Workday Magazine (https://workdayminnesota.flywheelsites.com/author/tsuperadmin/page/87/)
Following arm-twisting from President Obama, 10 Senate Democrats who had voted earlier in the week against starting debate on controversial “fast track” trade authority changed their positions, allowing the bill to go forward.
Airport workers say they will pack Monday’s meeting of the Metropolitan Airports Commission to protest a proposal that falls short of the $15 minimum wage they advocate.
Five hundred Minnesota CEOs made an average of $13.9 million in 2014 – 305 times more than the average worker, according to the AFL-CIO’s annual Executive PayWatch report. The highest paid was Target CEO Brian Cornell, who made $28.2 million in 2014, 779 times the average worker’s pay.
Workers in AT&T’s credit collections department walked off the job in Minneapolis Tuesday afternoon, joining a “grievance strike” to demand AT&T stop denying sick pay to its longest-serving employees.
Unions are applauding the U.S. Senate vote against granting President Obama the authority to “fast track” free trade deals, but say the outcome was a temporary victory.
U.S. Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., joined a group of senators in urging the United States Trade Representative to include strong labor protections as part of the negotiation over the Trans-Pacific Partnership, saying that many parts of the proposed agreement currently fall short of acceptable standards.In a letter to Ambassador Michael Froman, Sen. Franken and thirteen other senators—led by Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio —expressed their concerns over workers’ rights in Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Mexico. The letter outlined their concerns over lack of protections related to organizing, collective bargaining, and the prevention of forced and child labor. The senators said that these standards must be implemented by the four countries prior to any TPP legislation taking effect, because they fear the ability to enforce such standards could diminish—and possibly disappear—after enactment of TPP. The senators also encouraged Ambassador Froman to address child and forced labor in Malaysia.“American workers cannot compete against workers in these countries where fundamental worker rights are not protected,” wrote Sen. Franken and thirteen other Senators. “TPP has been presented as a unique opportunity to measurably improve the lives of workers in all TPP countries, but only holds such promise if countries are required to meet and uphold the agreement’s labor standards before the agreement is implemented.”The letter, led by Sen. Brown and joined by Sens.
State lawmakers are ending the 2015 legislative session much as they began – with widely different views of the direction for the state. The outcome will have major consequences for Minnesotans.
At the direction of President Obama, the Labor Department is readying proposed rules – probably to be unveiled within a month – to greatly expand who can get overtime pay.
Some 160 women took part in the 2015 Minnesota Union Women’s Retreat coordinated by the Labor Education Service. The diverse group brought new experiences and energy to the fourth of these biennial retreats.
Frontline University of Minnesota workers say they are seeking raises and respect as they enter contract negotiations. Many say the University is failing to set a standard for attracting and retaining employees.
