Photos: A ‘concrete Christmas’ for Cement Masons Local 633

December 2, 2015 by

 

Decking the apprenticeship hall with festive concrete has become an annual tradition at Cement Masons Local 633.

The local hosted a holiday party at its training center in New Brighton last night, and members strolled through a “Peanuts”-themed winter wonderland fashioned by first- and second-year apprentices.

All of the work to create the concrete Christmas display, instructor Dave Schutta said, simulated work Local 633 members do in the field every day, from installing tip-up panels for Snoopy’s doghouse to pouring a concrete wall.

Apprentices began work on the display Nov. 2.

Learn more about the Cement Masons’ apprenticeship program here, and view photos of the display below.

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Local 633 apprentices deck the training hall with festive seasonal display

December 23, 2013 by

web.ConcreteChristmas-deer-hor

ConcreteChristmas-sceneIt looked a lot like Christmas earlier this month at the Cement Masons Local 633 apprenticeship training center in New Brighton, where the local’s 20 first- and second-year apprentices constructed an enormous seasonal landscape out of concrete.

The display, unveiled to members at the local’s holiday party last week, spreads across the floor of the facility’s warehouse-like training area. It features 13 yards of concrete shaped into festive signs of the season, from Christmas trees to gift-wrapped boxes.

web.ConcreteChristmas-trainInstructors Moke Eaglefeathers and Dave Schutta designed the landscape with the help of a handful of apprentices. The display reflects the different skills apprentices learn as part of the trade, from mapping and form work to various finishing styles.

“It’s a good way to break the apprentices in,” Eaglefeathers said. “What better way than to get them on a project right away that lets them use their imaginations, lets them be kids again?”

The project teaches another important skill: patience. It took three weeks of work to complete.

The holiday display has been a part of Local 633’s curriculum for the last five years or so, Eaglefeathers said, but the instructors have never seen a display as impressive as this year’s.

“We try to one-up ourselves every year,” he said. “We don’t know how we’re going to one-up ourselves after this.”

Local 633 apprenticeship instructors Moke Eaglefeathers (L) and Dave Schutta.

Local 633 apprenticeship instructors Moke Eaglefeathers (L) and Dave Schutta.

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IBEW holiday lights glow through New Year’s Day in Phalen Park

November 14, 2013 by
Holiday Lights in the Park is a dynamic light display in Phalen Park.

Holiday Lights in the Park is a dynamic light display in Phalen Park.

IBEW Holiday Lights in the Park, the larger-than-life display of holiday-themed light sculptures, will open its gates Nov. 26 and light up St. Paul’s Phalen Park nightly through New Year’s Day.

Developed by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and King of Kings Lutheran Church of Woodbury, Holiday Lights in the Park is a volunteer-run, charitable endeavor entering its sixth year.

Proceeds from the event will benefit Second Harvest Heartland, Union Gospel Mission, the Saint Paul Parks Conservancy, the St. Paul Police Foundation, and UnderConstruction, an organization that introduces young people to careers in the Building Trades.

Admission is $8 per car Sunday through Thursday nights and $10 per car on Fridays, Saturdays and holidays. On Dec. 3 all military families that arrive with a valid military ID will be given free admission to the display.

For more information about the “Holiday Lights in the Park” display and related fundraising activities, go to www.lightsinthepark.org.

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Fair Trade/Union Made Holiday Sale in Minneapolis Dec. 8

November 14, 2013 by

12.8 Holiday Sale Flyer PrinterSkip Black Friday and try a sweatshop-free shopping spree instead with the annual Fair Trade/Union Made Holiday Sale in Minneapolis.

A benefit for the nonprofit Minnesota Fair Trade Coalition, the sale will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 8 at the CWA Local 7200 Hall, 3521 E. Lake St.

Vendors include Ten Thousand Villages, Divas Fair Trade, progressive artist Ricardo Levins Morales, Regla De Oro Gallery and the Minnesota-based clothing store Union House.

The Minnesota Fair Trade Coalition unites more than 70 faith, labor, environmental, family farm, consumer and human rights groups to advocate for trade policy that promotes social and environmental justice.

For more details on the event, contact Josh Wise at josh@citizenstrade.org or 952-828-5474.

Click to view the event page on Facebook.

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Operation Christmas Solidarity to support Crystal Sugar workers

November 29, 2012 by

Last year’s Operation Christmas Solidarity raised more than $25,000 in toys and household items for locked-out families.

The St. Paul Regional Labor Federation and American Income Life will sponsor a second Operation Christmas Solidarity this year, with proceeds of the gift, toy and household-goods drive benefiting families of workers who have been locked out of their jobs by American Crystal Sugar.

Over 1,300 members of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers union in Minnesota, North Dakota and Iowa have been affected by the lockout, which began more than 16 months ago. As the need in these families has grown, their resources have depleted, but last year’s holiday drive raised more than $25,000 for locked-out families.

Unwrapped items and monetary donations will be accepted through Dec. 17 at the following location, by mail or in person: St. Paul Regional Labor Federation, Attention: Laura Testor, 411 Main Street, Suite 202, St. Paul, MN 55102.

Make checks payable to: St. Paul Labor Studies & Resource Center (LSRC). Please note in memo line: Operation Christmas Solidarity. All donations are tax deductible.

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Renowned conductor, Minnesota Chorale join benefit for SPCO’s locked-out musicians

November 29, 2012 by

Locked out of their jobs, the Musicians of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra are looking to grow public support in their ongoing dispute with orchestra management by doing what they do best – performing world-class music for their fans.

