke in support of a citywide earned sick time policy before a public hearing on the issue.

 

St. Paul’s task force on earned sick and safe time has issued its recommendations, and they include requiring employers to provide workers with one hour of sick time for every 30 hours they work, with sick-time earnings capped at 48 hours per year.

If adopted by the city’s elected officials, the policy would extend ESST benefits to an estimated 70,000 workers in St. Paul.

The task force, appointed by Mayor Chris Coleman and members of the City Council, included business owners, workers and representatives of several labor organizations, including St. Paul Regional Labor Federation President Bobby Kasper.

“These recommendations reflect three months of work by members of our task force,” Kasper said. “We heard testimony from public health experts, working people and business owners. After careful consideration and respectful dialogue, we reached a set of recommendations that, I believe, reflect St. Paul’s values.”

The city’s Human Rights and Equal Economic Opportunity Commission received the official recommendations and heard public comments on the issue June 21. Workers, religious leaders, small business owners and community leaders expressed support for the task force’s recommendations.

Community organizers read statements from low-wage workers about the times they’ve had to come into work sick.

Sara Leanio, a nurse at Children's Hospital in St. Paul and member of the Minnesota Nurses Association, said an earned-sick time policy would benefit public health.

Sara Leanio, a nurse at Children’s Hospital in St. Paul and member of the Minnesota Nurses Association, said an earned-sick time policy would benefit public health.

“We all have stories from our day-to-day lives of noticing someone working in retail or food service who we can tell came to work sick – and we wish would have just stayed home,” Children’s Hospital nurse Sara Leanio said. “It’s gross, and it’s time we have a policy that supports workers to do so.”

Fusion Salon owner Diane Brennan explained why she began offering sick time to employees at her Snelling Avenue business earlier this year.

“My values insist that I take care of my staff and their families because I care about them on a personal level,” she said. “It was the right thing to do.”

The HREEO Commission will make final recommendations regarding a potential ordinance to the City Council and mayor in July, but will continue to accept public input on the issue via the city’s website.

In May the Minneapolis City Council passed the state’s first ordinance requiring employers to provide earned sick and safe time, joining 26 other cities nationwide with ESST ordinances on the books.

Some of the St. Paul task force’s recommendations, including the accrual formula and 48-hour cap, mirror the Minneapolis ordinance, scheduled to take effect in July 2017.

But the Minneapolis ordinance guarantees sick pay only to workers at businesses with six or more employees. At businesses with five or fewer employees, the leave will be unpaid.

The St. Paul task force recommended any ordinance benefit all working people, regardless of the size of their employer. The task force did note that employers with existing arrangements like paid-time off or collective bargaining agreements, as long as they meet minimum recommended standards, would be “deemed compliant.”

The task force recommended employees begin accruing sick time after working 80 hours, and that they become eligible to use their sick time after 90 calendar days of employment.

Although workers’ sick pay would be capped at 48 hours per year, they would be able to bank up to 80 hours.

Sick time, according to the recommendation, could be used to recover from or address a mental or physical illness, as well as time needed for medical diagnosis or preventative care. “Safe time” would apply when an employee or an employee’s family member is a victim of domestic abuse, sexual assault or stalking.

Supporters of the earned sick and safe time policy argue that when people show up to work sick, it spreads disease, slows their recovery and forces people to choose between not getting paid and working while sick.

“It’s a choice no one should have to make,” Kasper said. “I applaud Mayor Coleman and the council for moving forward on this critical issue.”

Filed Under: Community, Politics Tagged With: , , , , ,

Unions, employers reach out to St. Paul’s East Side at job fair

April 15, 2016 by
St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman and Regional Labor Federation Bobby Kasper welcome job seekers and employers to the Union Job & Resource Fair at the East Side Freedom Library.

St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman and Regional Labor Federation Bobby Kasper welcome job seekers and employers to the Union Job & Resource Fair at the East Side Freedom Library.

