St. Paul boxers with a union in common enter Hall of Fame together

October 24, 2019 by

Brian Brunette (L) and Matt Vanda, on a union job site in Minneapolis. (photo courtesy Dwight Engen)

Two St. Paul natives who traded in their boxing gloves for work gloves were inducted into the Minnesota Boxing Hall of Fame this month.

Brian Brunette and Matt Vanda, both members of Local 563 of the Laborers International Union (LIUNA), received the honor during a banquet Oct. 11 at Mystic Lake Casino.

After working in the field for 15 years, Brunette, 61, is now a marketing representative for LIUNA’s Great Lakes Regional Organizing Committee. He joined the union in 1976 as a teenager, after his father discovered he had no prospects for a summer job.

“My dad said, ‘Get in the car,’ and he drove me down to the Laborers hall,” Brunette said. “I eventually went to college, but I always found my way back into the Laborers union in the summer.”

Vanda, 41, joined LIUNA in 2012 after taking a job with a local excavating company. The choice to go from breaking down opponents in the ring to breaking down rubble on the job site, he said, was “the best move I’ve ever made in my life.”

“The best part of demo work is I don’t get hit in the head,” Vanda laughed.

The ‘Saintly City Slugger’

Boxing is in Brunette’s DNA. His father was an accomplished Golden Gloves fighter in the 1930s, and Brian began boxing in the backyard with brothers Tom, Bobby and Al as a young kid. Growing up on St. Paul’s East Side, he remembered, “it was either boxing or baseball.”

Initially, Brunette chose baseball. He excelled as a middle infielder in high school and accepted a scholarship to play for coach Dick Siebert at the University of Minnesota. But when Siebert, during a fall meeting, advised his players to commit to a conditioning program during the school year, Brunette could think of only one place to go – the boxing gym.

When one of the gym’s fighters dropped out of a bout in February 1978, a coach approached Brunette with a question.

Brian Brunette

“He asked me, ‘What do you weigh?’ And that was pretty much the start of my career,” Brunette said. “I fought the next night and won.”

Brunette fought the next two years as an amateur, continuing to play baseball for the Gophers, then turned professional as a 21-year-old. By 1980 he was on the undercard of a Larry Holmes fight produced by famed boxing promoter Don King.

Brunette didn’t lose a bout after turning pro until 1986, when he challenged Patrizio Oliva for the world light-welterweight championship in Naples, Italy. Brunette took an accidental thumb to the eye in the first round. Two rounds later, at the urging of his trainer, Brunette threw in the towel.

“The fight didn’t turn out the way I wanted it to, but the way I look at it, I was a champion just getting there,” Brunette said. “Not everybody gets a chance to fight for a world championship.”

The loss in Naples turned out to be his only as a professional. He signed on to fight for the championship again – this time in South Africa – but after reinjuring his eye in training, Brunette retired from boxing at 28.

Still, Brunette remained active in the sport. His family opened an amateur gym, Brunette Boxing, in 1983, and after hanging up his gloves, Brian took on a more active role in working with young fighters in St. Paul.

“It provides structure for so many young kids,” he said. “The work ethic, having to be somewhere at the same time every day, the diet, the training. And when they go home at night, all they want to do is go to sleep.”

‘The Predator’

Vanda began boxing at 12 and compiled a 12-2 record as an amateur before turning pro in 1996, at the age of 17. At the time, only a handful of states allowed minors to box professionally, and Minnesota wasn’t one of them. So Vanda hit the road, boxing in South Dakota, Indiana and Colorado before finally returning home a year later.

It didn’t take long for Matt “the Predator” Vanda to become a hometown favorite. He won his first 11 professional bouts by knockout.

(photo courtesy Dwight Engen)

“After a few fights people came to watch,” Vanda said. “They liked watching me fight, I guess.”

Vanda fought in five middleweight title bouts. He won one, defeating Luis Ramon Campas for the I.B.A. Americas Title in June 2005. He ended his career with a 45-16 record and 25 knockouts. His last bout came in January 2014 at Madison Square Garden, where Vanda lost a title challenge by technical knockout.

Vanda jokes that his wife, Cyndi, forced him to retire, but he knew his days were numbered.