The Musicians of the SPCO will partner with the Minnesota Chorale, the region’s premier symphonic chorus, for two performances Dec. 20- 21 of the traditional holiday classic Handel’s Messiah at Central Lutheran Church downtown Minneapolis. Both performances will start at 7:30 p.m.

Central Lutheran Church is located across the street from the Minneapolis Convention Center, at 333 South 12th Street. Convenient parking is adjacent to the church.

Internationally acclaimed conductor Hugh Wolff, the SPCO’s principal conductor and music director from 1988 to 2000, will conduct the concerts.

Tickets cost between $15 and $45, and they are available through the Central Lutheran Church website, or at messiahmpls.brownpapertickets.com.

The concerts will benefit SPCO musicians, who have been out of work since being locked out by orchestra management Oct. 21. The orchestra is seeking steep cuts to pay and benefits – cuts orchestra members say will have a negative impact on the group’s artistic quality.

The holiday benefit concerts will follow an all-Mozart benefit concert Dec. 2 at Wayzata Community Church, staged by the SPCO musicians with Pinchas Zukerman, an internationally acclaimed violinist and conductor.

For more information on the SPCO musicians and their lockout, go to www.musiciansspco.org.

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Holiday baking? Be sure not to use Crystal Sugar!

November 29, 2012 by

This holiday season, your Christmas cookies will taste better knowing union-busting Crystal Sugar isn’t among the ingredients.

The Moorhead-based company has locked 1,300 union workers out of their jobs for 16 months, prompting the AFL-CIO to call a nationwide boycott.

The easiest way to avoid buying Crystal Sugar is to buy cane sugar, like the C&H brand, instead. For more on the boycott, go to www.boycottacs.com.

Locked-out workers, members of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers union, were scheduled to vote on the company’s contract offer for a fourth time  on Dec. 1.

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Five years later, Electrical Workers’ holiday lights still a big hit with families

November 29, 2012 by

Volunteer Bruce Ferry, a retired member of IBEW Local 110, assembles a Holiday Lights in the Park display.

IBEW Holiday Lights in the Park has come a long way since its inception in 2008. What began as a family-friendly way to raise funds for worthy Twin Cities charities has since spawned a concert series and four albums of holiday music, raising $170,000 for its non-profit partners along the way.

But in spite of its success and popularity, Holiday Lights, which opened in St. Paul’s Phalen Park Nov. 20 and runs through New Year’s Day, remains a volunteer-driven community event.

That fact was evident as volunteers from locals 110 and 292 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers went about bringing the show’s “light sculptures and animated displays” to life last month.

Gary Oman, a retired member of St. Paul-based IBEW Local 110, was among the volunteers working Nov. 15 to assemble a display featuring Santa’s reindeer. It was his first year volunteering with Holiday Lights in the Park.

“The union gave me a lot in the 36 years I was working,” Oman said. “We’re just returning the favor today.”

While Oman and other electrical workers volunteer to assemble the displays, volunteers from King of Kings Lutheran Church in Woodbury staff the event each night, greeting visitors, collecting donations and directing traffic through the park.

As a result, Holiday Lights maintains a unique charm that separates it from the likes of the Holidazzle Parade downtown Minneapolis. What’s more, Holiday Lights is easier to get to for many visitors, who don’t have to leave the warmth of their running vehicles.

All net proceeds of the event, as well as CD sales of “Holiday Lights Volume 4” and ticket sales for the “Holiday Lights LIVE” concert, benefit Second Harvest Heartland, Union Gospel Mission, the St. Paul Parks Conservancy and UnderConstruction, a non-profit organization that introduces youth to careers in the construction trades.

For more information on the Holiday Lights event and the music, visit www.lightsinthepark.org.

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Labor of Love helps families in need during holiday season

November 12, 2012 by

Greater Twin Cities United Way and the St. Paul Regional Labor Federation’s AFL-CIO Community Services program are co-sponsoring the Labor of Love – Adopt a Family holiday program, collecting donations to support families in need in the East Metro area.

Tax-deductible donations will be used to purchase gift cards from union grocers. Gift cards will support holiday food drives operated by Catholic Charities and the Jewish Community Center in St. Paul.

To contribute, mail a check payable to “Labor Studies Resource Center (LSRC) – Labor of Love” to AFL-CIO Community Services Program, Attention: Laura, 411 Main St. Suite 202, St. Paul, MN 55102.

Contributions will be accepted through Dec. 3.

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Put your holiday shopping dollars to work at Fair Trade Coalition gift sale

November 5, 2012 by

Holiday shopping season is right around the corner. Shoppers looking to give gifts but avoid products made in sweatshops should mark Dec. 2 on their calendars; that’s when the Minnesota Fair Trade Coalition will hold its annual Fair Trade/Union Made Holiday Sale.

The sale features products made by workers treated fairly and ethically by their employers or distributors, from artisan crafts from around the world to clothes made by union members right here in the U.S. Items for sale will be provided by Ten Thousand Villages and Union House, the all-American retailer based in Wyoming, Minn.

The sale will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Dec. 2 at the CWA Local 7200 Hall, 3521 E. Lake St., Minneapolis.

The holiday sale benefits the Minnesota Fair Trade Coalition, a nonprofit coalition of 50-plus faith, labor, environmental, family-farm, consumer and human rights groups, advocating for trade policy that promotes social and environmental justice.

“We know that workers across the globe get mutual benefit when they stand in solidarity for their rights, and this event is being held to promote the values of the movement for Global Solidarity,” coalition director Josh Wise said.

Entertainment and refreshments also will be provided. For more details contact Josh Wise at josh [at] citizenstrade [dot] org. Or call 952-828-5474.

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