Minnesota AFL-CIO

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Minnesota union membership continues to grow

Minnesota union membership continues to grow

Union membership in Minnesota continued to grow in 2021. According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the percentage of working Minnesotans who belong to labor unions increased from 15.8% of the total workforce in 2020 to 16% in 2021. The overall number of union members also increased from 398,000 in...
Local Jobs & Project Plan an opportunity for working Minnesotans

Local Jobs & Project Plan an opportunity for working Minnesotans

Minnesota AFL-CIO President Bill McCarthy issued the following statement responding to today’s announcement of the Governor & Lt. Governor’s Local Jobs & Projects Plan: Today’s Local Jobs & Projects Plan announcement shows that Governor Walz and Lt. Governor Flanagan are meeting the moment to address...
Minnesota AFL-CIO Elects Bernie Burnham as next President

Minnesota AFL-CIO Elects Bernie Burnham as next President

The General Board of the Minnesota AFL-CIO unanimously elected Bernie Burnham as the Labor Federation’s new President. Burnham, who has served as Vice President of Education Minnesota since 2019, will succeed President Bill McCarthy when he retires in February. Burnham brings a breadth of experience to the office. She...
Budget surplus an opportunity for working Minnesotans & families

Budget surplus an opportunity for working Minnesotans & families

Minnesota AFL-CIO President Bill McCarthy responded to news the state budget is projected to have $7.7 billion in unallocated funds: “Thanks to Governor Walz’s stewardship, Minnesota continues to be on firm fiscal ground and in a unique position to invest in working Minnesotans and our families, strengthen our...
Statement on President Biden’s visit to Minnesota

Statement on President Biden’s visit to Minnesota

Minnesota AFL-CIO President Bill McCarthy issued the following statement on President Joe Biden’s visit to Minnesota: “I had the opportunity to meet with President Biden today and thanked him for his leadership and dedication to putting working people at the center of his domestic agenda. From the vital help to...
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AFL-CIO Executive Paywatch Report Reveals 226 to 1 Minnesota CEO-to-Worker Pay Ratio in 2020

AFL-CIO Executive Paywatch Report Reveals 226 to 1 Minnesota CEO-to-Worker Pay Ratio in 2020

According to the 2021 edition of the Executive Paywatch report released today by the AFL-CIO, the average CEO-to-worker pay ratio at S&P 500 companies in Minnesota was 226 to 1 in 2020, down slightly from 271 to 1 in 2019. On average, Minnesota CEOs made $14.6 million in total compensation in 2020, up from $14.4...
Statement on the passing of AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka

Statement on the passing of AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka

Minnesota AFL-CIO President Bill McCarthy issued the following statement on the death of national AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka: “Minnesota’s Labor Movement and working people across the nation lost a leader, an advocate, a friend, and a union brother today. A third generation Pennsylvania coal miner, Rich Trumka...
Lawmakers begin to invest in workers, more work remains

Lawmakers begin to invest in workers, more work remains

On the final day to avert a government shutdown, the Minnesota Legislature finalized the state’s two-year budget. “After six long months, the Minnesota Legislature has finally passed a budget that begins to help working people recover from the pandemic and invests in all our communities and schools,” said Minnesota...
New Report Names Minnesota 42nd Most Dangerous Place for Workers

New Report Names Minnesota 42nd Most Dangerous Place for Workers

According to a new report released today by the AFL-CIO, Minnesota had the 8th lowest (and 42nd highest) rate of workplace deaths in 2019. This analysis, based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, shows that 80 working Minnesotans lost their lives due to on-the-job injuries, resulting in 2.6 deaths per hundred...
Labor Movement Calls on Lawmakers to put Workers First in Jobs Bill

Labor Movement Calls on Lawmakers to put Workers First in Jobs Bill

As lawmakers sort out the state budget and policy details leading up to the expected June 14th special legislative session, 26 unions and labor organizations signed on to a Minnesota AFL-CIO letter to the Omnibus Jobs Bill working group, urging them to prioritize working people in the final legislation. “Working...
Minnesota Training Partnership

Minnesota Training Partnership
House Jobs Bill delivers for working Minnesotans

House Jobs Bill delivers for working Minnesotans

Minnesota AFL-CIO President Bill McCarthy issued the following statement on yesterday’s passage of the House Jobs Bill: “No matter what we look like or where we live, working Minnesotans want jobs that can provide for themselves and families, safer workplaces, time to care for themselves and their families, and some...
At the Capitol

At the Capitol
Statement on Derek Chauvin’s Conviction

Statement on Derek Chauvin’s Conviction

Minnesota AFL-CIO President Bill McCarthy issued the following a jury finding former Officer Derek Chauvin guilty on all counts in the death of George Floyd: “Derek Chauvin has been held accountable for murdering George Floyd. While we celebrate today’s verdict, we have so much work ahead of us in order to build a...
Statement on the Death of Former Vice President Walter Mondale

