Bobby Kasper: Labor Day reminds us what’s at stake in November

We are at another crossroad. The Minnesota labor movement holds its destiny in its own hands. In 2012 we ran one of the most successful political programs in the country. We took back the Minnesota House and Senate. We took back seats that our own polling said it was highly unlikely we would win. As […]

Sandy Pappas: Honoring the legacy of American workers

Labor Day marks more than just the end of summer. It’s a celebration of American workers and the contributions they make to the strength, prosperity and economic well-being of our country. This Labor Day, the continued need for sustainable, living wage jobs is first and foremost on my mind. As a state legislator, the decisions […]

Home care workers win election, take momentum into contract talks

Home health care workers in Minnesota have spoken, and they voted decisively to form a union, the state’s Bureau of Mediation Services announced yesterday. Now the fight to improve the lives of home care workers and the people they serve shifts from the organizing field to the negotiation table – and back to the State […]

Panel: Women workers making gains in Minnesota, but work toward equity remains

On the 94th anniversary of women’s suffrage in the U.S., a panel of three state lawmakers from the East Metro discussed the gains women workers in Minnesota made with passage of the Women’s Economic Security Act this year – and the work for equality that remains to be done. Sen. Sandy Pappas of St. Paul, […]

‘Boots on the ground’ provide Labor’s edge in 2014

From TV ads to robocalls, technology has changed the way political campaigns communicate with voters, but the most effective form of voter contact remains the same: one-on-one conversations. That’s the guiding principle for Labor 2014, the statewide push to get union members to the polls in support of labor-endorsed candidates up and down the Nov. […]

At convention, Trades build momentum for 2014 election push

ROCHESTER – With two new stadiums in the works and $1 billion in new state infrastructure investments – as well as jobs-creating regional improvements like the Destination Medical Center here – the Building Trades unions in Minnesota are riding a wave of momentum. That momentum is at stake in elections up and down the Nov. […]

Jennifer Munt: Let’s move Minnesota in 2015

Minnesota has an urgent transportation problem that’s making it difficult for Minnesotans to get to their next destination, whether that’s work, school, play or family. Transportation is about opportunity for all no matter who you are or where you live. Workers need safer roads and better public transit to get to work. Our seniors need […]

New endorsements give shape to Minnesota AFL-CIO’s 2014 political push

The state’s largest labor federation, the Minnesota AFL-CIO, added to its list of endorsed candidates for state and federal offices yesterday, as Labor’s 2014 political push continued to take shape locally. Most notably, the Minnesota AFL-CIO backed 55 DFLers running for the Minnesota House of Representatives. The DFL Party will look to defend its 12-seat […]

With support from bonding bill, MN Workers Memorial Garden nears completion

The $1 billion package of public infrastructure investments approved by state lawmakers earlier this year includes $250,000 for a mural and other improvements that will complete the Minnesota Workers Memorial Garden in St. Paul. Construction of the memorial, located near the intersection of 12th and Cedar in the southeast corner of the Capitol grounds, wrapped […]

Unions: Dayton, DFL legislators delivered for working families

Progress is what Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton promised he’d deliver if given pro-worker majorities in the Legislature. Progress on job creation, better schools, economic justice and budget stability is what Dayton and House DFLers will point to when they campaign for re-election this fall. In the 2014 session, Dayton and legislators picked up where they […]