Area Building Trades councils honored for community outreach

April 20, 2018 by

At the Ayers Award ceremony (L to R): Duluth Council President Craig Olson, NABTU President Sean McGarvey, Dan McConnell and Jenny Winkelaar of the Minneapolis Building Trades, Minnesota Executive Director Carly Melin, Minneapolis President Dave Ybarra, St. Paul Executive Secretary Don Mullin, St. Paul President Tom McCarthy and NABTU Secretary-Treasurer Brent Booker. submitted photo

Local Building Trades unions have put an emphasis in recent years on reaching out to make more women, veterans and people of color aware of their registered apprenticeship programs and the middle class career opportunities they make possible.

Those efforts earned national recognition Wednesday in Washington, D.C., when North America’s Building Trades Unions presented the St. Paul, Minneapolis and Minnesota Building Trades councils with the annual Mark H. Ayers Community Achievement Award.

After the longtime president of NABTU died in 2012, the organization created the award to honor Ayers’ passionate belief that Building Trades unions are a force for good in their local communities.

Tradespeople deliver value to communities not only on the jobsite, Ayers believed, but also as stewards of their registered apprenticeship programs, which create a pathway for thousands of people across the country to get good jobs with family-supporting benefits and a secure retirement.

In presenting the award to the St. Paul, Minneapolis and Minnesota councils, NABTU recognized several union-driven initiatives piloted here – and replicated across the country – that recruit and prepare people for construction apprenticeships.

• Construct Tomorrow. In this program, representatives of different Building Trades apprenticeships set up interactive, hands-on exhibits in a school gymnasium, rec center or other public space, offering young people an opportunity to try out more than a dozen different construction crafts in the same day.

• Minnesota Trades Academy. This paid summer internship brings teenagers from a handful of urban schools into several different unions’ training facilities, where they spend their days learning from registered apprenticeship instructors.

• Outreach into public schools. Building Trades councils have been aggressive in cultivating new relationships with public schools, so that students, counselors and technical-education instructors are more aware of the opportunities available through unions’ apprenticeship programs.

Don Mullin, executive secretary of the St. Paul Building and Construction Trades Council, credited the award to the “broad efforts” of the council’s affiliate unions, as well as the vision laid out by his predecessor in office, Harry Melander, who now serves as the top officer of the state Building Trades council.

“All of our affiliates have had a hand in earning this recognition,” Mullin said. “We’ve worked together – in St. Paul, Minneapolis and statewide – to create opportunities for people across our state to take advantage of construction apprenticeship as a pathway to the middle class. And we’re proud of that work.

“President Ayers was a strong believer in community, that as Building Trades union members we live and work and volunteer in our communities. To be associated with his legacy is an amazing honor.”

The University of Minnesota’s Labor Education Service produced the video below for the 2018 Ayers Award ceremony.

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Construction jobs get bipartisan support at Capitol rally

April 10, 2018 by

State lawmakers from both parties touted their proposals to put union tradespeople to work during a rally today on the Capitol steps, organized by the Minnesota State Building and Construction Trades Council.

The rally capped the council’s annual lobbying day, which saw Carpenters, Laborers, Operating Engineers and other union tradespeople meeting with their elected officials and urging support for jobs-creating investments, including Gov. Mark Dayton’s proposed $1.5 billion public works bill.

The governor’s bonding proposal would put an estimated 22,950 people to work on more than 200 projects statewide, investing in public colleges and universities, housing, water-treatment facilities and more.

But Dayton warned tradespeople that opponents will try to scale back his jobs bill.

“They’re going to try to pare it back,” he said. “They’re going to pick a number … and say we can’t go above that. They’re going to leave jobs on the table. So ask them to justify why a number is more important than putting people to work.”

Building Trades unions rally on the Capitol steps, with semi trailers from Laborers Local 563 and Operating Engineers Local 49 serving as a backdrop.

 

While Dayton and other DFLers called for investments in infrastructure and transportation, Republican leaders remained mostly silent on those issues. Instead, they offered support for legislation that would shift jobs-creating projects in the private sector, stalled over environmental concerns, out of neutral.

House Speaker Kurt Daudt and Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka pledged to send the governor a bill approving Enbridge’s Line 3 oil pipeline and another that would ease environmental hurdles faced by mining companies on the state’s Iron Range.