“I was 34 years old, and I had a good run,” he said. “But it gets to a point when they start using you as bait, as someone who they know can go the distance against an up-and-coming young guy but probably not win. That’s when you could get hurt.”

‘Everyone works together’

Retirement hasn’t been easy for Vanda. He and Cyndi briefly separated, but they reunited after Vanda embraced sobriety three years ago. The couple has since welcomed a new daughter, 2-year-old Magdalena, into their family, which also includes 15-year-old Gabriella and 10-year-old Viviana.

“People think I’m crazy, but I enjoy getting up at 4:30 a.m., going to work and getting away,” Vanda said. “Since I quit drinking, the only time I get out is to go to work. It’s almost like a party for me. The guys at work call me a social butterfly.”

Brunette and Vanda see a few similarities between boxing and working as a laborer.

“You’re there to work hard, and you have to get out there and work with your co-workers, share the responsibilities,” Brunette said. “It’s the same thing in the boxing gym. You might have 50 kids on the floor, but everyone’s treated equal, no matter where you’re from or what your background. When you’re in the gym, everyone works together.

“You go from one hard job to the next, breaking down whatever’s in your way,” Vanda said. “And you’ve got to be in shape to go the distance in a fight, just like you’ve got to be in good shape to be a Laborer.”

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Twin Cities workers launch campaign to stop construction industry abuses

December 18, 2018 by

Supporters of the “March for Dignity and Respect” make their way down Lake Street in Minneapolis’ Uptown neighborhood.

With a dramatic rally in the streets of south Minneapolis today, Twin Cities construction workers launched a new movement to improve labor standards in their industry and guarantee dignity for all workers.

“I don’t want to see any more injustice in construction,” Yimer Iriarte said at the start of a rush-hour march along Lake Street in Uptown. “We’re tired of seeing our brothers and sisters tired or hurt because of the way these contractors act.”

Iriarte is part of a group of local construction workers – mostly from residential projects – who began organizing with the Twin Cities-based worker center CTUL two years ago.

CTUL’s efforts to document abuses in the industry led to the arrest of a local construction contractor in September on criminal charges. The case exposed serious problems – wage theft, dangerous working conditions, labor trafficking – that are rampant in the industry’s web of contractors and subcontractors, workers allege.

Yimer Iriarte speaks at a rally before the march, alongside CTUL’s Veronica Mendez Moore.

Iriarte said he experienced wage theft and trafficking firsthand when a contractor refused to pay him and other immigrant workers for their labor.

“We were promised so many things that didn’t happen, and in the end we were threatened with immigration,” Iriarte said. “And I know it’s not just me.”

To raise industry standards, CTUL’s construction members are taking cues from local janitors, who recently won major improvements in the retail cleaning industry after a 6-year-long fight.

Janitors won by pressuring big-box chains like Target and Best Buy to sign Responsible Contractor Agreements, guaranteeing janitors employed by the store’s cleaning contractors have safe working conditions and a voice on the job.

Construction workers want large developers in the Twin Cities area to meet a similar demand: participation in the “Dignity and Respect Standards Council.” The council establish higher standards in the industry, and it would  create a process for monitoring construction sites to ensure all subcontractors are in compliance.

Workers first target is a big one: Lennar Homes. A nationwide firm, Lennar is the Twin Cities’ largest home-builder, and it stands to gain even more work under the City of Minneapolis’ ambitious new rezoning initiative, Minneapolis 2040.

According to CTUL, Lennar has seen a litany of reported abuses on its projects locally and across the country, including the labor trafficking charges filed in Hennepin County earlier this year and a jobsite fatality in Lakeville in 2016.

During the march along Lake Street, CTUL members stopped at a Wells Fargo branch to point out the bank’s history of lending to Lennar despite the allegations stemming from its projects.

And the march involved a bit of street theater. Actors performed an updated take on a centuries-old tradition throughout Spanish Central America, “Las Posadas.” The story alludes to Mary and Joseph’s difficult journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem in search of a warm place to stay the night, with an emphasis on its moral and political message.

The march drew over 100 people, including representatives of the Carpenters, Laborers and other Building Trades unions, who stood in solidarity with CTUL members.

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Bobby Kasper: Working people can be the difference Nov. 6

November 2, 2018 by

St. Paul Regional Labor Federation President Bobby Kasper urges labor volunteers to hit the doors. He’s joined on stage by UFCW Local 1189 officers Jennifer Christensen and Jim Gleb.

