Senator’s new State Fair booth – like most buildings on the fairgrounds – is union built

August 27, 2018 by

Putting up Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s booth on the State Fairgrounds is an annual tradition for the St. Paul Building and Construction Trades Council, but it isn’t the only structure on the fairgrounds built by union members – far from it, in fact.

“A majority of the building on the grounds were built union, going all the way back to the 1950s,” Don Mullin, the council’s executive secretary, said. “That continues today, whether it’s putting up new facilities or maintaining the old ones.

“It’s a great thing for tradespeople to be able to come out with their families to the fair and be able to show them something we build. It’s like we say, we’re proud to build St. Paul.”

St. Paul Building Trades volunteers on hand to help frame Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s new state fair booth included, L to R, (back) Ryan Ponthan, Rob Busch, Mick Christy and Aaron Hill of the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters, and (front) Joe Navejas, Laborers Local 563; Tim House, Plasterers Local 265; Brian Gullickson, Cement Masons 633.
Brian Gullickson (front) of Cement Masons Local 633 and Joe Navejas of Laborers Local 563 test the length of a crossbeam.
Ryan Ponthan
Ryan Ponthan (top) consults with Mick Christy, a fellow member of the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters.
Volunteers from IUPAT District Council 82 pose for a photo with the finished project.
Volunteers from the Painters union.

This year Klobuchar’s campaign – at the suggestion of union tradespeople – purchased materials for a new, safer, state-of-the-art structure.

To ensure the initial installation went right, the council brought together volunteers from several of its member unions Aug. 15. Among them were Carpenters Local 322, Cement Masons Local 633, Electrical Workers Local 110, Laborers Local 563, Painters District Council 82, Plasterers Local 265, Plumbers Local 34 and Roofers Local 96.

“It’s a great opportunity for the Building Trades to showcase the work that we do, and to make sure Sen. Klobuchar has a great place to showcase the work she does for Minnesota,” Mullin said.

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Entertainment, giveaways, volunteer opportunities at State Fair’s Labor Pavilion

August 23, 2017 by

Volunteers participated in United Way Day at the Labor Pavilion in 2015.

The Minnesota AFL-CIO Labor Pavilion will offer a daily lineup of family-friendly programming from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. all 12 days of the Minnesota State Fair, Aug. 24 to Sept. 4.

Stop by the pavilion, located at the corner of Dan Patch and Cooper near the Snelling Avenue entrance, for live music, demonstrations, giveaways and to meet the working people who make up our state’s labor movement. Find a complete schedule of events at mnaflcio.org.

United Way Day at the Fair

The Labor Pavilion will celebrate United Way Day with special volunteer opportunities Monday, Aug. 28. Volunteers will assemble “Heads of Hair” kits, an early learning kit focused on science. Completed kits will be distributed to the YMCA of the Greater Twin Cities for their early learning programs.

Greater Twin Cities United Way, along with the St. Paul Regional Labor Federation’s Labor Studies and Resource Center and the Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation’s Working Partnerships, is sponsoring the volunteer opportunity, open to all fairgoers.

 

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Allina nurses announce Labor Day strike deadline, as unions statewide pledge support

August 26, 2016 by
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MNA Executive Director Rose Roach announces nurses have notified Allina that their open-ended strike will begin on Labor Day.

 

Standing with leaders of unions representing workers across Minnesota, members of the Minnesota Nurses Association today announced they have delivered notice to Allina Health of their intent to begin an open-ended strike on Labor Day at five Twin Cities facilities.

The two sides “regressed” in mediated talks earlier this week, MNA director Rose Roach said during a State Fair press conference at the Minnesota AFL-CIO Labor Pavilion. Allina’s 4,800 union nurses feel “disrespected and devalued” by their employer, which has refused to discuss any of nurses’ top concerns – including workplace safety and staffing – until they agree to give up their preferred health insurance plans.

“Nurses engaged in the mediation process; Allina did not,” Roach said. “It was more of the same: concede on our issue, then maybe we’ll talk about yours.”

United Hospital nurse Bunny Engeldorf, who serves on the the MNA’s bargaining team, said Allina’s hard-line stance in negotiations serves only one purpose – and it isn’t patient care.

“This is an attack on our union,” Engeldorf said.

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AFSCME Council 5’s Eliot Seide pledges support for nurses if they go on strike at five Allina facilities next month. His union also announced a $10,000 contribution to MNA’s strike fund.

 

“Today (Allina’s) telling us we don’t need staffing or training on how to protect ourselves from violence in the hospital,”Engeldorf added. “Tomorrow, they’ll be telling us we don’t need a pension.”

