OPEIU members decry ‘culture of fear’ at HealthPartners, set May 5 strike deadline

Union leaders described a trend of “more punitive discipline than legitimate corrective action” doled out to members in recent years.

After insulting wage offer from HealthPartners, office staff vote to authorize strike

The union represents about 1,000 workers at 31 HealthPartners facilities in the Twin Cities.

OPEIU members warn HealthPartners they’re ‘not going back’ on health benefits

Local 12 members blasted the organization’s executives for pleading poverty at the bargaining table while their CEO earns $1,500 per hour – more than many members earn in a pay period.

OPEIU members say Wilson-McShane is shortchanging them in talks

Union member lifting picket sign during rally.

The Wilson-McShane Corporation serves unions in Minnesota and across the Midwest as a third-party benefit administrator, but workers at the company say management is trying to shortchange their union in a surprisingly combative round of contract negotiations. Members of Office and Professional Employees (OPEIU) Local 12 set up informational picket lines outside Wilson-McShane’s offices in […]

More advocacy workers unionizing in Minnesota

Workers at two prominent Minnesota nonprofit organizations, The Advocates for Human Rights and Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid, have moved to unionize this winter. About 110 staff members at Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid (MMLA) are participating in a union election after an overwhelming majority of workers signed a petition to join together and bargain collectively as members of […]

Labor nonprofit helps OPEIU, HealthPartners bring learn-and-earn training to life

The clinic assistant training program, open to Ramsey County residents, offers participants a weekly stipend as they gain skills and search for a job.

Ban on captive audience meetings advances in Minnesota Legislature

The employer tactic has come under scrutiny in recent years, as union membership has remained flat despite polling that shows interest in forming unions at a near-record high.

For Mia workers, fresh approach to bargaining delivers big gains

After their first public contract campaign in recent memory, union members who work at the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) ratified a new agreement yesterday that will raise wages by $4 per hour across the board over the next two and a half years. The contract covers about 120 members of Office and Professional Employees […]

Workers at Twin Cities mental health agency to vote on union

“We can’t adequately serve others until we are adequately taken care of,” said Andrew Vanden Broeke, a day treatment therapist who works with children 12 to 17 years old.

ILSR staff seek union to ‘internally reflect what we are externally organizing for’

ILSR union members said they believe collective bargaining will give them more power to promote equity and transparency at the organization – and to advocate for their own well-being.