Union retirees plan annual fundraiser

The Minnesota State Retiree Council, AFL-CIO, will hold its Eleventh Annual Fund Raiser from 2 to 6 p.m. May 3 at the Sheet Metal Workers Local 10 Hall, 1681 Cope Ave., in Maplewood. Admission is free, and there will be free food, free parking and music. This is not an occasion for retirees only. Rather, […]

Bernard Brommer: In minimum-wage debate, some myths just won’t go away

Legislation has been introduced that would provide a much needed increase in the minimum wage after many years of no action. The principal parties and the arguments have remained essentially the same since the inception of minimum-wage laws many decades ago. As we have learned over time, there are many myths that surround the debate, […]

Video workshops available for union activists

Workshops scheduled March 22 and 29 will offer hands-on training in how to shoot and edit short videos with easy-to-use cameras and editing software. The workshops, led by Labor Education Service videographer John See, are open to active and retired union members with an interest in creating short (2-3 minute) videos for YouTube, Facebook, Workday […]

Shar Knutson: It’s time for Senate to act on minimum wage

When the Minnesota Legislature reconvenes on February 25th, lawmakers will be greeted by hundreds of people from Labor, Faith, Non-Profit, and Community Groups calling on them to increase Minnesota’s minimum wage to at least $9.50 per hour. The hundreds of Minnesotans gathered at the Capitol will be there because of one underlying principle; nobody who […]

Time is now, marchers say, for House to pass immigration reform

Supporters of comprehensive immigration reform clogged the streets of downtown Minneapolis today, joining a “National Day of Action for Dignity and Respect” and amplifying the call for Congress to fix the nation’s broken immigration system. More than 1,000 people – a crowd heavy on families and children – marched from the Basilica of St. Mary […]

Rebuffed by Medtronic, striking Cretex workers take message to marathon course

One of Cretex’s key business partners won’t meet with workers on strike at the company’s Shakopee plant. So on Sunday those workers will take their message to Medtronic’s highest-profile event of the year: the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon. Thousands of marathon runners and spectators will find a billboard placed prominently along the route at Hennepin […]

In address to union retirees, Dayton weighs in on Cretex strike, more

Addressing a roomful of union retirees in Maplewood today, Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton recounted his morning meeting with members of Laborers Local 563 who are on strike, fighting to ensure a secure retirement of their own. Dayton’s remarks to the Minnesota State Retiree Council’s 17th convention came on the heels of a dialogue with workers […]

River Valley Action to celebrate 10 years in St. Croix Valley

Ten years ago, bolstered by a grant from the Minnesota AFL-CIO, union members and grassroots activists in the St. Croix Valley set out to create a forum for progressive dialogue in the region. The result was River Valley Action, which will mark its 10th year of advocating on issues that improve people’s lives with a […]

Labor Chorus plans “Labor Sing” July 30

The Twin Cities Labor Chorus and Minnesota musician Charlie McGuire will host “Labor Sing,” a sing-along and fundraiser, July 30 at the Minnesota AFL-CIO Labor Pavilion on the State Fairgrounds. The Labor Chorus announced the event Monday in a press release: “It’s an excuse to get together, enjoy a summer evening, and have fun. It’s […]

Education funding, tax reform highlight gains made in 2013 session, unions say

Minnesota’s working families will see the most obvious fruits of the 2013 legislative session in their public schools and property-tax bills, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg of investments, reforms and initiatives passed by labor-endorsed majorities in the Legislature this year, union leaders said. The Minnesota AFL-CIO called the session, which adjourned May […]