Union employers, apprenticeship programs and community service agencies set up shop on St. Paul’s East Side last night, recruiting talent from the distinctly working-class neighborhood and beyond at the Union Jobs and Resource Fair.

Many Latino, Hmong, Karen and East African families call the East Side home, and the job fair, organized by the St. Paul Regional Labor Federation, AFL-CIO, shows local unions are serious about reaching out to communities – particularly minorities and immigrants – underrepresented in their ranks.

“This is only the beginning,” St. Paul RLF President Bobby Kasper said. “Too many members of our community don’t know what unions do, or aren’t aware of opportunities for employment in a good, union job.

“Unions built the middle class in St. Paul, but we won’t survive as a labor movement unless we reflect our communities as a whole. That’s what this job fair is about.”

St. Paul Regional Labor Federation President Bobby Kasper welcomes people to the job fair.
Jose Marrero of the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters talks with jobseekers.
Gary Larsen, a native East-Sider and representative of the Laborers Training Center in Lino Lakes, talks with jobseekers.
Gerone Hamilton, chief of community relations, represents the St. Paul Fire Department.
Mayor Chris Coleman’s remarks open the Union Job and Resource Fair.
IBEW Local 110’s Jim Grim (R) offers information about a career as an electrical worker.
Interpreters fluent in several languages, including Karen, help jobseekers confer with representatives like Rick Dushaw of the Carpenters union.
Dua Thao (L) talks about resources available to jobseekers at St. Paul’s public libraries.
Matt Ryder of BCTGM Local 22 talks about employment opportunities in St. Paul’s industrial bakeries.
Jody Paulson offers information on an apprenticeship with Bricklayers and Allied Crafts Local 1.

During the fair, held at the independent East Side Freedom Library, jobseekers ducked in and out of booths staffed by representatives of about 20 union employers and eight local agencies, which provided resources on everything from resume writing to record expungement.

Ebba Benti, a resident of Frogtown, took home a business card from one of the St. Paul Public Schools’ maintenance managers, who said Benti’s skills sounded like a match for several openings in the district. “I told him what skills I have, what I know, and he liked me, I guess,” Benti said.

Ebba Benti (R) talks with a representative of the St. Paul Public Schools, who told Benti his skills made him a good fit for several openings in the district's maintenance department.

Ebba Benti (R) talks with a representative of the St. Paul Public Schools, who told Benti his skills made him a good fit for several openings in the district’s maintenance department.

An immigrant from East Africa, Benti said a job at a school sounded appealing. “I like seeing kids doing stuff, having fun,” he added. “Where I’m from, you don’t see that enough.”

The St. Paul school district was among several public-sector employers represented at the job fair. Others included the city’s fire department and water services, as well as the City of Minneapolis. Private-sector employers at the fair included several nursing homes, industrial bakers and Eureka Recycling.

“Jobs are good, good jobs are better and union jobs are the best of all,” St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman told jobseekers and employers during a brief program to kick off the event.

Gary Larsen, an East-Sider since birth, was one of several Building Trades representatives at the job fair promoting their apprenticeship programs. Larsen, a member of the Laborers union, said he was proud to be promoting good, union jobs in his own neighborhood.

“This is awesome for me,” said Larsen, a member of the Laborers union. “As a kid I used to ride my bike to this library.”

Apprenticeships in the trades offer workers the potential to earn as they learn, with middle-class wages and good health and pension benefits. Jobs like that were a lot more common on the East-Side when Larsen was growing up, before Whirlpool, 3M and Hamm’s shut down their production plants.

“Hopefully, we’re making some good connections here today that lead to not just jobs for East-Siders, but careers,” Larsen said. “We want to keep the East Side prospering the way it should be.”

Filed Under: Union Events Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

St. Paul clergy: Citywide earned sick time ordinance makes ‘common sense’

March 15, 2016 by
Pastor Bradley Schmeling explains his support for a citywide earned-sick-time ordinance during a press conference at St. Paul City Hall.