Union leaders pledged support for striking nurses from workers across Minnesota. Educators, public employees and other health care workers said they were filing the necessary paperwork to join nurses on the picket line outside Abbott Northwestern, Mercy, United and Unity hospitals, as well as Phillips Eye Institute.

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“Allina has said this isn’t about money,” Minnesota AFL-CIO President Bill McCarthy said. “Make no mistake, brothers and sisters. This is about power.”

“We stood with them in June, we stand with them now and we’ll stand with them in the future as long as it takes,” Education Minnesota President Denise Specht said.

Allina nurses, who have been in negotiations with the provider since February, ended a week-long strike June 25 that drew thousands of people to the picket lines, including elected officials, patients and members of other unions.

In talks following the strike, nurses unveiled a compromise that would eliminate two of their quality, affordable insurance plans, but management continued to insist on language that would effectively eliminate all four plans – and refused to consider any other issues related to the contract until nurses bowed to its demand.

MNA members responded by overwhelmingly rejecting Allina’s offer and authorizing a second strike, which will last as long as it takes to get a fair contract, MNA President Mary Turner said.

“We’re going to have the courage and the resources to do that because of these people behind me,” Turner said, turning to acknowledge leaders from the Minnesota AFL-CIO, AFSCME Council 5, SEIU Healthcare Minnesota and the St. Paul and Minneapolis regional labor federations. “We’re going to do this, and we will win.”

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Turning t-shirts into totes on United Way Day at the Labor Pavilion

September 1, 2015 by

web.unitedway-fair-closeVolunteer fairgoers helped repurpose about 85 t-shirts into reusable tote bags for a Minneapolis food shelf yesterday during United Way Day at the Minnesota AFL-CIO Labor Pavilion.

“Most food shelves have a lack of bags to send food out,” Greater Twin Cities United Way volunteer coordinator Mary Smith said. “They never seem to have enough because bags aren’t something people think to donate.”

During planning sessions for United Way Day, AFL-CIO Community Services liaisons and United Way staff saw an opportunity to put the agency’s inventory of unused t-shirts from previous campaign events to good use.

Several fairgoers passing through the Labor Pavilion – many of them union members and their children – stopped to join the volunteer activity, which required basic scissors skills and took about 10 minutes. It was an opportunity, Smith said, to have a seat in the shade and support a good cause.

Cooper Lenz shows off the tote bag he finished at the Labor Pavilion.
Volunteers counted toward Greater Twin Cities United Way’s goal of mobilizing 100,000 volunteers in its 100th anniversary year.
Judy and Gary Lothenbach pitch in during United Way Day at the Labor Pavilion.
Mary Smith (L), a volunteer manager with Greater Twin Cities United Way, helps Robin Walters of Oakdale with the project.
Volunteers Claudia Brau (R) and Debra Madden-Petersen joined United Way Day at the Labor Pavilion in 2015.

Each volunteer also counts towards Greater Twin Cities United Way’s goal of mobilizing 100,000 volunteers in 2015, it’s 100th anniversary year. “We’re at about 61,000 now, so we’re well on our way,” Smith said.

Labor unions and United Way have long partnered together in support of fundraising and volunteer initiatives that support communities across the U.S., including the Twin Cities.

Organizers plan to donate the tote bags to NorthPoint Health and Wellness Center in Minneapolis.

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Minnesota AFL-CIO unveils Labor Pavilion programming for 2015 State Fair

August 25, 2015 by
Merritt Benton, a member of IATSE Local 13, runs cords along the Labor Pavilion’s stage. Local 13 donated, installed and will run the pavilion's sound and stage.

Merritt Benton, a member of IATSE Local 13, runs cords along the Labor Pavilion’s stage. Local 13 donated, installed and will run the pavilion’s sound and stage.

 

Make sure your visit to the Minnesota State Fair this year includes a stop at the Minnesota AFL-CIO Labor Pavilion, where programming includes live music and entertainment, interactive demonstrations and opportunities to learn about what unions do.

The State Fair runs Aug. 27 through Labor Day, Sept. 7. The Labor Pavilion, located at Dan Patch and Cooper, is open every day from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Members of two performance unions, SAG-AFTRA and Actors’ Equity, will emcee proceedings every day except Labor Day, Minnesota AFL-CIO communications director Chris Shields said. Scheduled performers include roots musicians, swing bands, actors from the Chanhassen Dinner Theater, a magician and a ventriloquist, among others.