“My hope is that this is bipartisan,” Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, a Republican from Nisswa, said. “At the end of the day, frankly, for Minnesota to be successful, Republicans and Democrats have got to figure out a way to work together, focus on the things that everybody benefits from. If we do that, we all win.”

Although most lawmakers talked jobs, Senate Minority Leader Tom Bakk, a carpenter from Cook, held up his union card and urged tradespeople to stay vigilant against attacks on their wages and collective bargaining rights.

“You don’t have to look too far … to see what happened in Wisconsin when labor got a little complacent,” Bakk said, pointing to Republican-backed legislation that eliminated prevailing wage and project labor agreements in the state, as well as a “right-to-work” law that weakened unions’ bargaining power. “We’ve got to keep the heat on, keep building relationships with those people who represent us.”

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Why aren’t more women entering the construction trades?

March 8, 2018 by

Clara Schiller, a member of St. Paul Pipefitters Local 455, speaks during a panel discussion with representatives of unions and their apprenticeship training programs Tuesday, part of Women in Construction Week events across the Twin Cities.

As International Women’s Day draws attention to the persistent gap between wages earned by men and women worldwide, it’s worth noting one area of the U.S. economy where the gap is uniquely narrow: construction.

On average, women working in the construction trades earn about 96 cents for every dollar earned by men. That’s miles ahead of the economy as a whole, where women earn 81 cents on the dollar, and women of color fare even worse.

“The one great thing about the roof is it doesn’t discriminate against anyone,” Roofers and Waterproofers Local 96 organizer Tristan Lundblad said. “The wage scale is the same for everyone, and no one judges you about anything except whether you work hard.”

Experts have long argued that adding more women to the construction workforce would help reduce broader pay disparities, but efforts to attract more women have seen limited success. Today, about 3 percent of construction tradespeople nationwide are women, and the rate hasn’t changed much over the last decade.

“One of the big factors in women’s lower earnings is they tend to work in occupations where many other women work,” said Ariane Hegewisch, who studies employment and earnings at the Institute for Women’s Policy Research. “Women’s underrepresentation in construction has an impact on women’s earnings and their poverty rates.”

Why aren’t more women pursuing careers in the trades? Locally, at least, it’s not for lack of outreach from construction unions.

Lundblad was among more than a dozen union-affiliated recruiters at an event for women interested in exploring construction careers, held Tuesday in St. Paul as part of Women in Construction Week. Their pitch was familiar – middle class wages and earn-while-you-learn apprenticeship training, first-class health benefits and retirement security – but most chairs in the union hall remained empty.

“We definitely need women,” Tim Grimm said of his union, Local 110 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. “We are begging for women.”

Attracting sisters into the brotherhood isn’t just a matter of increasing the local’s diversity, Grimm explained. The construction workforce is aging, and unions aren’t going to meet the demand for skilled workers if they ignore half of the potential workforce.

Women also are vital to Minnesota construction contractors’ ability to capture market share. The state considers “workforce participation goals” for women as part of its process for awarding public construction contracts over $100,000, and those goals jumped sharply last July, from 6 percent to 20 percent in Ramsey and Hennepin counties.

Meeting new goals will require union contractors and apprenticeship programs to keep hustling to recruit and retain women, but there are challenges associated with both.

For starters, too many women and girls dismiss construction as a career path, or never even consider it. Tasha Lawrence, a member of St. Paul Plumbers Local 34 and vice president of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC), put it this way: “A lot of women don’t know what they want to do, but they know they don’t want to be a plumber.”

Many children are steered toward “gender-specific” activities at a young age, Hegewisch said, and building things falls squarely in the realm of male activities. Research shows shop classes in high school too often are taught in ways that “put off” female students, she added.

And while policymakers have pushed initiatives to increase interest in science and technology among girls, the subsequent step is usually a push toward “college, college, college,” Lawrence said.

Samantha Kaneakua, a member of the Carpenters union, worked with girls as part of the union’s Kids Build programming.

Minnesota’s Building Trades unions have been proactive in developing “youth build” programs that welcome girls into their training centers, pre-apprenticeship programs that connect women with contractors eager to hire, and stronger relationships with area high schools – a particularly good idea, Hegewisch said, pointing to research showing most career counselors have little familiarity with the construction industry.

“Career counselors that are exposed to the construction industry are more likely to point girls into construction careers,” she said.

Retaining women construction workers, meanwhile, means addressing the factors that deter women from pursuing jobs in the trades, including the industry’s culture.