Statement on the Death of Former Vice President Walter Mondale

Minnesota AFL-CIO President Bill McCarthy issued the following on the death of former Vice President Walter Mondale: “Walter Mondale represented the best of public service in Minnesota. As Minnesota’s Attorney General, US Senator, and our nation’s Vice President he fought for equity and justice. Vice President Mondale...
Open Letter from Minnesota AFL-CIO Leadership

Open Letter from Minnesota AFL-CIO Leadership

April 15, 2021 Dear Union Members, Minnesota’s Labor Movement is diverse. From the work we do, what we look like, where we live, where we were born, and how we pray – Minnesota’s union members come from all walks of life. While we have many differences, we are united by a set of shared values. We believe all...
Statement on the Police Killing of Daunte Wright

Statement on the Police Killing of Daunte Wright

Minnesota AFL-CIO President Bill McCarthy issued the following statement on the police killing of Daunte Wright: “Our state’s Labor Movement mourns as yet another unarmed Black Minnesotan is dead at the hands of law enforcement. Daunte Wright’s life mattered, his death is a tragedy, and he should be alive today. “The...
Minnesota AFL-CIO supports Building Trades’ Speedway boycott

Minnesota AFL-CIO supports Building Trades’ Speedway boycott

Following the Saint Paul Building Trades’ Sunday announcement of a boycott of Speedway gas stations based on parent company Marathon’s labor & safety practices at their Saint Paul Park refinery, Minnesota AFL-CIO President Bill McCarthy issued the following statement: “Generations of Minnesota’s union workers have...
Upcoming Events

Upcoming Events
At Legislative break, House acts for workers while Senate stalls

At Legislative break, House acts for workers while Senate stalls

This week marks the Minnesota Legislature’s traditional Easter/Passover recess. In January, we announced our legislative priorities, which represents the Labor Movement’s shared state policy vision and our commitment to racial and economic justice. Our priorities of crisis relief, maintaining and expanding workplace...
Minnesota AFL-CIO Announces 2021 Legislative Priorities

Minnesota AFL-CIO Announces 2021 Legislative Priorities

The Minnesota AFL-CIO, the statewide federation of more than 1,000 local unions who represent more than 300,000 working people, announced its 2021 legislative priorities aimed at crisis relief, maintaining and expanding workplace rights and safety, extending paid leave for all workers, tax justice, and creating jobs...
PRO Act vote shows which Minnesota Representatives stand with workers

PRO Act vote shows which Minnesota Representatives stand with workers

Minnesota AFL-CIO President Bill McCarthy issued the following statement on the US House’s 220 to 205 passage of the Protecting the Right to Organizing (PRO) Act: “The US House of Representatives just took a major step toward leveling the playing field for working people by passing the PRO Act. “Today’s vote was an...
As Chauvin trial begins, Labor calls for justice & protecting free speech

As Chauvin trial begins, Labor calls for justice & protecting free speech

As jury selection begins in the trial of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin for George Floyd’s murder, Minnesota AFL-CIO President Bill McCarthy issued the following statement: “We have full confidence in Attorney General Ellison and his team to prosecute this case and to see that George Floyd’s family...
When it comes to economic security, Minnesota has a serious deficit

When it comes to economic security, Minnesota has a serious deficit

Minnesota AFL-CIO President Bill McCarthy issued the following statement in response to the February state budget forecast: “While it’s encouraging to see Minnesota’s financial situation improving, the state budget has been underfunded for over 20 years. Understaffed classrooms, crumbling infrastructure, and...
Racial & economic justice at the center of Labor’s legislative priorities

Racial & economic justice at the center of Labor’s legislative priorities

Nearly two months into Minnesota’s 2021 legislative session, Minnesota’s Labor Movement continues to pursue legislative priorities that put working people first, especially workers who have sacrificed most during this pandemic. At the core of the Minnesota AFL-CIO’s 2021 legislative priorities is advancing racial and...
Frontline Workers Speak Out About Need for COVID-19 Emergency Paid Leave

Frontline Workers Speak Out About Need for COVID-19 Emergency Paid Leave

Frontline workers spoke out Thursday morning in support of legislation providing up to 100 hours of emergency paid leave for frontline workers forced to stay home due to a COVID-19 diagnosis or exposure. Workers from across jobs and locations shared stories of how they’ve had to dip into savings or go unpaid when they...
PRO Act is Groundbreaking & Transformative for Working People

PRO Act is Groundbreaking & Transformative for Working People

Minnesota AFL-CIO President Bill McCarthy issued the following statement on today’s introduction of the Protect the Right to Organize (PRO Act) in the US House of Representatives: “The pandemic has made it even clearer that working people in Minnesota and across the nation need the voice, equity, and security that...
AT&T Wireless Discount for Union Members

AT&T Wireless Discount for Union Members

AT&T is the only nationwide unionized wireless carrier. When you choose AT&T, you support the more than 150,000 members of Communications Workers of America employed there. Exclusive Wireless Savings, Just for Union Members Save 15% on the monthly service charge of qualified wireless plans — and take...

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