The outcome of the Nov. 6 election has the potential to determine our future as union members for at least the next four years.

In Minnesota, we know what’s at stake. We’ve seen the attacks on working people in states around us, and we know those attacks on our freedoms – fended off by Gov. Mark Dayton over the last eight years – will become our reality if Republicans take total control of our state government. Right to work, corporate preemption of our local labor standards, repeal of prevailing wage, attacks on our wages and benefits – they all will find a much more receptive audience with Jeff Johnson in the governor’s office.

Tim Walz is a candidate who will stand for labor and workers’ rights. We live in a time when some people are promoting hate and divisiveness, but that’s not what this election is about. It’s about basic issues – bread-and-butter issues – like our paychecks, our benefits and our freedom to join together and fight for fairness in the workplace.

Tim Walz and our other endorsed candidates – like U.S. Sen. Tina Smith and Angie Craig, running for Congress in Minnesota’s 2nd District, which includes Dakota County – have earned our support by proudly standing with unions, advancing our agenda and speaking up for our members.

We’ve seen what government looks like when politicians ignore the voices of working people and, instead, listen to the whispers of a few CEOs. We get a $1.5 trillion tax cut for corporations and the rich. We get proposed cuts to Medicare and Social Security to pay for their tax scam. We get elected officials who play politics with our health care just to curry favor with some corporate donors. And we get judges who go out of their way to attack our bargaining power at a time of unprecedented income inequality.

We’re tired of it. That’s why we’re changing things by doing what we do best – standing and fighting together.

We’re knocking on doors, making calls and talking at worksites. We’re mobilizing, street-by-street and person-by-person, showing our power and our passion for our issues – the things that affect us every day at our jobs and in our lives. The St. Paul Regional Labor Federation is proud to be the driving force behind what has the makings of the largest and most effective member-to-member political program our state has seen in decades. As a proud member of LIUNA Laborers Local 563, I know these conversations are going to make the difference Nov. 6.

There are three things you can do to help our cause between now and Election Day. First, register and vote. Second, talk to your co-workers about how important it is to vote for candidates who will support our livelihoods. Finally, join our effort to turn out union voters as a volunteer.

– Bobby Kasper is president of the St. Paul Regional Labor Federation, AFL-CIO, representing over 100 affiliate unions with more than 50,000 members who live or work in Ramsey, Washington, Dakota and Chisago counties.

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Builders past, present honored for work on Minnesota’s Capitol

August 22, 2017 by

Renee Gisch brought her grandchildren to the Capitol so they could see the restoration work she and hundreds of other tradespeople did over the last four years. Nearby, Daniel Reibestein and his mother, Donna, paid tribute to the work his great grandfather put into the landmark building’s original construction more than a century ago.

Construction workers past and present were honored Aug. 13 at the Capitol, part of a weekend-long grand reopening of the building after a four-year, $310 million restoration project.

State lawmakers, including Gov. Mark Dayton, praised union tradespeople for their work on the renovation project, which revitalized the Cass Gilbert-designed structure built from 1896 to 1905.

A new plaque in the Capitol basement honors six workers killed during construction of the Capitol.
Renee Gisch showed off a shirt distributed to tradespeople who logged hours on the renovation.
Laborers Local 563 member Dave Chell worked 18 months on the renovation.
Gov. Dayton praised workers who logged a combined 1.4 million hours on the Capitol renovation.
Descendents of stonecutter John Kuettel printed t-shirts for the dedication of a plaque honoring the Capitol’s original builders.
Daniel Reibestein showed a photo of his great grandfather Arnold, a stonecutter.

“It was really amazing to see the personal pride in everybody’s eyes as they worked on this building,” project architect Kimberly Sandbulte said. “A lot of what is here is personal handwork of the craftsmen from 100 years ago, and everybody working on this building really wanted to honor and preserve that history and that legacy.”

Celebrating the originals

It was fitting, then, that descendants of some of those workers were on hand for the ceremony.

Research into the Capitol’s original builders, spearheaded by the University of Minnesota’s Labor Education Service, dug up information on over 600 workers and provided the basis for a documentary film, website and curriculum.