Pastor Bradley Schmeling explains his support for a citywide earned-sick-time ordinance during a press conference at St. Paul City Hall.

 

Faith leaders from St. Paul today gathered in City Hall to support a citywide ordinance guaranteeing workers access to earned sick and safe time.

“The scripture says we are one body, and when one part of the body suffers, the whole body suffers,” Pastor Ralph Baumgartner said. “And when 42 percent of workers in our community can’t care for themselves or their family members when they are sick, our community is broken.”

About 20 clergy members, members of the ISAIAH network, staged a brief press conference before delivering hand-written notes to their city council members. The organization, which works for social justice in the Twin Cities, is “launching a faith-led effort” to garner support for a sick-time ordinance.

Already, clergy members have met with more than 40 business owners to discuss the parameters of a potential ordinance, and plans are in the works to engage over 1,000 people in 40 congregations on the issue. Pastor Grant Stevensen, a leader of ISAIAH, said no one should be forced to choose between working while sick and not being able to pay their rent or utilities.

Rev. Charles Gill of Pilgrim Baptist said extending earned sick time to all St. Paul workers would help "people who have a great desire to take care of their families, who are responsible adults."

Rev. Charles Gill of Pilgrim Baptist said extending earned sick time to all St. Paul workers would help “people who have a great desire to take care of their families, who are responsible adults.”

“We know too many workers in our congregations who are forced to make that choice,” Stevensen said.

The issue has public-health implications as well. A 2014 study by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research found that only 24 percent of food preparation and service workers have access to earned sick and safe time. In Minnesota, at least 208 outbreaks of foodborne illness were linked to employees working while sick between 2004 and 2013.

“This is not controversial. This is common sense,” Baumgartner said. “If you can’t rest when you’re sick, you don’t get better.”

Bradley Schmeling, pastor at Gloria Dei Lutheran, remembered waiting tables in a restaurant while he was in graduate school, when rent and other obligations left him no choice but to work whether healthy or sick.

“But increasingly, many workers aren’t in low paying jobs with no sick time because they’re working their way through school or working their way up the ladder,” Schmeling said. “They are working those jobs permanently.”

Clergy members also said guaranteeing access to earned sick time would help address the region’s glaring racial disparities. Baumgartner, pastor at Hope Lutheran Church, pointed to statistics showing black workers are 25 percent less likely than white workers to have the benefit, and Latino workers about 30 percent less likely.

“If we believe that black lives matter, then we must build systems and structures that make the playing field equal and fair and just,” he said.

Mayor Chris Coleman and council members are waiting on the recommendations of a task force considering the issue. It’s estimated that more than 70,000 workers in St. Paul do not have access to earned sick and safe time benefits.

“My prayer is that the city of St. Paul will be a leader,” Baumgartner said.

Filed Under: Politics Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Unions: Dayton’s ‘jobs bill’ would strengthen state’s infrastructure and economy

January 15, 2016 by

capitolGov. Mark Dayton today proposed investing $1.4 billion in infrastructure improvements across Minnesota, including $82 million earmarked for projects in St. Paul.

The governor called the bonding proposal a “jobs bill” and, drawing on academic research, estimated it would create work for nearly 40,000 Minnesotans. [The calculation does not include an additional $600 million Dayton’s proposal would leverage in private, federal and local funds.]

The measure quickly drew support from two of the state’s top labor leaders.

Harry Melander, president of the Minnesota Building and Construction Trades Council, said he was “encouraged” by the $1.4 billion proposal.

“Gov. Dayton continues to build on his legacy of maintaining Minnesota’s infrastructure for generations to come,” Melander said. “It’s a legacy of not only maintaining our infrastructure, but also providing good, well-paying jobs for working people throughout our state.”

“Upgrading infrastructure is one of the smartest things state government can do for our economy,” Minnesota AFL-CIO President Bill McCarthy said. “The governor’s plan will put tens of thousands of Minnesotans to work in family sustaining jobs. When more people work, more people spend money, leading to a stronger economy.

