Metro Transit Workers Rally at Bus Stop Where ICE Abduction Took Place, Demand ICE Not Interfere with Transit Operations

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On the corner of Bloomington Avenue and 31st Street in South Minneapolis, workers with Metro Transit and allies held up a sign that read, “Minnesotans were abducted here.” It was the morning of January 14, and they were part of a press conference protesting a violent detention at the bus stop in broad daylight on January 10, witnessed by a Metro Transit bus operator. Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) 1005 says a driver witnessed ICE create a chaotic scene, blocking traffic, removing individuals from their cars, and blocking the bus from proceeding through the intersection. It was part of the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration crackdown on Minnesota that has sent masked, armed federal agents throughout the state. 

Metro Transit workers are calling on ICE to not interfere with transit operations, according to a press release from ATU 1005. David Stiggers, president of the union, said at the press conference that ICE activity in Minneapolis is “a throwback to the darkest times of human history, 1940s Germany.”  

In another incident, a Somali-American Metro Transit worker was detained on December 2, according to the union, and was held in ICE detention for over a month. The bus operator was transferred to Iowa and then Nebraska, then returned home on January 6, according to the union, which says his detention was unlawful.

Immigration

Minneapolis Teachers, Parents Denounce Federal Agents’ Assault at Roosevelt High, Demand ICE Leave

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On Friday morning, around 150 parents, students, and educators gathered for a press conference at Lake Hiawatha Park in South Minneapolis to demand ICE leave Minneapolis. The event took place two days after federal agents detained an on-duty school staffer and member of the Minneapolis Federation of Educators (MFE) at Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis. Only a few hours after ICE agent Jonathan Ross shot and killed Minneapolis resident and mother Renee Good on January 7, federal immigration enforcement agents descended onto Roosevelt High School property during school dismissal as students were exiting the building. MFE members say that ICE agents tackled and detained a school staff member and union member who was working at the time. The MFE member was since released, according to a union spokesperson.

Prison Labor

Minnesota Labor Coalition Demands Disney Subcontractor Pay Incarcerated Workers Minimum Wage

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On December 11, a coalition of formerly incarcerated workers and Minnesota unions gathered at the United Labor Center in Minneapolis to demand Anagram International, LLC, a Minnesota-based balloon manufacturer and subcontractor for Disney, increase pay for incarcerated workers to the state’s minimum wage. The workers are currently paid at a rate of 90 cents per hour, while Minnesota’s state minimum wage is $11.13. 

The coalition, led by the non-profit End Slavery in Minnesota, aims to reclassify prisoners as workers and ensure minimum wage pay and benefits for all incarcerated workers across Minnesota. 

“I stand here today not just for myself but for thousands of people inside still making pennies, choosing between soap and a ten-minute phone call to a loved one,” said Jermale Kling, a formerly incarcerated worker at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Stillwater, Minn., at a press conference. Kling worked at an upholstery shop and for Anagram, and explained that because of the low wages, he would average $7 per day of work—barely enough to buy a bar of soap. While the 13th Amendment of the United States Constitution abolished slavery in 1865, the amendment includes one exception for forced labor “as a punishment for crime.” End Slavery in Minnesota’s goal is to amend the Minnesota state constitution to reclassify incarcerated workers to ensure the same labor protections as any other worker. 

According to a press release sent this week from the coalition, “Incarcerated workers are making just $0.90 an hour, while supporting a company worth nearly $200 billion,” in reference to Disney. 

A press conference was hosted by Central Florida Jobs with Justice earlier this month in Florida, also calling out Disney for its use of prison labor to produce its balloons. Other union and worker center coalition members of End Slavery in Minnesota include the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters (NCSRCC), Minnesota AFL-CIO, Saint Paul Federation of Educators, Minneapolis Federation of Educators (MFE), and the Minneapolis chapter of the Sex Workers Outreach Project (SWOP). 

Chauntyll Allen, an organizer with End Slavery in Minnesota, said at the press conference that paying incarcerated workers minimum wage would allow workers to better support their families, keep up with child support, restitution payments, and decrease recidivism rates.

Minnesota

Food Service Workers at MSP Airport May Go On Strike Before Thanksgiving Holiday

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Food service workers with UNITE HERE Local 17 and union allies gathered in Terminal 1 at Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) Airport on November 17 for a press conference to announce their intent to strike if a deal is not reached between the workers and HMSHost, the company that operates food and beverage outlets across MSP terminals. The potential strike would coincide with the busiest travel days of the year, and could begin as soon as November 24. 

The demands include wage increases and affordable healthcare plans for the 250 food service workers, who have not seen a wage increase since before the pandemic, according to the union. A November 14 press release from UNITE HERE Local 17 says, “HMSHost food prep workers earn as little as $15.98 an hour, among the lowest wages at the airport. Workers say the company took advantage of the pandemic and has yet to make them whole.”

The strike would impact over a dozen restaurants and fast food establishments at MSP: Shake Shack, Chili’s, Starbucks, Auntie Anne’s, Moe’s, Firehouse Subs, Smashburger, Chick-fil-A, Bottle Rocket, The Cocktail Room, and Hissho Sushi Bar in Terminal 1; and The Wild Sports Bar, Starbucks, and The Market Place in Terminal 2. 

Isabela EscalonaVictor Arreola, UNITE HERE Local 17 member at a November 17 press conference at MSP Airport.

Unions

Why 650 Minnesota Doctors May Go on Strike

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On November 5, 650 medical doctors, physicians assistants, and nurse practitioners with the Doctors Council-SEIU may go on a one-day Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) strike. The strike would impact over 60 Allina clinics across Minnesota. The workers are demanding safe staffing levels in order to retain healthcare providers and improve the quality of care for patients. If the workers do strike, the union believes it will mark the largest doctors’ strike in the private healthcare industry in the country. 

The workers formed the union in October 2023, making the unit the largest private-sector doctors’ union in the United States, according to a press release from SEIU. After nearly 20 months and over 50 bargaining sessions, the union states that Allina has not met them in good faith at the bargaining table.

Minnesota

“What is happening at Hennepin county?” Seven Senior Janitors Let Go With No Notice

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Mercedes Ponce is in tears outside the Hennepin County Government where she worked as a subcontractor for 12 years doing janitorial work before getting the news last week that she’d be getting let go with no prior notice. Ponce is one of seven janitors with a combined 180 years of experience who received a letter informing her she doesn’t work there anymore at the end of August. The janitors, all senior employees who have devoted their careers to cleaning the Hennepin County Government Plaza, are alleging age discrimination. The workers are members of SEIU Local 26, which represents 8,000 building management and janitorial workers across the Twin Cities. The morning of September 8, they held a press conference outside the building where they worked, then marched together into the facility, where they delivered a letter to the office of Building Management demanding the workers be reinstated.