“The Labor Pavilion stage is a really good opportunity to showcase union performers,” Shields said, crediting Local 13 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees for donating, installing and running the stage and sound equipment.

[Daily entertainment listings for the Labor Pavilion are available online at the Minnesota AFL-CIO’s blog.]

Statewide and local unions will host kiosks at the Labor Pavilion, offering fairgoers information about their work and their most recent campaigns. Highlights include:

  • Twin Cities Carpenters Local 322 apprentices will build and raffle off a limited number of benches decorated with local sports teams’ logos.
  • Members of St. Paul Firefighters Local 21 will be at the pavilion to sell and sign their 2016 calendars, which benefit veterans’ charities.
  • The Minnesota AFL-CIO will conduct an informal, anonymous survey, asking fairgoers about their jobs, wages and working conditions. “The fair always has a good cross-section of people,” Shields said.
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‘Labor Sing’ concert at State Fairgrounds July 28

July 6, 2015 by

web.JoeHill-solidarityThe Twin Cities Labor Chorus will host its annual summer concert and sing-along, “Labor Sing,” at the State Fairgrounds July 28. Local folk musician Emmett Doyle and other special guests will join the performance.

The 7 p.m. concert will take place inside the Minnesota AFL-CIO Labor Pavilion, located at the corner of Dan Patch Ave. and Cooper St., near the Snelling Avenue entrance to the fairgrounds.

Admission is free, but the Labor Chorus will take a freewill offering to support its efforts to perform at the 2016 Western Workers Labor Heritage Festival. Donations can be made payable to: Twin Cities Labor Chorus, PO Box 40095, St. Paul, MN 55104-8095.

Founded in 2009, the Labor Chorus has become a staple at area union events, from picket lines to membership parties. The chorus is supported in part by Minnesota unions and the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment. For information about joining or booking the chorus, e-mail tclaborchorus@gmail.com.

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Visit the Labor Pavilion at the Minnesota State Fair!

August 22, 2014 by
Ken Young of Sheet Metal Workers Local 10 puts the finishing touches on a copper rose at the Labor Pavilion on the Minnesota State Fairgrounds.

Ken Young of Sheet Metal Workers Local 10 puts the finishing touches on a copper rose at the Labor Pavilion on the Minnesota State Fairgrounds.

Heading to the great Minnesota get-together? Stop by the Labor Pavilion for live music and entertainment, interactive exhibits and several opportunities to take action in support of working Minnesotans.

The Labor Pavilion is open daily throughout the fair at the corner of Dan Patch and Cooper, 1657 Dan Patch Ave.

The Minnesota AFL-CIO coordinates daily programming at the pavilion, featuring professional entertainers who are members of the Twin Cities Musicians Union, the Screen Actors Guild and other unions. The Minnesota AFL-CIO’s Labor Pavilion blog provides a guide to programming.

Individual unions and labor organizations also host kiosks on the pavilion. Here’s a rundown of some of this year’s offerings:

• Trades demonstrations

Several Building Trades unions are putting their crafts on display at the Labor Pavilion. That includes members of Sheet Metal Workers Local 10, who craft copper sheets into roses – complete with prickly thorns – from their Labor Pavilion kiosk. The roses are awarded to fairgoers who answer a trivia question correctly.

Operating Engineers Local 49 hosts a “sandbox simulator,” offering kids (or adults) an opportunity to try their hand an excavator – on a much smaller scale, of course; and members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers power a laptop at their kiosk with a solar panel attached to the roof.

web.StateFair14-postal• Stop Staples

Twin Cities Letter Carriers and Postal Workers are co-hosting a kiosk to promote the nationwide boycott of Staples. All four postal unions have backed the “Stop Staples” campaign, prompted by the U.S. Postal Service’s pilot program to place service counters inside Staples stores.

The counters are not staffed by sworn USPS employees, but by Staples employees who, when working full time, earn about $18,000 per year – and receive minimal training on how to handle the mail.

At the Labor Pavilion kiosk, supporters can sign a postcard to Staples executives pledging to join the boycott. They also can read a heavily redacted copy of the agreement between the USPS and Staples.

Active and retired members of AFSCME Council 5 support transportation funding at the Fair: (L to R) Tony Peterson, Judy Schultz and Christine Main.

Active and retired members of AFSCME Council 5 support transportation funding at the Fair: (L to R) Tony Peterson, Judy Schultz and Christine Main.

• Moving Minnesota

Members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees are using the fair to make a public case for new investments in the state’s transportation infrastructure.