“We urge lawmakers to take advantage of Minnesota’s strong fiscal standing to improve infrastructure and put even more people to work.”

The jobs bill would provide upgrades or repairs to bridges, rail crossings, water treatment facilities, higher-education facilities, wetlands and other assets across Minnesota.

Locally, Dayton’s bill includes $42.9 million to rebuild the Kellogg Avenue Bridge, which is considered structurally deficient. The bridge connects downtown St. Paul with the city’s eastern neighborhoods and suburbs.

Also targeted for bonding funds are the seal and sea lions exhibit at Como Zoo ($14.5 million), the Dorothy Day ReVision project ($12 million) and improvements to the Minnesota Science Museum ($13 million).

“From transportation financing to economic development, the governor’s proposal reflects his commitment to ensuring a strong capital city – including critical investments in our transportation infrastructure and parks,” St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman said. “We are very appreciative of the governor’s support.”

The jobs bill also would provide $34.4 million for the renovation of vacant facilities and a new visitor center at Historic Fort Snelling.

Legislators will weigh Dayton’s jobs bill when the 2015-16 session reconvenes March 8. Bonding bills require a three-fifths majority vote – 81 representatives and 41 senators – in order to pass.

Filed Under: Labor Voices, Politics Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Looking to ‘step up our game,’ Ironworkers open new training center in St. Paul

August 26, 2015 by
Local 512's two-story training frame was too tall for apprentices to use safely in the local's previous facility, training director Larry Gilbertson said.

Local 512’s two-story training frame was too tall for apprentices to use safely in the local’s previous facility, training director Larry Gilbertson said.

 

Calling it an investment critical to the union’s survival, Ironworkers Local 512 Business Manager Charlie Roberts cut the ribbon on a new $3.1 million apprenticeship training center in St. Paul yesterday.

A large crowd of journey-level, apprentice and retired Ironworkers attended the ceremony, which marked the completion of Local 512’s 18,000-square-foot facility on Pierce Butler Route, near Dale Avenue. Construction work began in January.

Larry Gilbertson, the local’s training director, said the state-of-the-art facility reflects the “commitment to training that Ironworkers Local 512 has always had, so that we’re putting out the hardest working, best trained workers.”

Ironworkers twice voted to approve a dues increase to finance the new training center.

“We built this on our own,” Roberts told members. “You can be proud of it. It’s the Ironworkers stuffing the bolts in the high iron who are responsible for this.”

Business Manager Charlie Roberts cuts the ribbon on Local 512’s new training center.
St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman congratulates Local 512 members on their investment in training.
Charlie Roberts announces he’s stepping aside as Local 512’s business manager. Barry Davies will take his place in the position.
Journey-level, apprentice and retired Ironworkers listen as training director Larry Gilbertson lists the benefits of the new facility.

The investment boosts the capacity of Local 512’s apprenticeship program, increasing the number of welding booths from 19 to 30, doubling the number of classrooms from four to eight and doubling the amount of shop space for hands-on training. The new building is tall enough to allow apprentices to make full use of a two-story training frame, and there’s a new courtyard for outdoor work and events.

“For the next 100 years we can train the best Ironworkers in the country because of this facility,” business agent Barry Davies said.

The new training center will be named after Roberts, who announced he is stepping aside as business manager, with Davies stepping in as his immediate replacement. Roberts said he’s confident the investment in training and education will provide Local 512 members with a competitive edge for years to come.

“We’re in a different environment. We’re surrounded by right-to-work states, with Michigan and Wisconsin being the latest,” Roberts said. “We have got to step up our game.”

St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman attended the ceremony. He praised the union’s commitment to providing a pathway into middle-class careers.

“Our job as elected officials is to make sure we have work for you,” Coleman said, plugging efforts to build a pro-soccer stadium in St. Paul. “When we keep investing in our community and you keep investing in yourselves, that’s how we grow a community.”

Local 512 represents 1,343 journey-level Ironworkers, 403 apprentices and 278 probationary members working in Minnesota, North Dakota and 21 counties in western Wisconsin.