“Men act a little differently” when women are on the job site, Lawrence said, adding that some women feel intimidated, unwanted or out of place.

Hegewisch, who surveyed tradeswomen from across the country for a 2015 report, said workplace harassment remains a problem in the industry. But she pointed to other, more subtle ways job sites could change to become more welcoming to women, like providing equipment that fits and bathrooms that offer privacy.

“Too often on a construction site they get the harness in two sizes, and they’re two or three sizes too big for most women,” Hegewisch said. “Work gloves are much harder for women to find in their sizes too… It feels like an insult, like they don’t really want me here.”

Promoting women to leadership positions – and ensuring they get equal access to job opportunities – helps keep apprentices and tradeswomen in the industry, Hegewisch said, as do mentoring programs and networking groups like NAWIC.

For Lawrence, just being able to see women wearing a hardhat or tool belt, swinging a hammer or pouring concrete helps change the culture – and perception – of the industry in an organic way.

“I don’t want to sit behind a desk. I’m not a pencil pusher,” she said. “I’m just as capable as men to do the work, and I know I’m not alone.”

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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.

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

“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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Workers to legislators: Finish the job on transportation, bonding

May 26, 2016 by
web.transpo-omalley

Lori O’Malley, president of a small construction business in Le Center, speaks to the importance of stable transportation funding, especially in rural economies.

 

Construction workers and contractors formed a united front at the Capitol today in support of a special session allowing state legislators to compromise on two shared priorities – transportation and infrastructure – left unaddressed when session adjourned Sunday night.

Lawmakers “still have time to finish,” Minnesota Building and Construction Trades Council President Harry Melander said at a press conference this morning, flanked by dozens of tradespeople in hard hats.

“We’re requesting that, with the leadership of the governor, legislators find a long-term solution to the state’s transportation crisis and pass a strong bonding bill that will provide not only needed infrastructure repairs in the Metro Area, but in greater Minnesota,” Melander said.

Such a compromise already is “on the table,” according to Dave Semerad, head of the Associated General Contractors of Minnesota. It likely would involve some general fund money from a sales tax on auto parts, dedicated license tab fees, a local option to pay for transit projects and Met Council reform.

Harry Melander, a former industrial tech teacher, said there's still time for lawmakers to earn "a passing grade, not an (incomplete) on our state’s report card.”

Harry Melander (R), a former industrial tech teacher, said there’s still time for lawmakers to put “a passing grade, not an (incomplete) on our state’s report card.”

“All that’s lacking is political courage,” Semerad said. “Now’s the time for leadership, not partisan bickering and political games.”

Much is at stake in finding a compromise. The AGC’s 350 employers statewide rely on public investments to create jobs for 50,000 union tradespeople.

Lori O’Malley, president of a small construction business in Le Center, warned that without stable and continuous funding for transportation and infrastructure, “the industry will react, and those reactions will take a long time to recover from.”

With each year lawmakers wait to pass a long-term transportation plan, more of the state’s roads and bridges fall into disrepair. Already, more than half of Minnesota’s roads are more than 50 years old, and 40 percent of the state’s bridges are more than 40 years old.

“Our mission is to build a better Minnesota, but without long-term and sustained funding, it cannot be accomplished,” Semerad said.

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On national day of action, union painters brighten disabled vet’s Shoreview home

April 18, 2016 by

web.IUPAT82-volunteers.groupVolunteers from the Painters and Allied Trades helped ready a new home in Shoreview for the family of a disabled military veteran last weekend.

The project was part of a nationwide day of volunteer activity, IUPAT Gives Back Day, sponsored by the union. Terry Nelson, business manager of Upper Midwest-based IUPAT District Council 82, said the initiative would become an annual event.

“Projects like this show that we are not just highly skilled trades people, but we are volunteers in many areas, from supporting events like our children’s charity to serving as coaches and mentors in our communities,” Nelson said. “Unfortunately, some people forget that.”

Journey-level painter Carissa Shaffer.
Jordan Fry (front) of Painters Local 61 and Alan Legan of Local 386 finish the home’s basement walls.
IUPAT District Council 82 apprentice Kyle Wendroth volunteers on IUPAT Gives Back Day.

Locally, painters teamed up with Journey Home Minnesota, a nonprofit organization founded by Ramsey County Commissioner Blake Huffman, that provides affordable housing in safe neighborhoods to military veterans and survivors of domestic violence.