The curriculum, in turn, prompted eighth-grade students in Owatonna to lobby their legislators for a plaque – unveiled at the end of the Aug. 13 Capitol ceremony – honoring six workers killed on the jobsite during construction.

Daniel and Donna Reibestein were among about 100 descendants who turned out for the unveiling. Daniel eagerly shared a photo of his great grandfather Arnold Reibestein, as well as a copy of a payroll ledger showing the stonecutter earned $5 in overtime wages on the project.

Descendants of another original builder, John Kuettel, organized a family reunion around the Capitol ceremony, printing t-shirts with the stonecutter’s image displayed on the back. Some 70 family members attended, Kuettel’s grandson, Norb Adelmann, said, including “a lot of cousins I hadn’t met before.”

“This building is really important to everyone in Minnesota, but it has a special place in the memories and the hearts of the descendants of the builders,” said Randy Croce, the “Who Built Our Capitol?” project director.

Once in a lifetime

The renovation project created 1.4 million hours of work for tradespeople – and posed some unique challenges, JE Dunn Construction’s Jeff Callinan said.

“We marvel and we look at the fine art, and we look at the stained glass and we look at the stone carving – and that’s all magnificent work, incredible,” he said. “But putting modern day systems into a 1905 building is not easy.

“So the electricians and the plumbers and the sheet metal workers and the tile setters – the work they did to pack the systems seamlessly into this Cass Gilbert gem is in itself a marvel.”

Several speakers also celebrated the project for ensuring the people working on the statehouse reflected the demographic makeup of the state. Contractors and Building Trades unions successfully met a 40 percent benchmark for hiring women and minority tradespeople on the project.

“There were a lot of women – and that’s what we need,” said Gisch, a member of Operating Engineers Local 49 who worked nine months on the project. “We had artists, stone workers, a lot of women in there. They do detailed work, and they do it well – better, you could say.”

Gisch and other workers who attended the ceremony spoke of an added sense of pride that comes with working on the Capitol – even for one worker from Wisconsin.

Dave Chell, a member of Laborers Local 563, drove to St. Paul from Grantsburg to work on the renovation. For 18 months he worked chopping holes in the Capitol’s stone to make way for a new ventilation system.

“This job was special even though I’m from Wisconsin,” Chell said. “Just to be part of it was amazing.”

“Projects like this are ones that you drive by and talk to your children and grandchildren about,” Minnesota Building Trades President Harry Melander said. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for those of us who work in the Building Trades.”

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Over Laborers’ concerns, Mendota Heights district awards work to ‘problem contractors’

August 4, 2015 by

LaborersUnion-logo150x150School board members in Mendota Heights yesterday awarded construction contracts to two firms despite concerns about unsafe working conditions and poor oversight on other projects handled by the contractors.

Independent School District 197 accepted bids to oversee renovation work on two elementary schools from Derau Construction and Ebert Construction – both “problem contractors,” Mendota Heights parent Brian Brunette told board members during a listening session prior to last night’s board meeting.

“They both have a history of poor performance,” said Brunette, a member of Laborers Local 563. “I value my tax dollars, and I think every citizen in Mendota Heights School District deserves more.”

The Laborers District Council of Minnesota and North Dakota distributed a packet of information prior to the meeting that included eyewitness accounts and photo evidence calling into question worker and public safety on Derau and Ebert job sites. Brunette and Kevin Pranis, the council’s organizing director, warned that both contractors carry significant baggage, including, in Derau’s case, an acknowledged incident in which a child repeatedly performed dangerous work on a school construction site.

Derau and Ebert have established a “pattern of going from one school district to another after doing substandard work” and “creating problems that far exceed the savings” provided by their low bids, Pranis told board members.

Derau and Ebert are non-union contractors, but that’s not why the Laborers chose to sound the alarm, Pranis said. Doing business the right way has its costs, and by accepting bids from “problem contractors,” districts like Mendota Heights lower standards in the industry, making it harder for responsible contractors – union or non-union – to get work.

Everyone makes mistakes?

Board members at the listening session acknowledged they were mostly unaware of the allegations against Derau and Ebert – including the well publicized incident with the minor – until being approached by the Laborers union. That prompted St. Paul Regional Labor Federation President Bobby Kasper to question the district’s process for reviewing bids.