Filed Under: Community, Union Events Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Melander steps down as St. Paul Building Trades’ top officer

August 3, 2015 by
Incoming and outgoing officers of the St. Paul Building Trades: (L to R) Tom McCarthy, Stan Theis, Harry Melander and Don Mullin.

Incoming and outgoing officers of the St. Paul Building Trades: (L to R) Tom McCarthy, Stan Theis, Harry Melander and Don Mullin.

 

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 McCarthy of Plumbers Local 34 to serve as president. McCarthy replaces Local 34’s Stan Theis, who retired earlier this year.

Although Melander is stepping down from the St. Paul Building Trades, he will continue to serve as president of the Minnesota Building and Construction Trades Council, a part-time position. Two years remain on his term in office.

To facilitate a smooth transition in leadership, Mullin began working alongside Melander in the Building Trades’ office last month. Mullin acknowledged he has big shoes to fill in his new job.

“Harry has so much knowledge and so many connections,” Mullin said. “He understands that all of the Trades have a part to play. He understands what the ‘Fitters are doing, what the Plumbers are doing, what the Ironworkers are doing and the rest.

“He’s done so much, given back so much to St. Paul and the state of Minnesota. He really cares about people and the advancement of the middle class.”

Harry Melander, second from left, shown in a Union Advocate file photo from 1988, when he was president of Carpenters Local 87. Melander and Al Garcia of Centro Cultural Chicano spoke at a press conference deploring conditions at a construction site in Bloomington that employed migrant workers.

Harry Melander is second from left in this Union Advocate file photo from 1988, when he was president of Carpenters Local 87. Melander and Al Garcia of Centro Cultural Chicano spoke at a press conference deploring conditions at a construction site in Bloomington that employed migrant workers.

A ‘lasting impact’ on St. Paul

A member of the Carpenters union, Melander rose to the position of president in Local 87 before going to work full time as a business representative for the St. Paul Building Trades in 1997, assisting then-Executive Secretary Dick Anfang.

Anfang and his predecessor in office, Bill Peterson, reached out to elected officials, community leaders and developers, cultivating relationships, Melander said, that would create jobs for Building Trades union members for years to come. Melander’s focus over the last 10 years has been on maintaining those relationships – and building new ones.

“We have a great relationship with cities, counties and school boards in the area,” Melander said. “I’ve been fortunate enough to have an excellent mayor to work with in St. Paul, as well as the City Council.”

The admiration is mutual, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman said.

“Harry is a good friend and has been an incredible public servant for the City of Saint Paul,” Coleman said. “He is a strong advocate for women and immigrants entering the Building Trades, a determined and resolute trade unionist and an unwavering voice for job creation and economic development.

“While we will all miss his colorful quips and great sense of humor, his leadership within the labor movement will leave a lasting impact on our city.”

Melander’s tenure with the St. Paul Building Trades was not without challenges. He was at the helm during a sharp downturn in the industry following the economic collapse of 2008, with work falling off in some crafts by as much as 70 percent. But infrastructure investments like the Green Line and major construction projects like Target Field – both aided by the Building Trades’ lobbying efforts at City Hall and the Capitol – helped soften the recession’s blow.

“The reason we as a council stayed together is because we have affiliates who appreciate what the council does and who believe in what the Building Trades do,” Melander said. “The industry is very cyclical. But the Building Trades remain a great place for men and women to have a middle-class lifestyle.”

In addition to staying on as president of the statewide Building Trades council, Melander will remain involved in overseeing construction of a new labor center at 345 W. 7th St. “We’re going to give people a new home in St. Paul for a strong labor movement in the future,” he said.

Melander’s advice to Mullin, his successor?

“It’s about relationships and trust,” Melander said of the job. “You’re not always going to get to ‘yes,’ but if you can’t do the deal, you walk away with a smile on your face anyway.”

