The voice of Saint Paul's working families since 1897
Fast food workers in the Twin Cities today announced plans for their third strike in the last seven months, an indication support is growing for their fight to win wages of $15 per hour and union rights. Those demands haven’t changed since fast-food workers first walked off the job in the Twin Cities last […]
Workers shouldn’t have to choose between earning a paycheck and getting medical care, or caring for a newborn child. That’s the essence of labor’s support for legislation that would expand access to earned sick time and paid family leave among Minnesota workers. But officials with the Minnesota Department of Health today offered another reason […]
The parent company of T.J. Maxx and Marshalls yesterday announced it would copy Walmart’s decision to raise minimum hourly wages for U.S. workers to $9 per hour by June. But a Twin Cities-based worker center cast doubt on whether the change would benefit the low-wage workers who clean those stores. That’s because TJX Cos. contracts […]
Working people should not be trapped in poverty. This was part of the social contract America made with its people 80 years ago in the New Deal. Workers will receive a minimum wage. It may not be enough to make you rich, but you will have enough to afford necessities for your family – food, […]
Low-wage workers at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport now have a voice on the airport’s governing body, thanks to Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton. Last week Dayton filled two vacancies on the Metropolitan Airports Commission, which owns MSP and six smaller airports in the Metro. One of Dayton’s appointees, Ibrahim Mohamed, works as a cart driver for […]
From fast food to retail, workers in low-wage jobs around the country, including Minnesota, are increasingly staging short-term, high-profile strikes to advance their movements for higher wages and a voice on the job. Walking off the job in protest is a costly, risky tactic to employ – even for one day. In addition to […]
Airport workers’ campaign for better wages and conditions took a step forward today, as the Metropolitan Airports Commission unanimously approved a measure requiring employers to provide paid sick leave to all workers at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Supporters of 15 Now, a worker-led coalition seeking to raise the minimum wage at MSP to $15 per […]
Fast-food workers in 160 cities nationwide went on strike today, including 50 workers from 14 restaurants in the Twin Cities. The strikers are demanding $15 per hour and union rights. The strike comes on the two-year anniversary of the initial “Fight for $15” action in New York City, which sparked a movement that has since […]
As the holiday shopping season shifts into high gear, workers who stock Walmart’s shelves, serve McDonald’s hamburgers and clean big-box stores are planning a week of action in the Twin Cities to draw attention to the low wages and poor conditions plaguing their industries. The day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday is the highest-profile shopping day […]
Twenty-nine workers from 14 fast-food restaurants in the Twin Cities walked off the job today, joining a nationwide strike for higher pay and the right to organize a union without retaliation from their employers. Striking workers joined elected officials and supporters from the faith, labor and progressive community at demonstrations outside – and inside – […]
Union Advocate 