“If there is a better procedure to screen these contractors, I ask you to do that,” Kasper said.

At the meeting, board members were unanimous in voting to award the contracts to Derau and Ebert. Board Chair Mark Spurr thanked the Laborers’ for voicing their concerns, but said allegations are just that.

“Is there, in fact, documented proof of a pattern?” he wondered. “I don’t know any contractor who has never made a mistake.”

Spurr added: “Without a citation from state regulators, it’s a little bit hard for me to use that as a basis for saying, ‘You’re not a responsible bidder.’”

But Mike Wilde, director the Fair Contracting Foundation of Minnesota, said school districts and municipalities do, in fact, have discretion when it comes to setting standards and rejecting bids from non-responsible contractors.

“School boards have the legal authority to reject a bid from a problem contractor,” Wilde said. “The question is whether the board is willing to use it. When entering into a large public construction project, the quality of service should be a top consideration. The school district’s discretion should be used when it can avoid problems that have occurred on similar projects.”

‘Makes me sick’

The board’s decision not to exercise that discretion disappointed several residents who attended the meeting, including members of Service Employees International Union Local 284. Many expressed disappointment the board would dismiss a union’s concerns after union members volunteered their time to help pass funding referendums in recent years.

“It just makes me sick,” Brunette said. “I voted for the last school referendum. I put a sign in my yard. I can’t believe the district would give our money to these characters. Our kids deserve better.”

Board members thanked the Laborers for voicing their concerns and pledged to keep an even closer watch on Derau and Ebert as the renovations move forward.

“We’re going to be making damn sure this job is done to spec,” Spurr said.

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Tim Mackey: Laborers fought physical machine testing – and won

July 2, 2015 by
Laborers Local 563 Business Manager Tim Mackey

Laborers Local 563 Business Manager Tim Mackey

On June 30, Laborers Local 563 won its federal court case to enforce an arbitration award that stopped an employer from using a physical machine test to screen members. The union believes that this type of test has nothing to do with the ability to do the work and may unfairly exclude people who have disabilities or past work injuries, women and older employees. The employer, Ramsey Excavating Company, imposed the test without giving the union notice or an opportunity to bargain.

The physical machine test used by the employer measures the strength of an isolated muscle group – such as one arm or one leg – at a constant rate of speed, and within a specific range of motion. The test does not, however, evaluate body mechanics, experience-based judgment or technique used to perform essential job functions.

In other words, the test does not measure whether an employee has what it takes to perform the practical skills of the job.

As soon as the union found out about the employer’s unilateral imposition of the physical machine test in early April 2013, Local 563 filed a grievance and an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board on behalf of all affected members. The union aggressively pursued the grievance and held a two-day arbitration hearing on May 5 and 6, 2014.

While arbitrating the grievance in early May 2014, Local 563 discovered that other employers had unilaterally imposed the same physical machine test. The union immediately filed grievances and unfair labor practice charges against those additional employers. In response, each of the employers agreed to stop using the test immediately and not to use it ever again unless a court ruled that the test is not discriminatory.

In addition, and with support from Local 563, a female member over the age of 40 who was denied work because of a physical machine test, filed civil rights charges on behalf of all affected employees regarding use of the test. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is currently investigating those class-wide discrimination charges, which have been filed against the employer, the testing company (Cost Reduction Technologies, LLC) and the test administrator (Minnesota Occupational Health).

On Nov. 18, 2014, the arbitrator decided the union’s grievance in favor of the union and against the employer. In particular, the arbitrator ordered the employer to stop using a physical machine test immediately. On Dec. 20, 2014, the arbitrator again sided with Local 563 by denying the employer’s petition to modify the arbitration award.

The employer then filed suit in federal court in an attempt to vacate the arbitration award. Local 563 countersued to enforce the arbitration award. After considering the submissions and argument of the employer and of the union, the federal court entered judgment in favor of Local 563 and enforced the arbitration award.

We will continue to stand strong against the use of physical machine tests in its bargaining units. If members of other unions have been subjected to a similar test, we encourage them to contact their business agent immediately to address the issue. Working together, we all can help to ensure that no one is unfairly denied work because of these tests.