Don Mullen

Don Mullin

Mullin takes the reins

Mullin, 43, is a White Bear Lake resident and a 20-year member of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades. Before his election to the Building Trades Council, Mullin worked as political director of IUPAT District Council 82 and as business representative of Sign and Display Local 880.

Mullin said he hopes to maintain and build on the Council’s existing relationships with local governments, including school boards, city councils and county boards. When those relationships are strong, the Council is in a better position to “police our work,” he said.

“We can look for opportunities to see project labor agreements and enforcement of prevailing wage laws,” he said. “A lot of development comes through city dollars. We need to be developing those relationships and engaging these communities in what we’re all about.”

Ramsey County recently dedicated a staff person to investigating and enforcing prevailing wage on a part-time basis. Mullin said he hopes to recruit other municipalities in the region to pool their resources with the county to support a full-time position.

Mullin also will work to support unions in their efforts to reach out to communities and demographic groups underrepresented in the Trades.

“If you look at most union members today, they’ve gotten here through a family member or somebody else they know,” he said. “We need to be engaging other communities to make sure they know we’ve got a great pathway into the middle class. There are some great career opportunities in this area.”

In addition to his work with IUPAT District Council 82, Mullin has served two years on the White Bear Lake School Board, and he sits on Ramsey County’s Workforce Investment Board and its task force on ice arenas.

Filed Under: Labor Voices, Union Events Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Parental leave policy a ‘giant leap forward’ for City of St. Paul employees

October 31, 2014 by

st-paulApril VanMassenhove gave birth to her second child, Miles, last Tuesday. A clerical worker in the City of St. Paul’s Public Works department, VanMassenhove will exhaust her paid-sick days, then her vacation time and, finally, land on short-term disability in order to maintain an income while she cares for her newborn son.

Fortunately for parents-to-be working for the city, Mayor Chris Coleman and the St. Paul City Council have moved to guarantee paid parental leave for city employees.

The new policy, set to kick in Jan. 1, 2015, will provide four weeks paid salary to employees like VanMassenhove, who are birthing mothers. Non-birthing employees, like fathers or couples adopting children, will have access to two weeks paid salary as they become parents.

“This policy is good for families, and it’s good for bringing in the best and brightest to the City of St. Paul,” Coleman said. “As the manager of a 2,850-person workforce that’s seeing an increase in retirements, I believe this policy will make us an attractive employer to a new generation of public employees.”

City officials estimate the policy will cost $200,000 annually out of the city’s general fund, but it’s worth the price, said Eliot Seide, director of AFSCME Council 5, the state’s largest union of public employees.

“Our capital city is leading the way on paid leave for parents,” Seide said.  “It’s a giant leap forward for working families. And it’s a great benefit to attract the next wave of city employees as baby boomers retire.”

The Family Medical Leave Act guarantees workers up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave after bringing a child into their families – but without pay. That forces new mothers to make difficult choices about caring for their newborn and drawing an income, said Peggy Flanagan, director of the Children’s Defense Fund of Minnesota.

“All workers should be able to take time off to bond with a new child without having to sacrifice a paycheck,” Flanagan said. “Minnesota is a state that values children and families. We applaud the City of St. Paul for reflecting this value in its workplace policies and encourage other cities and employers to follow its lead.”

VanMassenhove, a member of AFSCME, plans to spend at least three months bonding with and caring for Miles. “I need that time to spend with a newborn, especially at first when we’re not sleeping,” she said. “Bringing a child to day care at 6 weeks – I don’t like that. It’s too young.”

But drawing down her paid-sick time – already low as a result of pre-delivery doctor’s appointments – and vacation, VanMassenhove said, will leave her in a perilous position after she returns to work.

“When Miles starts day care, if he gets sick it’s hard for me to take time off and care for him because I don’t have any time left,” she said. “I have to start from zero.”

VanMassenhove is hopeful the new policy will apply retroactively.

“To have one of those three months paid for would just be wonderful,” she said.

