News and Updates

Solidarity puts historic referendum campaign in North Branch over the top

July 6, 2017

We all do better when we work together. That’s the lesson teachers and support staff in the North Branch Area Schools learned from the district’s first successful referendum campaign in at least 15 years. And...
Minnesota AFL-CIO applauds Governor Dayton’s decision to bring lawmakers back to the negotiating table

May 30, 2017

Minnesota AFL-CIO President Bill McCarthy issued the following statement responding to Governor Mark Dayton’s decision to bring lawmakers back to the negotiating table: “Working people across the state echo...
Minnesota AFL-CIO calls on Governor Dayton to veto E-12 bill

May 26, 2017

Citing the unprecedented attack on union members’ professional standards and workplace protections, the Minnesota AFL-CIO is calling on Governor Mark Dayton to veto the E-12 finance bill and send lawmakers...
VIDEO: Support Workers. Protect Local Control

May 22, 2017

Minnesota Legislators passed a bad bill that would steal paid sick days from 150,000 working Minnesotans and prevent communities from raising wages and labor standards at the local level.Before it heads to...
Local elected officials urge Governor Dayton to veto so-called “preemption bill”

May 4, 2017

Local elected officials from Twin Cities suburbs came to the State Capitol today to urge Governor Mark Dayton to veto legislation that would strip local government’s authority to raise labor standards for...
Minnesota AFL-CIO names Bethany Winkels as Campaigns Director

May 2, 2017

Minnesota AFL-CIO President Bill McCarthy announced that Bethany Winkels has been named Campaigns Director. Winkels, the federation’s Field Director since February of 2016, succeeds Kris Fredson who is taking...
Franklin Street Bakery workers aid food shelf, seek justice on the job

March 22, 2017

Franklin Street Bakery workers donated more than $1,000 from their “Taste of Justice” event to a local food shelf and called on their employer to sign a neutrality agreement so they can unionize to improve...
Paid parental leave: Will legislators vote to support families?

March 8, 2017

With time running out in this year’s legislative session, workers urged lawmakers to make permanent a policy that provides up to six weeks of paid parental leave for state employees who have babies or adopt...
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...

News and Updates

Solidarity puts historic referendum campaign in North Branch over the top

Minnesota AFL-CIO applauds Governor Dayton’s decision to bring lawmakers back to the negotiating table

Minnesota AFL-CIO calls on Governor Dayton to veto E-12 bill

VIDEO: Support Workers. Protect Local Control

Local elected officials urge Governor Dayton to veto so-called “preemption bill”

Minnesota AFL-CIO names Bethany Winkels as Campaigns Director

Franklin Street Bakery workers aid food shelf, seek justice on the job

Paid parental leave: Will legislators vote to support families?

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

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