– Tim Mackey is business manager of Local 563 of the Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA). Local 563 members work in the construction industry across Minnesota and North Dakota. Learn more at http://www.local563.org.

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Love wins! Union members join celebration at Twin Cities Pride Parade

June 29, 2015 by
web.Pride15-tradeswomen-alt2

Joanne Hager and her daughter Amelia march in the Pride Parade along Hennepin Avenue.

 

Union members joined the party at the Ashley Rukes GLBT Pride Parade in Minneapolis yesterday, cheering the Supreme Court’s historic decision making marriage equality the law of the land.

“We’re always fighting; it feels good to be celebrating for a change,” Charli Haataja, a member of Local 7250 of the Communications Workers of America, said.

Haataja was among more than 50 people who marched in the parade behind the Minnesota AFL-CIO’s banner. [Click here to view photos of the marching unit on Facebook.] The labor federation has maintained a presence in the parade for years, and Minnesota unions – and unions across the country – have been staunch allies in fight for LGBT rights.

web.Pride15-gjertson“We want to show our solidarity with other workers no matter if they’re gay, straight, transgender – it doesn’t matter,” CWA Local 7250 member Alaric Poseley-Hatton said. “We fight for equality in the workplace, and it’s great to have equality in marriage too.”

In a 5-4 decision released Friday, the Supreme Court found states that deny same-sex couples the right to marry are in violation of the 14th Amendment, which guarantees all citizens equal protection of the laws. The ruling extends marriage rights to same-sex couples in all 50 states.

July 1 will mark the two-year anniversary of marriage equality in Minnesota, where lawmakers moved swiftly to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples after the state’s voters rejected a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage in November 2012. Minnesota unions and labor organizations, including the Minnesota AFL-CIO, joined the coalition of groups fighting for marriage equality.

The Supreme Court ruling means same-sex couples wed in Minnesota will maintain their married status no matter where in the U.S. they go. Liz Shuler, secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO, called it “a win for children, families, workers and our entire country.”

web.Pride15-groupBut union members at the Pride Parade said the fight for equality is far from over.

LGBT workers’ rights, in particular, need strengthening, as most states do not have laws protecting all workers from discrimination on the job as a result of sexual orientation. Jerame Davis, director of the labor-backed advocacy group Pride at Work, said there remains a “very real possibility that a worker could marry the person they love on Saturday and then get fired from their job Monday morning when they show pictures around the water cooler.”

“There’s still a fight out there,” Claire Zupatz, a member of the Twin Cities Musicians Union, said. “If you can do the job, you should be able to go and do the work and not be afraid of being fired because of your lifestyle.”

Collective bargaining agreements, of course, provide protection from employment discrimination based on sexual orientation, but union contracts cover only a fraction of the private-sector workforce.

LGBT workers also face more subtle forms of discrimination in the workplace – union and non-union alike, Laborers Local 563 member Joanne Hager said.

“In the construction trades, it’s sometimes difficult to be open about who you are,” Hager said. “There is some homophobia in our industry, as in all industries.

“We’re in need of more workers in our industry, and we need to make sure these jobs are inclusive of everyone who wants to work to support their families.”

Hager and her 13-year-old daughter, Amelia, marched in the Pride Parade wearing hardhats and carrying a homemade banner that proclaimed, “Building MN with Quality and PRIDE!”

“People should be equally treated and not discriminated against because of who they love,” Amelia Hager said.

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Minnesota unions make case for Sandpiper oil pipeline

January 6, 2015 by
Phillip Wallace, a representative of the United Association of Pipeliners Local 798, testifies at the public hearing on the proposed Sandpiper project.

Phillip Wallace of the United Association of Pipeliners Local 798 weighs in on the proposed Sandpiper project.

A series of five public hearings on a proposed oil pipeline through Minnesota opened in St. Paul yesterday, and members of several Building Trades unions stepped forward to support the $2.5 billion venture, projected to create 1,500 construction jobs.

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission is collecting public testimony at sites across the state this week regarding the Sandpiper pipeline, which would transport crude oil from North Dakota’s booming Bakken region to terminals in Clearbrook and Superior, Wis.

Union members like David LaBorde of Duluth-based Teamsters Local 346 touted the jobs Sandpiper would create for northern Minnesota workers and the potential boost for the area’s struggling economy.

