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Minneapolis advances minimum wage proposal for Uber and Lyft drivers
Uber and Lyft drivers filled the council chambers in Minneapolis City Hall on Tuesday in support of a proposed ordinance that would raise drivers’ wages and regulate how the companies may discipline drivers. “It’s about fairness,” driver Farhan Badal told a City Council committee. “I’m providing the vehicle. I’m providing the gas. I’m putting in […]
White Earth, Mahnomen County raid store for unlicensed marijuana sales
Law enforcement raided a tobacco store on the White Earth reservation on Wednesday evening for suspicion of selling marijuana without a license, in violation of state and tribal law. The store, Asema Tobacco and Pipe, is owned by a White Earth band member and advertised on Facebook that it had cannabis beginning Aug. 1, when […]
Minnesota tribe makes history with state’s first legal marijuana sale
RED LAKE — The first legal sale of recreational marijuana in Minnesota was made on the Red Lake reservation on Tuesday to a tribal employee before a throng of journalists and tribal leaders. Charles Goodwin, a Red Lake band member and employee of the tribal dispensary, selected some Nudder Budder and Caramel Creme — two of […]
Red Lake Nation considers new approach to devastating fentanyl epidemic: harm reduction
REDBY — Whenever his phone rings in the middle of the night, Red Lake Nation Chairman Darrell Seki Sr. fears it’s because a loved one has overdosed. Probably everyone on the reservation knows someone who’s died from opioids. It’s becoming increasingly common despite the tribe’s best efforts to bust dealers and channel users into treatment. “We’ve […]
White Earth Nation legalizes recreational marijuana, will start selling in coming days
The White Earth Nation Tribal Council voted on Friday to legalize recreational marijuana and could begin selling it on the reservation — to both tribal and non-tribal members — as soon as next week. The tribe follows the Red Lake Nation, which is on track to open the first recreational marijuana dispensary in Minnesota on […]
Minneapolis council weighs minimum pay ordinance for Uber and Lyft drivers
Three Minneapolis city council members introduced a proposal on Tuesday to raise wages for Uber and Lyft drivers and set new rules on terminating — or “deactivating” — drivers from the apps. The proposal revives an effort to regulate Uber and Lyft two months after Gov. Tim Walz vetoed similar legislation at the state level. The […]
Democrats and Republicans court blue collar voters at Minnesota trade unions convention
This dispatch first appeared in The Daily Reformer, our morning newsletter. Sign up here. DULUTH — Gov. Tim Walz traveled north on Thursday to court blue collar workers at the annual Minnesota Building and Construction Trades Council convention in Duluth. He made the stop after doing a ridealong with a Duluth police officer as part […]
Allina flu vaccine mandate struck down for some workers after union challenge
Allina Health may not mandate the flu vaccine for some of its employees after the workers’ union challenged the policy and won a favorable ruling from an arbitrator this month, ending for now a 15-year battle over the policy. Jamie Gulley, president of SEIU Healthcare Minnesota & Iowa, said the union supports vaccines and vaccine […]
Starbucks workers could get rid of union at Mall of America store
Workers at a Starbucks in Mall of America have filed a petition with federal labor regulators to vote on getting rid of their union — just over a year after voting to unionize with Starbucks Workers United. The petition was signed by more than half of the workers at the store on the first floor of […]
Red Lake Nation to begin selling recreational marijuana Aug. 1
RED LAKE — The Red Lake Nation’s tribal council voted on Tuesday to legalize recreational marijuana and begin selling it — to both tribal and non-tribal members — on Aug. 1. The move could make Red Lake Nation the first entity to operate a recreational dispensary in the state, and gives the tribe a significant […]
Minnesota public defenders to get as much as $66,000 raises under tentative agreement
Minnesota public defenders will receive historic pay raises, ranging from 26% to 72% depending on seniority, under a tentative agreement reached on Monday between state officials and the union representing public defenders. The raises for roughly 470 attorneys across the state come after decades of wage stagnation, which has contributed to high turnover and a […]
Some condo workers released from shadow noncompetes by FirstService Residential
Residents of the River Towers condominiums in Minneapolis like their building’s staff. The building’s staff like the residents — many have worked in the building for years. But a provision in the contract between the condo association and the building’s property management company, FirstService Residential Minnesota, means neither the residents nor the workers have a […]