Unions endorse May Day march for immigrant and worker rights
Tuesday, May 1 is International Workers’ Day, a national holiday in more than 80 countries. Activities in Minnesota include a march in Minneapolis.
Community
Singers celebrate Woody Guthrie’s legacy of song and protest
Most everyone grows up learning to sing “This Land is Your Land,” written by American folksinger Woody Guthrie. You sang about the “redwood forests” and “diamond deserts” but you likely didn’t learn the little-known verses seething with Guthrie’s sharp critique of American inequality.
Study, lawsuit expose exploitation faced by retail cleaning workers
The workers who clean major retail stores like Kmart, Target and Best Buy often face shocking conditions of exploitation, including heavy workloads, long hours and lost wages, according to a new study of the industry and a lawsuit against a major cleaning contractor.
Policy
Minnesotans among crowd challenging Wells Fargo’s banking practices
Minnesotans were among a crowd of more than 1,000 that nearly shut down the annual meeting of Wells Fargo & Co. to challenge the bank’s high pay for its executives while it continues to foreclose on homeowners.
Workers Memorial Day events put focus on safety
Every year on April 28, unions observe Workers Memorial Day to remember those who have suffered and died on the job and to renew the effort for safe workplaces.
Policy
Dayton talks up Vikings stadium at union retiree event
Governor Mark Dayton received a standing ovation during a visit Saturday to the annual “Fun(d)raiser” for the Minnesota State Retiree Council, AFL-CIO, where he emphasized the need to build a new Minnesota Vikings stadium.
Government
Unions push case to reform, not dismantle Postal Service
With debate and key votes looming in Congress, the nation’s postal unions hit the streets nationwide to campaign for reforms that would save the U.S. Postal Service, not dismantle it.
Policy
Pay gap still huge for working women
Fifty years after President John F. Kennedy signed a law pushing equal pay for equal work, the pay gap between working men and women remains wide, studies show. And for minorities, it’s a chasm.
Policy
Website offers latest data on CEO pay
The national AFL-CIO has launched the 2012 AFL-CIO Executive PayWatch site — called CEO Pay and the 99% — which includes the most comprehensive data accessible on 2011 executive pay. All of the data available is searchable by industry, by state and by the top 100 highest-paid CEOs.
Policy
AFL-CIO calls on Legislature to act on construction jobs bills
With the 2012 session nearing an end with no action on job creation, the Minnesota AFL-CIO is calling on the Legislature to send critical construction bills to Governor Dayton’s desk.