Over 1 million Minnesotans will begin receiving payments of $487.45 from the State of Minnesota this week as a token of public appreciation for their work on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Minnesota union members led the fight to secure bonus pay for 1 million frontline workers
October 4, 2022 by
Wilfs’ company turned deaf ear to warnings of wage theft at Viking Lakes development
May 10, 2022 by
Tradespeople who worked on the Viking Lakes luxury apartments in Eagan went public last week with accusations of wage theft on the project, owned and developed by the same family that owns the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings. Worker advocacy groups, including the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters (NCSRCC), pinned responsibility for the alleged labor […]
Roslyn Robertson: ‘Every fatality crosses my desk, and my stomach just cringes’
April 26, 2022 by
Minnesota’s labor commissioner discusses the state’s efforts to promote safe workplaces and more in this Union Advocate interview.
March events: Expo to connect women with pathways into trades
March 1, 2021 by
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 […]
Senate GOP ousts MN labor commissioner, plays politics with worker health, safety
August 13, 2020 by
Minnesota AFL-CIO President Bill McCarthy called the party-line vote a “slap in the face to working Minnesotans.”
In victory for unions, Trump administration leaves construction out of new apprenticeship rule
March 30, 2020 by
Allowing IRAPs in the industry would have created a shortcut around the rigorous standards of registered apprenticeship, unions argued.
Ken Peterson: On Workers Memorial Day we remember the dead, fight for the living
April 28, 2017 by
Four workers from St. Louis will not be alive to observe Workers Memorial Day on April 28 this year. Their unnecessary deaths earlier in the month are a stark reminder that despite calls for cutting back government regulations, we cannot allow workplace safety standards or enforcement to be reduced. At about 7:30 a.m., Monday, April […]
Native pride meets union pride in Cement Masons’ training program
August 2, 2016 by
NEW BRIGHTON – As the first trickle of mud oozed out of the concrete truck’s chute, 13 trainees dressed in hardhats, safety vests and tall rubber boots sprung into action, using shovels and trowels to distribute the concrete evenly across 13 rectangular slabs. The July heat was pushing 90 degrees, and the trainees, participants […]
White House summit lifts up Minnesota workers’ success stories
February 9, 2016 by
When President Obama called a Worker Voice Summit at the White House last October, he pledged his administration would hold regional summits across the country in 2016 to continue the conversation about common issues working people face on the job. The first of those summits took place in Minneapolis today – and with good […]
Ken Peterson: Apprenticeship training meets workforce needs of today and tomorrow
November 5, 2015 by
Minnesota’s workforce is experiencing tremendous transition. Thousands of our experienced baby boomers are retiring, while many employers are seeking a workforce capable of meeting increased levels of skill to operate new technologies with precision. An emerging, yet familiar, pathway for some employers to successfully bridge that gap is registered apprenticeship programs. Registered apprenticeship programs have […]
Union Advocate 