Ten IUPAT apprentices spent three days working inside the new home last week, honing their skills alongside instructors, volunteer journey-level workers and union staff. And on Saturday, a crew of about 12 volunteers – a mix of journey-level workers, apprentices and students from the Humphrey Job Corps training center – finished painting work on the 2,000-square-foot, four-bedroom house.

District Council 82, which represents more than 3,000 workers in eight IUPAT unions, sponsored similar events in North Dakota and Montana as well.

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Unions: Dayton’s ‘jobs bill’ would strengthen state’s infrastructure and economy

January 15, 2016 by

capitolGov. Mark Dayton today proposed investing $1.4 billion in infrastructure improvements across Minnesota, including $82 million earmarked for projects in St. Paul.

The governor called the bonding proposal a “jobs bill” and, drawing on academic research, estimated it would create work for nearly 40,000 Minnesotans. [The calculation does not include an additional $600 million Dayton’s proposal would leverage in private, federal and local funds.]

The measure quickly drew support from two of the state’s top labor leaders.

Harry Melander, president of the Minnesota Building and Construction Trades Council, said he was “encouraged” by the $1.4 billion proposal.

“Gov. Dayton continues to build on his legacy of maintaining Minnesota’s infrastructure for generations to come,” Melander said. “It’s a legacy of not only maintaining our infrastructure, but also providing good, well-paying jobs for working people throughout our state.”

“Upgrading infrastructure is one of the smartest things state government can do for our economy,” Minnesota AFL-CIO President Bill McCarthy said. “The governor’s plan will put tens of thousands of Minnesotans to work in family sustaining jobs. When more people work, more people spend money, leading to a stronger economy.

“We urge lawmakers to take advantage of Minnesota’s strong fiscal standing to improve infrastructure and put even more people to work.”

The jobs bill would provide upgrades or repairs to bridges, rail crossings, water treatment facilities, higher-education facilities, wetlands and other assets across Minnesota.

Locally, Dayton’s bill includes $42.9 million to rebuild the Kellogg Avenue Bridge, which is considered structurally deficient. The bridge connects downtown St. Paul with the city’s eastern neighborhoods and suburbs.

Also targeted for bonding funds are the seal and sea lions exhibit at Como Zoo ($14.5 million), the Dorothy Day ReVision project ($12 million) and improvements to the Minnesota Science Museum ($13 million).

“From transportation financing to economic development, the governor’s proposal reflects his commitment to ensuring a strong capital city – including critical investments in our transportation infrastructure and parks,” St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman said. “We are very appreciative of the governor’s support.”

The jobs bill also would provide $34.4 million for the renovation of vacant facilities and a new visitor center at Historic Fort Snelling.

Legislators will weigh Dayton’s jobs bill when the 2015-16 session reconvenes March 8. Bonding bills require a three-fifths majority vote – 81 representatives and 41 senators – in order to pass.

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Ken Peterson: Apprenticeship training meets workforce needs of today and tomorrow

November 5, 2015 by
Minnesota DLI Commissioner Ken Peterson

Minnesota DLI Commissioner Ken Peterson

Minnesota’s workforce is experiencing tremendous transition. Thousands of our experienced baby boomers are retiring, while many employers are seeking a workforce capable of meeting increased levels of skill to operate new technologies with precision.

An emerging, yet familiar, pathway for some employers to successfully bridge that gap is registered apprenticeship programs.

Registered apprenticeship programs have been referred to as “the other four-year degree” in Minnesota since they began in 1939. Through apprenticeship, Minnesotans have built careers — without debt — by combining paid on-the-job training with focused classroom education. Both at the workplace and in class, training is customized to meet employers’ needs.

As apprentices learn more they earn more and at the end of their apprenticeship they receive a state-issued, industry-recognized credential. Plus, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, a fully proficient worker who completes an apprenticeship earns about $50,000 each year.

Today, there are more than 11,000 registered apprentices in Minnesota. Three-fourths of them are in the construction trades, such as carpenters, laborers and electricians. These programs, financed by employers and unions, have a long history of providing high-caliber job preparation. They are also increasingly diverse, with women and racial minorities now accounting for more than 25 percent of construction apprentices.

Using the same “earn while you learn” model, the state of Minnesota hopes to expand registered apprenticeship opportunities in other industries during the next five years.

