Workday Magazine (https://workdayminnesota.flywheelsites.com/author/tsuperadmin/page/204/)
Trade Adjustment Assistance, a federal program that has helped hundreds of thousands of workers get back on their feet after their jobs went overseas, could soon disappear due to an error by Congress, worker advocates say.
The United Food and Commercial Workers joined South African unions’ campaign against a planned Wal-Mart takeover of a large South African retailer, Massmart.
It wouldn’t be the first time they’ve agreed on the issue, but an AFL-CIO alliance with its nemesis, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, to push for job-creating infrastructure projects is attracting attention.
Minnesota Commissioner of Labor and Industry Ken Peterson has appointed Jessica Looman to the position of assistant commissioner for construction codes and labor standards.
Ken Peterson, newly-appointed by Governor Mark Dayton to lead the state’s Department of Labor and Industry, is no stranger to the post: he served under Governor Rudy Perpich as commissioner of DOLI from 1988-1991.
Approximately 57,000 Minnesotans work in industries at risk of being off-shored should a proposed trade pact with South Korea be enacted, the Minnesota Fair Trade Coalition said.
Governor Mark Dayton says he strongly opposes former Governor Tim Pawlenty\’s suggestion to declare bankruptcy so Minnesota could avoid its pension liabilities and other debts.
The same week legislators held a hearing on the Republican bill to cut the state workforce by 15 percent across the board, the Center for Science in the Public Interest singled out Minnesota as one of two states nationally that is “…widely recognized for having strong investigating and reporting systems…” when it comes to handling foodborne illnesses.
Many politicians in both major parties have given up on the country, workers and creating jobs, AFL-CIO President Richard L. Trumka says – but the labor movement hasn’t.
The nation’s union membership dipped slightly last year, but representation among Minnesota workers rose in 2010, according to figures released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