“The members (of Local 346) need this work,” LaBorde said. “In northern Minnesota we have a significant problem with getting good-paying jobs.”

Northern Minnesota isn’t the only area that would benefit from Sandpiper. Many supporters at the St. Paul hearing said Sandpiper would ease congestion in the state’s rail system and reduce the risk of accidents in highly populated areas. Three of four rail routes used to transport Bakken oil cross through the Twin Cities.

The new pipeline would enable parent company Enbridge to transport 225,000 barrels per day from the Bakken to its Clearbrook terminal, and 375,000 barrels per day from Clearbrook to Superior. That’s oil that might otherwise travel through Minnesota by train.

“It’s more hazardous to transport that oil by rail and truck than by pipeline,” said Mike Ratka, a Laborers Union member from Foley who has worked on multiple pipeline projects. “It’s a win-win situation.”

The proposed Sandpiper route through northern Minnesota.

The proposed Sandpiper route through northern Minnesota.

Sandpiper also would yield about $25 million in property taxes annually for local governments in Minnesota, according to Enbridge. And increased domestic oil production helps keep fuel prices down and reduces the country’s reliance on less stable foreign sources, supporters noted.

Some opponents of the pipeline worried that Sandpiper’s 616-mile route passes too close to the headwaters of the Mississippi River and poses a threat to Minnesota’s “Lakes Region,” including Cass and Crow Wing counties. Others argued construction of the pipeline would contribute to climate change.

But Matt Duncombe, a skilled pipeliner from East Grand Forks, said pipelines are the safest means of transporting crude oil because Enbridge, its contractors and their employees make safety their top priority during construction.

“Enbridge does more to set and enforce high quality and safety standards, in my experience, than any other pipeline owner I’ve worked for,” Duncombe said, noting the company’s use of third-party inspectors to monitor safety during construction.

Supporters of the pipeline wore stickers to the public hearing.

Supporters of the pipeline wore stickers to the public hearing.

Duncombe, a member of Laborers Local 563, said he received pipeline-specific, hands-on training at the union’s Lino Lakes facility – training he has since used as a laborer and foreman on the environmental crew during pipeline construction projects.

“Our top priority on the environmental crew is protection of wetlands and waterways,” Duncombe said. “The measures we installed included silt fences, hay bales, water logs, and berms, which are designed to contain runoff or prevent soil erosion. At the end of a project, our work included seeding and mulching to restore vegetation.”

Members of Operating Engineers Local 49, the Pipefitters union and other labor unions were scheduled to provide testimony at the hearing as well. They appeared before Judge Eric Lipman, a specialist in dispute resolution with the state’s Office of Administrative Hearings.

In April, Lipman will present the PUC with a report based on evidence and testimony gathered during public hearings across the state and a “trial-type hearing” later this month. People unable to attend a public hearing can offer their input using the PUC’s online forum, “Speak Up!“

The five-member commission is expected to issue a decision on approval of the Sandpiper pipeline in June.

“This isn’t the labor community against the environmental community,” said Harry Melander, president of the Minnesota Building and Construction Trades Council. “This is a needed update of a vital pipeline that the State of Minnesota and the region will benefit from.”

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Laborers press Minnetonka school board to investigate child-labor charges

July 24, 2014 by

5631_Laborers_1Laborers Local 563 today called on the Minnetonka School Board to commission an independent investigation into possible violations of state and federal child-labor laws stemming from construction work at district’s Scenic Heights Elementary School.

Earlier this month, the Laborers notified state and federal regulators, as well as the school district, that a minor was apparently working on the Scenic Heights job site without safety equipment. The district responded, claiming the minor in question was a 17-year-old who was assisting his father, owner of a subcontracted firm doing work on the project, in full compliance with state labor laws.

After reviewing public records, however, the Laborers released a statement today calling the district’s conclusions wrong, misleading and deeply disturbing.

According to the union, records not only indicate that the boy in question is 14 and not 17, but they also indicate that he is not the son of the listed owner of the subcontractor, a potential violation of state child labor laws.

The union shared its findings with state and federal investigators looking into potential violations, as well as Minnetonka Schools Superintendent Dennis Peterson. According to the union, Peterson acknowledged the boy was not 17 but maintained that the boy’s employment was lawful.