Visitors to AFSCME Council 5’s kiosk can sign up to support Move MN, a coalition of more than 200 non-profit and union organizations pushing for long-term, sustainable transportation investments, including roads, bridges, transit, bike and walk connections.

“Our infrastructure is in such bad shape,” Council 5 retiree Tony Peterson said. “We want a permanent solution for the whole state of Minnesota – not just another makeshift solution or quick-fix. We need lawmakers to act now to support Minnesota 20 years down the road.”

Jess Alexander demonstrates Working America's "scheduling puzzle."

Jess Alexander demonstrates Working America’s “scheduling puzzle.”

• The scheduling puzzle

Last year at the fair, unions and Working America, an organization for workers who do not have the benefit of a union on the job, used the State Fair to ramp up their successful campaign to raise Minnesota’s minimum wage. This year, Working America is making the transition to a new campaign to give more workers access to paid-sick days and fair scheduling.

“Raising the wage doesn’t help if you don’t get enough hours, or you don’t get paid on days when you’re not working because you’re sick,” said Jess Alexander, an organizer for Working America in Minnesota.

An interactive display at the Working America kiosk allows fairgoers to visualize their “scheduling puzzle” using blocks that represent time spent on work, family time, sleep, etc.

Linda Leighton, a descendent of one of the leaders of the 1934 Teamsters strike, is enlisting support for a historic monument in Minneapolis.

Linda Leighton, a descendent of one of the leaders of the 1934 Teamsters strike, is enlisting support for a historic monument in Minneapolis.

• Remembering Teamsters’ strike

The Remember 1934 Committee, which hosted an 80th anniversary commemoration of the historic Minneapolis Teamsters strike earlier this summer, is using the Labor Pavilion to continue its efforts to put a plaque on the site where two strikers were killed.

Linda Leighton, granddaughter of strike leader Ray Dunn, staffed the Remember 1934 kiosk on the opening day of the fair. She said the goal is to raise $5,000 to place a historic marker at 3rd Street and 6th Avenue North in Minneapolis.

• Patient safety campaign

Members of the Minnesota Nurses Association are enlisting supporters for their Safe Patient Standards campaign at the fair. Molly Henderson, a nurse at United Hospital in St. Paul, said unsafe staffing levels continue to threaten patient care at hospitals across the state.

“We’re here letting people know that this campaign isn’t really about us as nurses, it’s about you, as the public,” Henderson said. “It’s about caring for patients, keeping them safe. And we can’t do that if there isn’t the right number of nurses to care for the number of patients in the hospital.”

St. Paul Firefighter Dominic Novak, a member of Fire Fighters Local 21, demonstrates how not to put out a grease fire at the Labor Pavilion.

St. Paul Firefighter Dominic Novak, a member of Fire Fighters Local 21, demonstrates how not to put out a grease fire at the Labor Pavilion.

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Tom Sundly of Operating Engineers Local 49 gives Bloomington 10-year-old Tyler Kauffman a crash course in using the controls of a model excavator.

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Letter to the Editor: State Fair trip provides another sign of postal privatization

September 30, 2013 by
The Minnesota State Fair’s on-site post office had a new look in 2013 (right), ditching the U.S. Postal Service logo present a year earlier – and stoking concerns about privatization of the postal service.

The Minnesota State Fair’s on-site post office had a new look in 2013 (right), ditching the U.S. Postal Service logo present a year earlier – and stoking concerns about privatization of the postal service.

Our Minnesota State Fair prides itself in offering new things to be found on the fairgrounds each year. But this year, I found one of the State Fair’s new offerings distressing – and insulting – to me.

I have regularly attended our “Great Minnesota Get-Together” since childhood, and for as long as I can remember the U.S. Postal Service has maintained an on-site post office, providing fairgoers with complete mailing services as well as offering special souvenir cancellations. It also provided St. Paul postal workers with choice temporary assignments.

Those days appear to be over. This year the eagle on the decades-old USPS mailbox was covered over with the corporate competitor UPS logo.

Postal management’s plan to privatize the people’s post office marches on. From the fair to our neighborhoods – one distribution center, one post office, one union job and one mailbox at a time.

You can help prevent further erosion, preserve a people’s post office and protect union jobs by asking your congressional representatives to support The Postal Service Protection Act (S.316 in the Senate and H.R. 630 in the House).

– Mike Mazurkiewicz

The writer is a retired St Paul postal clerk and former editor of the newsletter for members of Local 65 of the American Postal Workers Union, “The Postmark.”

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