A new Minnesota Apprenticeship Initiative will be one way to expand those opportunities. More than 800 individuals, working for 100 employers around the state, will participate in newly registered apprenticeship programs in 29 high-growth occupations in advanced manufacturing, agriculture, health care, information technology and transportation. Everyone who completes a program will receive a credential that demonstrates they possess the skills needed for success in their field. The initiative is federally funded, but will be administered by state agencies.

Another program, the Minnesota PIPELINE Project, provides grants to employers for dual-training in an occupation for which their industry has designed competency standards. The work must be done in collaboration with a training provider and be in one of four industries: advanced manufacturing, agriculture, health care or information technology.

Large and small manufacturers, health care facilities, auto dealers and others have found that registered apprenticeships offer employer-driven solutions to help them recruit, train and retain highly skilled employees. They are good for employers, workers and Minnesota’s future.

For more information about registered apprenticeship programs, call the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry at 1-800-342-5354 or visit www.dli.mn.gov.

Ken Peterson, commissioner of Minnesota’s Department of Labor and Industry, wrote this column for Apprenticeship Week, observed Nov. 2-8 as proclaimed by Gov. Mark Dayton and the U.S. Department of Labor.

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Building Trades invited, but unwelcome at Bonfe’s job fair

October 9, 2015 by
Shirts worn by Building Trades union members at Bonfe's employment open house.

Shirts worn by Building Trades union members at Bonfe’s employment open house.

Bonfe’s might want to consider a new recruiting strategy.

For the second year in a row, the non-union mechanical and electrical contractor invited members of area Building Trades unions to attend an open house for prospective employees. And just like last year, Bonfe’s recruiters spent most of the open house trying to keep union members out.

After receiving the invitations, a group of 11 unions teamed up to reserve a room at the Embassy Suites in Bloomington, where Bonfe’s held the open house Tuesday, looking to “piggyback” off the non-union contractor’s promotion.

“We just saw an opportunity where workers might be walking in and looking for jobs,” Ironworkers Local 512 representative Mike Loftus said.

Of course, Local 512 and other Building Trades unions offer more than just a job.

“This was an opportunity to reach people looking for a career,” Steve Dilger of the Minnesota Pipe Trades said. “We set the area standards in wages and benefits. Bonfe’s flat out doesn’t pay area-standard wages and benefits.”

Unfortunately, the Trades’ effort to offer job seekers a choice met stiff resistance.

First, the Embassy Suites gave the unions a room in a remote corner of the hotel. “You needed a highway map to get back there,” Bill Malecha of IBEW Local 110 said.

And when union members attempted to post signs with directions to their suite, hotel staff removed them.

“They told us we couldn’t have any signs up, told us we couldn’t hand out any literature,” Dilger said. “The police tried to tell us our shirts were picket signs. And we were told if we handed out business cards – even in the bar – we would be immediately asked to leave.

“They didn’t treat us very well, Embassy Suites included.”

Still, the unions succeeded in diverting much of Bonfe’s energy from recruiting new workers. And the police presence likely didn’t do much for the job fair’s ambience.

Bonfe’s once was among the Building Trades’ signatory contractors, but it decertified about six years ago. The company no longer hires union electricians, plumbers or sheet metal workers. Bonfe’s is completely non-union.

[To find a union electrical contractor in the Twin Cities, visit the IBEW’s Pro 5 Quality website. For a union plumbing or pipefitting contractor, check out the Minnesota Mechanical Contractors Association website.]

The group of Building Trades unions joining the effort included some crafts whose contractors don’t compete with Bonfe’s for labor: Ironworkers Local 512, Sheet Metal Workers Local 10, Heat & Frost Insulators Local 34, Roofers Local 96, Pipefitters Locals 455 and 539, Painters and Allied Trades District Council 82, Plumbers Locals 34 and 15, and Electrical Workers Local 110 and 292.

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For working families, 2015 session yields mixed results – and uncertainty

May 19, 2015 by
The Move MN Coalition launched a "Duct Tape Tour" of the state from MnDOT headquarters in St. Paul this morning.

The Move MN Coalition launched a “Duct Tape Tour” of the state from MnDOT headquarters in St. Paul this morning.

The frenzied finish at the Capitol yielded mixed – and uncertain – results for Minnesota’s working families.