The union’s statement claims the superintendent “indicated that he believed the boy’s father was a part-owner of Scott’s Concrete & Masonry Construction, but even if that were true, it would not appear to make the boy’s employment legal under Minnesota Administrative Rules 5200.0930 which requires that the employer be ‘totally owned by one or both parents.’”

Tim Mackey, business manager of Laborers Local 563, noted that the district is ultimately responsible for managing the project at Scenic Heights, and he questioned “whether the administration is more interested in maintaining cozy relationships with non-responsible contractors than protecting children.”

“We intend to pursue this issue until we are confident that no more children will be put at risk and that the responsible parties have been held accountable,” Mackey added.

An independent investigation, the union said, would send a message that the Minnetonka School District does not tolerate use of unsafe child labor, and help restore public confidence in the district’s management of its construction projects.

“It boils down to this district turning a blind eye to reports of blatant violations of child labor laws in order to cut corners,” Mackey said. “To acknowledge a problem and not do anything about it should be concerning to everyone including parents and taxpayers. How many other problems are happening on district projects that haven’t been discovered yet?”

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

Unions raise safety concerns at Ridgedale mall construction site

July 9, 2014 by
Members of several Building Trades unions picket outside Ridgedale: (L to R) David Sears of Painters District Council 82, Roger LeClair of the Insulators Local 34, Brian Gullickson of the Cement Masons Local 633, Michael Connelly of Laborers Local 563 and Ryan Mims of the Painters.

Members of several Building Trades unions picket outside Ridgedale: (L to R) David Sears of Painters District Council 82, Roger LeClair of the Insulators Local 34, Brian Gullickson of the Cement Masons Local 633, Michael Connelly of Laborers Local 563 and Ryan Mims of the Painters.

MINNETONKA – Laborers, bricklayers, painters, electricians and other union craftspeople picketed together outside Ridgedale Center in Minnetonka this morning, targeting several contractors working inside the mall that are undermining area wage and safety standards, according to the unions.

Ridgedale’s Chicago-based ownership group, General Growth Properties (GGP), is spending $100 million to upgrade the mall, which opened in 1974. Several tenants are investing in improvements to their retail facilities as well.

But progress on the Ridgedale renovation has been anything but smooth.

Since breaking ground last year, the project has been plagued by interruptions and safety problems, including a roof fire in Macy’s last November. Two months ago Vito Construction abruptly left the project after the demolition contractor drew protests from union workers who said the company’s lax approach to safety – including failure to lock out electrical panels and improper disposal of potentially hazardous materials – were putting both workers and the public at risk.

Kevin Pranis, organizing director of the Laborers District Council of Minnesota and North Dakota, questioned whether GGP was putting profits before public safety.

“Anyone who shops at Ridgedale mall could be at risk because of the safety problems here,” Pranis said. “That’s why we’re here today. When members of the public are at risk, we certainly want them to know what the issues are.”

Problems at Ridgedale have not been limited to Vito Construction, Pranis and Laborers Local 563 business agent Joe Fowler added. Even after Vito’s dismissal, the union brought evidence of new safety problems, including an unsecured demolition site that was accessible to the general public, to GGP shareholders during their annual meeting in Chicago on May 16.

“GGP Executive Vice President Richard Pesin told me he’d take care of the safety problems at the mall, but apparently somebody didn’t get the memo,” Fowler said.  “Just this week we found yet another unlocked electrical panel on yet another construction site that was not secured to keep out the general public.”

Other Building Trades unions joined the picket today, targeting contractors working inside the mall for undermining area safety and wage standards

Safety problems and labor unrest at Ridgedale stand in sharp contrast to progress at Bloomington’s Mall of America, where developers entered into a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) with the Minneapolis Building and Construction Trades Council before breaking ground on a $325 million expansion project. PLA’s ensure all work done on a project meets area standards for wages, benefits and safety.

“Our experience has been very different on renovation projects at Mall of America and Southdale Mall,” Pranis said. “We see a general problem with vetting contractors here at Ridgedale.”

Fowler said many of the problems at Ridgedale could be avoided if contractors meet community standards for wages and benefits and comply with basic safety principles.

“The Twin Cities has high standards of safety and a good standard of living,” he said. “It is very important to all of us to keep it that way.”

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