News and Updates

Unions gaining public favor, losing ground in workplace

March 7, 2017

Union members are becoming increasingly scarce in the U.S. labor force. It’s a trend that continued in 2016, when union density fell from 11.1 to 10.7 percent of the total workforce, according to federal...
Statement on the February 2017 State Budget Forecast

February 28, 2017

Minnesota AFL-CIO President Bill McCarthy issued the following statement on the February 2017 state budget forecast that projected a budget surplus increase from $1.4 billion to $1.65 billion: “Minnesota’s...
Linden Hills Co-op workers vote to unionize with UFCW Local 653

February 24, 2017

Workers at Linden Hills Co-op won their election yesterday to form a union with the United Food and Commercial Workers, Local 653. 85% of workers voted in favor of unionization. “We are excited to begin the...
Organizing drive pays off for big-box janitors with landmark first contract

February 22, 2017

What’s the value of a union contract? For nearly 500 retail janitors in the Twin Cities, who made history last year by forming the industry’s first metro-wide union, it’s a cool $4.5 million in wage increases...
People of Color Union Members speak out against Right to Work

February 21, 2017

Concerned that the Trump administration and Republican majorities in the Minnesota Legislature intend to pass Right to Work laws, members of the People of Color Union Members caucus are speaking out. POCUM...
Expert urges Minneapolis to maintain its leadership on wage issues

February 21, 2017

Minneapolis is in the spotlight as elected officials grapple with the question of raising the city’s minimum wage – and workers across the country are watching, a national expert on the restaurant industry...
Workers, businesses back proposal to stop wage theft

February 15, 2017

Workers and communities suffer – and businesses face unfair competition – when companies cheat their employees through wage theft, advocates said Wednesday at the state Capitol. They called on the Legislature...
Linden Hills Co-op workers submit cards for union election

February 9, 2017

An overwhelming 80% of Linden Hills Co-op employees signed and submitted cards to the NLRB today to unionize with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, Local 653. Linden Hills workers hope to follow...
Workers to give Franklin Street Bakery owners a ‘taste of justice’

January 27, 2017

Fighting hunger is a worthy cause, but workers at a local bakery say their bosses should start by paying them a living wage. Workers at Franklin Street Bakery in Minneapolis are planning “A Taste of Justice”...
Educators challenge tax breaks for private school donations

January 26, 2017

Calling it a “back-door voucher plan,” educators and allies are challenging a bill introduced in the 2017 Legislature that would give people tax credits for private school tuition and allow corporations and...
Labor Secretary nomination draws nationwide protests

January 26, 2017

Workers and their allies demonstrated in St. Paul and in cities across the country Thursday to protest the nomination of fast food CEO Andrew Puzder for secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor. They also...
Poultry workers step up campaign against unsafe conditions

January 25, 2017

Central Minnesota poultry plant workers stepped up their efforts to get management to address what they say are unsafe working conditions, demonstrating Wednesday outside the headquarters of GNP Co., the...
Minnesota union members marched against Trump in droves. Here’s why

January 17, 2017

Dressed in hard hats and union colors, union members were among the estimated 100,000 people who joined the Women’s March in Minnesota one day after Donald Trump’s inauguration, capping three days of protests...
Jobs Bill Puts Working Minnesotans First

January 4, 2017

Minnesota AFL-CIO President Bill McCarthy issued the following statement on Governor Dayton’s $1.5 billion jobs bill: “As we have come to expect, Governor Dayton has started the Legislative session by putting...
Budget Forecast an Opportunity

December 2, 2016

Minnesota AFL-CIO President Bill McCarthy issued the following statement on the November 2016 state budget forecast that projected a $1.4 billion surplus and stable economic growth: “The budget forecast is...
Teamsters, elected officials call out ‘shady business practices’ at Finish Line Express

December 2, 2016

Heartbreaking, gutless and dishonest were among the ways workers, union leaders and high-ranking elected officials described a Roseville trucking firm’s decision to withhold pay from 90 members of Teamsters...
Janitors call on Kohl’s to meet, apologize for attack on demonstrators

December 2, 2016

Members of a Minneapolis-based worker center are calling on the management of Kohl’s department stores to meet about a Responsible Contractor Policy – and to apologize for the behavior of a security officer at...
Stand with Franklin Street Bakery Workers

November 27, 2016

For years, employees at the Franklin Street Bakery in Minneapolis have reported poverty wages, lack of time off for illness and family, unaffordable health coverage, little opportunity for advancement, and...
Apprenticeship helps MN manufacturers boost skills, stay competitive

November 17, 2016

About 85 percent of registered apprentices in Minnesota are employed in the construction trades, but federal grant funds are helping more of the state’s manufacturers harness the power of apprenticeship to...
Minnesota’s Building Trades apprentices earn paychecks while mastering their craft

November 16, 2016

When Joe Odell’s friends plan to go out on Friday nights, he usually takes a pass. It’s not that the 23-year-old from Monticello is no fun, but Odell has someplace important to be early on Saturday mornings:...

News and Updates

Unions gaining public favor, losing ground in workplace

Statement on the February 2017 State Budget Forecast

Linden Hills Co-op workers vote to unionize with UFCW Local 653

Organizing drive pays off for big-box janitors with landmark first contract

People of Color Union Members speak out against Right to Work

Expert urges Minneapolis to maintain its leadership on wage issues

Workers, businesses back proposal to stop wage theft

Linden Hills Co-op workers submit cards for union election

Workers to give Franklin Street Bakery owners a ‘taste of justice’

Educators challenge tax breaks for private school donations

Labor Secretary nomination draws nationwide protests

Poultry workers step up campaign against unsafe conditions

Minnesota union members marched against Trump in droves. Here’s why

Jobs Bill Puts Working Minnesotans First

Budget Forecast an Opportunity

Teamsters, elected officials call out ‘shady business practices’ at Finish Line Express

Janitors call on Kohl’s to meet, apologize for attack on demonstrators

Stand with Franklin Street Bakery Workers

Apprenticeship helps MN manufacturers boost skills, stay competitive

Minnesota’s Building Trades apprentices earn paychecks while mastering their craft

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