Bricklayers join BlueGreen Alliance

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The Bricklayers became the latest union to join the BlueGreen Alliance, a coalition of 16 unions and environmental groups working together, particularly on  “green jobs,” Alliance Executive Director David Foster said. EDF Action, the campaign finance committee for the Environmental Defense Fund, also joined.The Steel Workers and the Sierra Club co-founded the alliance almost a decade ago to enhance labor’s push for climate control legislation – and for well-paying union jobs in the “green” economy that would arise to meet demands for devices to curb greenhouse gas emissions and to create alternative energy sources.“Our members are working every day to ensure that our built infrastructure is energy efficient,” Bricklayers President James Boland said in a statement.  “By joining the BlueGreen Alliance, we’re showing our commitment to a better future for workers and the environment. Addressing climate change and preparing for its impacts is an opportunity to create quality, family-sustaining jobs, and the BAC (Bricklayers and Allied Crafts) wants to be part of the unique partnership working to achieve that vision.”“The solutions to climate change and other environmental challenges are available now, and this partnership is essential to ensuring that jobs are created and the economy grows along the way,” Steel Workers President Leo Gerard, an alliance co-founder, said in a statement.  The alliance “is critical to ensuring this happens, and the addition of EDF Action and BAC is another step forward in building a stronger collaboration for the future.”  

July 19-20: Street festival, picnic will honor anniversary of 1934 Teamsters strikes

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The North Loop neighborhood is known today for trendy new apartments and condos, bars and restaurants, but 80 years ago it was the scene of bloody hand-to-hand combat on the streets between striking members of Teamsters Local 574 and a private army fielded by the business community to break the strike.

Descendants of 1934 Teamster strikers carry proud legacy

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Descendants of the participants in the historic 1934 Teamsters’ strikes remember and honor their legacy. The 10 or so people gathering in a 1920s home in St. Paul might have been meeting for the first time, but they forged an instant bond. Their parents or grandparents 80 years ago stood together and fought in the streets of Minneapolis for the right to organize a union during the 1934 Teamsters strikes.

Federal employees union points to short-staffing at VA

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Saying short-staffing led to the widespread problems in the Department of Veterans Affairs, the union that represents VA’s 210,000 workers is launching a new campaign to put pressure on lawmakers to fully staff the department.

Book talk focuses on labor militancy

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Activist Joe Burns will give a free talk on June 21 about his latest book, Strike Back: Using the Militant Tactics of Labor’s Past to Reignite Public Sector Unionism Today.

Learn about Greater Minnesota Worker Center

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The Greater Minnesota Worker Center will hold a “meet and greet” Saturday, June 14, to learn how the center is partnering to create change for low-wage and other workers in Central Minnesota.

Landmark victory to protect Target janitors’ rights

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After years of struggle, a Twin Cities worker center announced a landmark agreement with Target Corporation to improve conditions and uphold the rights of workers who clean Target stores.