The ordinance would raise wages for an estimated 56,000 people – nearly a third of the city’s workforce.
Restaurant industry pushes tip penalty; unions and tipped workers push back
April 25, 2018 by
The industry says it’s in trouble, but job openings in Minnesota restaurants have increased by 200 percent since 2014, when the minimum wage began to climb.
Four takeaways from the new report on raising St. Paul’s minimum wage
February 22, 2018 by
Poverty wages are a big problem in St. Paul, but interest groups are already trying to poke holes in a potential minimum wage ordinance.
Teachers, allies keep heat on Ecolab, U.S. Bank as Super Bowl party ramps up
January 29, 2018 by
Activists called out the corporations funding the Super Bowl for prioritizing a high-profile game over people’s lives.
Prominent activist to talk $15, #MeToo with tipped workers in St. Paul
January 16, 2018 by
Saru Jayaraman’s work reveals the tip penalty’s troubling impact on working conditions in the restaurant industry, especially regarding sexual harassment.
Organizing drive pays off for big-box janitors with landmark first contract
February 22, 2017 by
What’s the value of a union contract? For nearly 500 retail janitors in the Twin Cities, who made history last year by forming the industry’s first metro-wide union, it’s a cool $4.5 million in wage increases and paid time off over the course of their new, three-year contract. Local 26 of the Service Employees International […]
‘End run’ around local sick-pay victories advances at Capitol
February 3, 2017 by
Corporate special interests clashed with working people during a Capitol hearing last night on legislation that would roll back ordinances extending earned sick and safe time to an estimated 150,000 workers in Minneapolis and St. Paul. The local preemption bill, authored by Rep. Pat Garafalo (R-Farmington), passed its first committee hearing after a lengthy round […]
Five reasons workers are fighting Trump’s pick for labor secretary
January 30, 2017 by
Working people aren’t waiting for fast-food CEO and robotics enthusiast Andy Puzder’s confirmation hearings – twice delayed because he’s having difficulty completing the required ethics paperwork – to oppose President Donald Trump’s nominee for Labor secretary. Last week fast-food workers led a demonstration outside Hardee’s, a chain operated by Puzder-led CKE Restaurants, in St. Paul. […]
Jeff Couillard: What if retail workers took a two-week break – starting on Black Friday?
November 22, 2016 by
It’s that time of year when retail executives get excited about the kind of record profits they will be raking in from mid-November to the end of the year. Retailers have been pushing out their deals earlier and earlier so consumers have more and more choices to cash in on a “super” deal ahead of […]
Janitors, teachers protest Kohl’s during back-to-school rush
August 23, 2016 by
Looking to build on recent victories at Target and Best Buy, retail janitors in the Twin Cities put the pressure on Kohl’s Saturday – during the busy back-to-school shopping season – to do right by the workers who clean its stores. Janitors brought busloads of supporters, including union teachers, nurses and construction workers, to […]
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