Posts tagged Minnesota
Government Unions Love Democrats
December 6, 2023 // The four largest government unions are the National Education Association (NEA), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (Afscme). In the 2021-2022 election cycle, they spent more than $708 million combined on politics.
Iowa Planned Parenthood workers to picket in Des Moines, claiming unfair labor practices
December 1, 2023 // Unionized Planned Parenthood North Central States from Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska will picket outside of clinics Tuesday morning to call for a contract that meets workers' demands, including increased wages and lower health insurance premiums. In addition, union officials say they are drawing attention to intimidation and unfair labor practices faced by the bargaining team from the nonprofit health care provider. A demonstration will take place in Des Moines Tuesday outside of the Susan Knapp Health Center from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., before patients arrive for appointments. The demonstration is not a strike and will not affect patient care Tuesday, organizers said.
Kansas City is quickly becoming the hub for a Half Price Books union effort
November 27, 2023 // Employees at Westport's Half Price Books voted to unionize on Nov. 17. Overland Park employees unionized in July. If workers at the Olathe store vote to unionize later this month, Half Price Books Workers United will have organized about 10% of the company. Twelve workers at Kansas City’s Half Price Books in Westport unanimously won a Nov. 17 vote to unionize, making them the 11th unionized store in the country.
Minnesota’s Misguided Crackdown Of Independent Contractors
November 1, 2023 // Much to the chagrin of Minnesota regulators, rideshare drivers overwhelmingly identify as independent contractors and not employees. Uber and Lyft drivers have, instead, advocated for portable benefits as a means to insulate themselves from forced reclassification. Utah recently became the first state to pass this reform, while states like Massachusetts are mulling similar bills and will also have an opportunity to vote on a 2024 ballot measure to maintain their IC status. Minnesota should study California Assembly Bill 5 and similar efforts that displaced workers and left them worse off under the guise of “fighting” misclassification.
Allina healthcare workers unionize, forming possibly the largest private-sector union for clinicians
October 18, 2023 // Healthcare workers with the Allina Health System voted to unionize Friday in what is described as what is now the largest private-sector union for clinicians in the country. The union, represented by Doctors Council SEIU Local 10MD, includes about 550 physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants who work at Allina clinics. The company is based in Minneapolis but has clinics all across Minnesota and Wisconsin.
A union strike interrupts Minnesota United’s final game of season in St. Paul
October 9, 2023 // The local chapter of the IATSE has contracts with the Twins, Timberwolves, Wild, Bally Sports North, the Big Ten Network and other crewing contractors, Cushing said. They have voted down only one previous recent contract with Bally Sports North, but agreed and ratified a second offer. The Bally deal, Cushing said, also had 4% wage increases. On Saturday, MNUFC was able to cobble together enough crew to film and upload a stream to MLSSoccer.com and clips to air Apple TV’s highlight show and online.
Wisconsin Spartek Workers Successfully Force Out UE Union Officials as Labor Board’s Policy Shift Looms
September 14, 2023 // The repeal of the Election Protection Rule will also let union officials shut down worker attempts to obtain a secret ballot decertification vote for a year after union officials install themselves in a workplace via the so-called “card check” process. This move will be particularly dangerous to workers’ rights now that the Biden-appointed majority on the NLRB has voted to mandate card check recognition. Under the abuse-prone card check process, union officials bypass the NLRB’s traditional secret ballot vote procedures and instead use cards collected directly from workers – often through coercive or intimidating tactics – as “votes” for unionization. “Workers across the country are successfully exercising their right to kick out unwanted union officials, especially with Foundation aid,” commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “This trend is a threat to the Biden Administration’s union boss political allies, and the Administration has been pursuing a radical agenda to trap workers under unions’ so-called ‘representation’ and increase the influence and dues revenue of its favorite special interest.”
Metro Transit workers, including drivers, overwhelmingly vote to authorize strike
September 14, 2023 // While some may be ready to strike, voting to authorize a strike does not mean a strike will happen. But it does give union leadership the ability to call a strike if it becomes necessary, the union said. "The members have the final say in that. They will tell us what they want to do. They have the final vote on the contracts," Timlin said. "It's really how far they are prepared to go on this. That's the reality." Workers are asking for pay raises to include the cost of living, safety solutions, better shift differentials and more one-piece runs. Negotiations with the Metropolitan Council started back in March and contracts expired at the end of July.
Popular Union-Busting Tactic Banned in New York in ‘Major Victory’
September 7, 2023 // New York has banned captive audience meetings, a popular union-busting tactic used by companies during organizing periods to disseminate anti-union information. Governor Kathy Hochul signed the bill on Wednesday morning, making the state the fifth in the U.S. to make such meetings illegal. “This legislation will help to ensure that all New Yorkers receive the benefits and protections that allow them to work with dignity,” Hochul said in a statement on Wednesday. “My administration is committed to making our state the most worker-friendly state in the nation, and I thank the bill sponsors for their partnership in our mission to establish the strongest and most robust protections right here in New York.”
Nearly four decades after infamous strike, Hormel workers in Austin march on Labor Day for better pay
September 6, 2023 // Meatpacking workers in Austin say they need a raise from Hormel Foods Corp. to keep pace with inflation and potentially avert a strike. The Labor Day march aimed to rally support as the local United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) bargaining team and Hormel leadership are running out of time to negotiate a new four-year contract. Many carried the memory of the bitter 1985-86 strike against Hormel, one of the most infamous episodes in modern U.S. labor history. Workers stopped at the Spam Museum, raising as much noise as possible while onlookers took video on their phones, then went north to Hormel offices and the Spam Museum's former location, before returning to the Austin Labor Center just a few blocks west of the Cedar River. As of last week, workers are seeking $6.50 wage increases by September 2025, while Hormel is offering $2.15 over four years. The two sides are also split on insurance increases, bereavement and pension increases, among other issues. The contract talks come as Hormel profits, and the prices of bacon, turkey and other commodities, dip as markets adjust to post-pandemic conditions. The company recently lowered its financial forecast for the rest of 2023, estimating its sales will decline as much as 4% or remain flat compared to 2022.