After leaving auto industry, retired Machinist preps others for entry-level work

Greg Kinne isn’t letting the knowledge he gained over nearly five decades in the automotive industry go to waste in retirement. The former Machinist is sharing what he knows with a new generation of workers at the Twin Cities School. Kinne, a longtime member of Local Lodge 737, has signed on as a volunteer at […]

Kasper to retire, Peterson elected to lead St. Paul labor federation

The St. Paul Regional Labor Federation will have new leadership in the coming new year. After a decade in office, RLF President Bobby Kasper will retire at the end of December, a decision he made official at the federation’s delegate meeting Dec. 11. Kasper, a “proud” member of LIUNA Laborers Local 563, has served as […]

Machinists volunteers put skills to work for Twin Cities nonprofit

“We’re hoping to take care of projects that most volunteer groups can’t handle,” District 77’s Ross Olson said.

Retiree Council president: ‘You can’t just ride off into the sunset’

A former diesel mechanic and longtime Machinist, McInnis became president of the Retiree Council last month.

At organizing boot camp, workers look to build power from the inside out

It takes a strong union to bargain a strong contract. Or, as CWA Local 7304 member Jim Wiebe put it: “A hammer doesn’t swing by itself.” A union steward and welder at the New Flyer bus facility in St. Cloud, Wiebe was one of 55 activists from across the Midwest who traveled to St. Paul […]

Delta touts ‘direct relationship,’ but workers eye strength in numbers

“If this is a family,” one Delta ramp worker said, “it’s the most dysfunctional family I’ve ever been a part of.”

Drawing closer to union elections, Delta workers plan April 4 rally

“Delta uses all their friends and allies to defeat unions,” former baggage handler and longtime union activist Kip Hedges said. “We must do the same to win union representation.”

‘We are being distracted by a showman who throws these tweets out’

Robert Roach Jr.’s career as a labor leader began shortly after he went to work for Trans World Airlines in 1975, when he joined a fight to improve the conditions of new employees at the now-defunct airline. He hasn’t stopped fighting since. After rising through the ranks of the International Association of Machinists, Roach retired […]

#NAW2016: State grant helps East Metro auto dealerships reinvigorate apprenticeship program

Car dealerships in the East Metro long have offered registered apprenticeship training opportunities to their mechanics, but the number of journey-level workers graduating from the program has declined in recent years. Looking to shift that trend into reverse, East Metro dealerships, state regulators and representatives of the Machinists union met with technical college faculty and […]

Machinists approve new contract with East Metro dealerships

Union workers at 22 auto dealerships in St. Paul and the East Metro suburbs voted Sunday to ratify a new three-year agreement with their employers that includes annual wage increases of 2 percent. The contract, which took effect today, covers about 600 members of Machinists District 77, including mechanics, parts personnel and service technicians. [Click […]