Although the Legislature approved a record investment in long-term care before adjourning last night, unions said lawmakers squandered an opportunity to use the state’s $1.9 billion budget surplus to restore cuts to public schools, expand access to pre-kindergarten and rebuild the state’s transportation infrastructure.

School employees held out hope for improvement on the Legislature’s $400 million package of funding for K-12 public schools. Gov. Mark Dayton, who made expanded access to pre-kindergarten his top priority this year, today vetoed the bill.

In a letter to Republican House Speaker Kurt Daudt, the DFL governor noted that the Legislature’s proposed increase to the K-12 education budget is smaller than increase lawmakers approved two years ago, when they faced a projected deficit of $627 million.

Dayton called it “incomprehensible that estate tax cuts for millionaires and property tax relief for large corporations are higher priorities for your House Republican Caucus than investing adequately in our students and young children.”

Dayton’s veto will recall legislators into a special session – a prospect welcomed by Education Minnesota, the union of 70,000 educators, and Local 284 of the Service Employees International Union.

“We can do better than a formula increase that only limits layoffs,” Education Minnesota President Denise Specht said. “We can reduce class sizes and start to bring back art, music, world languages, physical education and other courses we’ve lost to cuts over the years. We can also give all families access to high-quality preschool, not just a targeted few. There’s still a huge surplus. If not now, when?”

Carol Nieters, executive director of Local 284, said the Legislature’s bill would leave school districts across the state struggling to keep up with rising inflationary costs.

“The debate may be ongoing, but our members know the importance of funding that keeps up with inflation and allows school districts to maintain their buildings, particularly in Greater Minnesota,” Nieters said. “Anything less for our students is unacceptable.”

Transportation advocates, meanwhile, resigned themselves to continuing to push for a comprehensive, long-term plan to rebuild and repair the states roads, bridges and transit ways.

Members of the union-backed, pro-transportation Move MN Coalition today launched a three-day, 10-city “Duct Tape Tour” from St. Paul, warning that short-term, “lights-on” investments aren’t enough for the state’s aging transportation infrastructure.

“To say we are disappointed would be a huge understatement,” said Todd Pufahl, president and business manager for the Laborers District Council of Minnesota and North Dakota. “This issue isn’t going to go away. And future improvements will only cost Minnesotans more.”

On the tour members of the coalition, which includes unions, business groups and non-profit organizations, will visit potential transportation-construction sites across the state left to languish without state funding, and they will hear from local residents about the consequences of inaction for their local communities.

“As Minnesotans, we know duct tape is pretty amazing stuff, but there are things it can’t fix,” said Pufahl. “You can’t use duct tape to fill in a pot hole. You can’t use it to shore up a crumbling bridge. You can’t use it to mark a bike lane. And most importantly, you can’t use it to fix the gaping hole in transportation funding.”

Legislators also failed to agree on a new safety regulation requiring two-person crews on most freight trains passing through the state, a measure backed by the United Transportation Union. The bill advanced to the Senate floor, but failed to gain traction in the House.

“Our minimum crew requirement remains controversial to the Republican House leadership … despite our best efforts and one-on-one conversations with Republican members,” UTU Minnesota Legislative Director Phil Qualy said.

While much of the public focus was on the rift over education funding, lawmakers quietly passed the most significant increase in long-term care support in 30 years.

The measure, included in the nearly $13 billion health and human services budget, does not require a particular percentage of the payment increase to go to wages, but pay for long-term care workers is expected to go up.

“For long-term care workers, especially in Greater Minnesota, the advocacy of front line staff and other supporters over the last few years paid off with record funding for this important work,” said Jamie Gulley, president of SEIU Healthcare Minnesota, one of several unions that represent long-term care workers. “Investing in the health and safety of Minnesotans is always a good investment, and we are proud that SEIU Healthcare Minnesota members fought so hard to make this a reality in the long-term care field.”

The Minnesota Nurses Association also praised the Legislature for taking steps to prevent violence against workers in health care facilities, following a dramatic attack on staff at St. John’s Hospital in Maplewood last November. Under the new law, hospitals will be required to create and implement violence prevention plans.

“We saw a horrific event at St. John’s,” MNA President Linda Hamilton said. “The truth is nurses are assaulted in hospitals and nursing homes every day. They’re pinched, hit, and kicked by patients and their families. We’re glad to see efforts that will protect nurses and other healthcare workers from violence.”

– This report includes material from Workday Minnesota.

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