Posts tagged Minnesota
Get on the Job and Organize with Inside Organizer School
November 23, 2025 // On November 6, a panel of labor organizers local to the Twin Cities gathered with the IOS at the East Side Freedom Library in St. Paul, Minn. The conversation centered on Brisack’s book, Get on the Job and Organize: Standing up for a Better Workplace and a Better World, which was released in April. Packed with labor history, the book is about Brisack’s experience salting at Starbucks, but also about their experience as an external organizer for union campaigns at Nissan and Tesla. The conversation was not limited to salting. During the event, panelists connected wisdom from the book to their own experiences organizing different industries in Minnesota, and shared tips and stories with audience members about organizing in general.
MAXFORD NELSEN: The Other Education Choice: Freeing Teachers from Monopolistic Unions
November 17, 2025 // Public-sector collective bargaining tends to crowd out the interests of students, families, and taxpayers in education policymaking, but teachers unions’ power comes from subjecting teachers to a monopoly system of workplace restrictions. While individual educators now have the legal right to forgo union membership, state policymakers have many opportunities to improve educators’ ability to exercise that right. To level the playing field and increase teachers unions’ accountability to the public and their own members, policymakers should consider reforming or replacing collective bargaining in public education.
8th Circuit Backs Home Depot in “BLM Apron” Case
November 16, 2025 // The Eighth Circuit disagreed, holding that Home Depot had “special circumstances” justifying enforcement of its dress-code policy. The store was near the site of civil unrest following George Floyd’s death, and the Court accepted that Home Depot could lawfully restrict potentially divisive messaging to protect employee safety, maintain order, and preserve its public image based on a “reasonable belief” as opposed to direct evidence. The case was sent back to the NLRB for further review under that standard.
Allina Doctors Council strike approved, ‘historic’ rally planned
November 5, 2025 // Healthcare professionals with Allina formed a union in October 2023, and since June 2025 have been attempting to negotiate new contracts. The union says a rally on Nov. 5 will culminate outside of Allina’s headquarters in Minneapolis. Allina Health has previously said it is "disappointed Doctors Council SEIU-represented Primary Care and Urgent Care providers are deciding to engage in a strike instead of meaningful negotiations at the bargaining table."
Minneapolis teachers union members vote to authorize strike
October 28, 2025 // The Minneapolis Federation of Educators (MFE) announced Monday night that union members voted 92% to authorize a strike. MFE must give Minneapolis Public Schools at least 10 days notice before any strike begins.
Allina Doctors Council announce 1-day strike happening Nov. 5
October 27, 2025 // Members of the Doctors Council at Allina Health announced the filing of a 10-day strike notice, which is the first time in Minnesota history physicians in the state have gone on strike.
Starbucks workers union planning pickets, rallies through Nov. 2. See in which states
October 27, 2025 // Starbucks, for its part, says it is willing to bargain with the union, which the company says represents about 9,500 of its "partners," or employees. "Workers United only represents around 4% of our partners but chose to walk away from the bargaining table. If they’re ready to come back, we’re ready to talk," corporate spokesperson Jaci Anderson said in a statement to USA TODAY. "Any agreement needs to reflect the reality that Starbucks already offers the best job in retail including more than $30 an hour on average in pay and benefits for hourly partners," Anderson said. "We’re investing over $500 million to put more partners in stores during busy times. The facts show people like working at Starbucks. Partner engagement is up, turnover is nearly half the industry average, and we get more than 1 million job applications a year.”
Commentary: AB 1340 Is a Death-Knell to Rideshare Independence for California Drivers
October 9, 2025 // Long odds predict that, just as with the fallout from AB5, rideshare drivers will ultimately not like the end result. Just as California’s AB5 has infected the nation, with AB5-like restrictive measures being considered in Minnesota and New Jersey, this new California law is a bellwether to the erosion of the rideshare model in other states.
Newsom signs bill giving 800,000 Uber and Lyft drivers in California the right to unionize
October 7, 2025 // California is the second state where Uber and Lyft drivers can unionize as independent contractors. Massachusetts voters passed a ballot referendum in November allowing unionization, while drivers in Illinois and Minnesota are pushing for similar rights.
Sun Country and its fleet employees reach tentative agreement on first union contract
October 7, 2025 // Sun Country Airline’s 240 ground workers who handle luggage and guide airplanes at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport are on track to ink their first-ever union contract. The Minneapolis-based leisure airline and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters reached a tentative collective bargaining agreement Thursday. Workers soon will vote on whether to ratify it.