Filed Under: Organizing Tagged With: , , , , ,

Lunds gives downtown St. Paul a full-service, union grocery store

May 23, 2014 by
UFCW Local 1189 members Diane Kramer (L) and Jillian Roemer ring up the first two customers on Lunds' first day open for business downtown St. Paul.

UFCW Local 1189 members Diane Kramer (L) and Jillian Roemer ring up the first two customers on Lunds’ first day open for business downtown St. Paul.

Good news: Downtown St. Paul finally has the full-service grocery store residents have been clamoring for. Even better news: It’s a union shop.

After years of planning and waiting, Lunds opened a 27,000-square-foot store on the ground floor of the Penfield Apartments at 10th and Robert streets May 15. The store’s 80 workers are members of Local 1189 of the United Food and Commercial Workers.

At the store’s grand-opening celebration May 15, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman touted the grocer’s arrival as more evidence that St. Paul’s downtown area is thriving.

“To be a full community, you absolutely have to have a full-service grocery store,” Coleman said. “This is a gigantic leap forward for the City of St. Paul.”

Bartara Gonzales serves a customer at the deli inside Lunds' downtown location.

Bartara Gonzales serves a customer at the deli inside Lunds’ downtown location.

St. Paul has added 1,100 new housing units downtown in the last year, Coleman noted. A new microbrewery, a new minor-league ballpark and, thanks to funding from the state bonding bill, a renovated Palace Theater soon will open just blocks away from Lunds.

Lund Food Holdings CEO Tres Lund acknowledged the “renewed vitality taking place downtown St. Paul” was a factor in the company’s decision to expand into the district.

“One thing the community has lacked, until now, is a full‐service grocery store,” Lund said. “Our store team of nearly 80 employees is eager to provide the community with this much‐needed amenity. Whether you live or work in and around the downtown area, we look forward to becoming your new neighbor.”

A ‘full-service’ grocer

Lunds and Bylerly’s, which Lund Food Holdings acquired in 1997, have 25 retail locations across the Twin Cities area. The chain, celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, has established a reputation for upscale, full-service operations.

The downtown St. Paul Lunds figures to become a popular lunch destination among people working in the area, and the store has a café seating area to accommodate the lunch rush.

Deli workers celebrate the store's grand opening (L to R): Bartara Gonzales, Alaina Moseng and Kristina Kong.

Deli workers celebrate the store’s grand opening (L to R): Bartara Gonzales, Alaina Moseng and Kristina Kong.

The store’s deli features a salad bar, sandwiches, soups and other hot foods. There’s also sushi, prepared in the store daily, and a Big Bowl Chinese Express counter.

Other services and offerings include cake decorating at Lunds’ bakery, hundreds of specialty cheeses from around the world, the largest olive and antipasti bar in any Lunds or Byerly’s, and free knife sharpening from the store’s meat department.

Bachman’s Floral, Caribou Coffee and St. Croix Cleaners dry cleaning operate counters inside Lunds, providing additional convenience for shoppers.

Access to the store is equally convenient, with 95 stalls in an attached parking ramp and, beginning June 14, a Green Line light-rail stop just one block away.

Penfield pays off

The Penfield, which houses Lunds, is built on the former site of the St. Paul Public Safety Building, the façade of which has been absorbed into the new structure.

The 80 or so members of UFCW Local 1189 who staff Lunds are the latest in a string of union members who have found employment as a result of The Penfield development. But there was a time when many wondered if The Penfield would get off the ground at all.

After the housing market collapsed with the Great Recession, the development stalled, as did Lunds’ plans to open in the downtown market. Financing from the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust, which invests union pension capital into union-built construction projects, helped revive the project.

“When I took office in 2006, the Penfield project was one of our No. 1 priorities. We knew it would help the rest of the city develop,” Coleman said. “The challenge was, as the economy collapsed, the resources that we needed [for] the project were scarcer and scarcer. It was the Housing Investment Trust that allowed us the resources we needed to get this project in the ground and get people to work building it.”

Now that investment is putting union members to work inside The Penfield as well.

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