Posts tagged St. Paul
Major state employee union approves new contract after bitter negotiations
August 12, 2025 // After one of the most bitter contract campaigns in recent memory, members of the union representing some 18,000 state employees approved a two-year contract that largely maintains the status quo with modest pay increases. Although voting, dues-paying members supported ratifying the contract by a wide margin — 6,857 to 1,813 — the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees said the 79% approval was the lowest since the union went on strike in 2001.
Gov. Walz orders state employees back to office, unions push back
March 28, 2025 // "We are mostly upset because there was no attempt by the governor or his agencies to engage with us at all," said Megan Dayton, president of Minnesota Association of Professional Employees. "There are not dedicated cubicles or offices anymore like there used to be pre-pandemic, so I don't know how they're going to do it." Dayton said her union has not ruled out a lawsuit. In a statement, Bart Andersen, president of AFSCME Council 5, another union, said, in part: "The administration’s decision to impose sweeping workplace policy changes without engaging our union and labor partners first is not just unacceptable – it’s an act of blatant disrespect."
Delta workers push for a vote to unionize in MN
January 27, 2025 // Gores said it’s not as easy for them to unionize like other companies. He said they are restricted by the railway labor act. Employees have to sign an authorization cards that are only valid for one year. He said it’s challenging to get people to resign each year. Gores said they need 9,000 or more authorization cards to be able to file for an election.
Union workers push for health care and insurance bills following coordinated strikes
March 15, 2024 // After thousands of Twin Cities union workers went on strike last week, workers are pushing for changes at the Capitol — including public health insurance open to all Minnesotans and insurance for striking workers. About 200 unionized health care, education and property service workers with the SEIU Minnesota State Council met with legislators Wednesday for an organized lobby day. “I would make the case that over the last few years here in Minnesota because of the leadership of SEIU and our allied partners, we have maybe made more progress than we have in a generation around workers and union rights,” said Gov. Tim Walz,
Minnesota unions plan to wage simultaneous strikes
March 8, 2024 // Nearly 10,000 workers from a coalition of separate unions, working for a diverse group of employers, are planning a series of coordinated strikes in Minnesota this week and next. Their aim: Exert leverage at the bargaining table.
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.
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.
Minimum wage does maximum damage
June 22, 2023 // The demand for labor drives wags growth, and this applies to the lowest-wage jobs. But enough politicians have fooled themselves that they can mandate higher wages. Increasing the minimum wage tends to hurt the very people they say they’re trying to help.
A Union View from Inside
June 20, 2023 // UA local unions not only suppress opportunities for nonunion workers but also seek to limit union membership to protect the high earnings of current members; in other words, the UA is doing the exact opposite of what it claims to do: instead of “protecting” workers, the UA intentionally excludes potential pipefitters from the labor market to limit supply and drive up prices. Worse, this exclusion means that less pipefitting work gets done. American industries processing steam, petrochemical, water, and other materials suffer from a loss of valuable skilled labor. Probably the best example of this policy of disenfranchisement is the pictured flier, which I saw inside the union hall. The flier claims that bureaucrats are trying to destroy the UA apprenticeship program. Of course, I was surprised to learn that apprenticeships would be targeted by politicians, since politicians usually support work and skill training regardless of political affiliation. As neither the flier nor the website directly referenced the bill in question, I did my own research. In June 2019, the Department of Labor proposed an expansion of apprenticeship programs, awarding $183.8 million to support the development and expansion of training programs. This included industry, employer, government, nonprofit and union training programs. The United Association told its members that union apprenticeships were being attacked. In truth, the DOL was merely seeking to expand apprenticeship options, including union apprenticeships.
Minnesota Historical Society employees rally as contract talks continue
December 19, 2022 // Employees at the Minnesota Historical Society rallied Saturday in St. Paul as negotiations continue for an initial union contract. The workers formed AFSCME Local 3173 last year, but have yet to reach an agreement with the MNHS. Some at the rally said they voted to join the union because they were frustrated with attempts to get management to listen to concerns.