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4,000 janitors to strike, affecting nearly all Twin Cities office buildings
Commercial janitors working in nearly every office building in downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul plan to strike for one day next week as they push for higher wages, more sick days and a program to reduce their environmental impact. Representatives of Service Employees International Union Local 26, which represents 4,000 commercial janitors, say negotiations have […]
U.S. Dept. of Labor sues Brasa Rotisserie for wage theft
The U.S. Department of Labor filed a lawsuit against the owner of Brasa Rotisserie, Alex Roberts, alleging that he failed to pay his restaurant employees overtime at his two Brasa locations in the Twin Cities as well as Alma in Minneapolis. The complaint filed Tuesday in federal court alleges that employees often worked more than […]
HealthPartners strike called off; tentative deal reached
At 3 a.m. on Tuesday, the union representing nurses, physician assistants and other health care workers at HealthPartners reached a tentative agreement on a new three-year contract, avoiding a weeklong strike that would have affected 30 clinics across the Twin Cities. Workers voted overwhelmingly earlier this month to strike to protect their generous health care […]
HealthPartners workers prepare for Wednesday strike at 30 clinics
More than 1,800 HealthPartners nurses, lab technicians, dental hygienists and other health care workers are preparing to begin a week-long strike Wednesday after a last-ditch effort failed to resolve disagreements over their next union contract. Workers from SEIU Healthcare Minnesota said at a Monday news conference that they are still very far apart. “If we […]
Hundreds march for missing and murdered Indigenous women in Minneapolis
People shouted out the names of their missing or murdered Indigenous relatives: “Mariah” “Selena Not Afraid” “Aubrey” “Jeremy.” With hundreds packed into the Minneapolis American Indian Center for the annual march for missing and murdered Indigenous women, the cacophony of the names illustrated the extent of the epidemic of sexual and physical violence against Native […]
Drivers hit demonstrators calling for greater pedestrian safety
Several dozen activists took to one of the most hazardous intersections in Minneapolis Wednesday night calling for greater pedestrian safety along the busy corridor. In response, two drivers hit protestors–lightly–as they walked back and forth across Lyndale Avenue in the Lowry Hill East neighborhood. “We were legally crossing the street at a crosswalk,” said Risa […]
Target faces class action lawsuit for cheating employees out of pay
A class action lawsuit was filed against Target in federal court Tuesday for underpaying their employees. The suit, brought by Andrew Davis of New Haven, Conn., alleges that the Minneapolis-based retailer regularly makes some of its managers work unpaid overtime doing non-management work, in violation of the Federal Labor Standards Act. According to legal filings, […]
Native-led effort brings nighttime help to homeless
Close to midnight one Saturday, a couple dozen nurses, police officers, EMTs and social workers circled up in an empty break room on East Franklin Avenue in Minneapolis to plan their night helping the homeless. It was only the second night this group, with 17 different organizations represented, was meeting to coordinate their outreach efforts […]
Legislators try to make it Daylight Saving Time year-round, again
Wouldn’t it be nice if it didn’t get dark at 4 p.m. in the winter? That could be a reality, if the Minnesota Legislature votes to extend Daylight Saving Time for the entire year (and the federal government approves.) So, no more springing forward or falling back. It’d be summer time, year-round! The bill gets […]
1,800 HealthPartners workers vote in favor of week-long strike
The strike is on. More than 1,800 nurses, physicians assistants and other health care workers at HealthPartners won’t show up for work at some 30 clinics across the Twin Cities Feb. 19 unless a deal is reached before then. Workers, represented by SEIU Healthcare Minnesota, announced they filed a 10-day strike notice Friday morning in […]
8,000 Twin Cities janitors and security guards schedule strike vote
Some 8,000 janitors, security guards, window washers and other workers at office buildings in downtown St. Paul, Minneapolis and at the MSP airport will vote Saturday on authorizing a strike. If approved, Service Employees International Union Local 26 could call a strike at any time as they negotiate seven contracts with 17 employers. The sticking […]
Mpls council member hits speed bump on path to housing authority
It may not be a quick transition from Minneapolis City Council to the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority for Abdi Warsame. Warsame, the 6th Ward council member who was picked to be the executive director of the city’s housing agency, needs a waiver from the federal government — or must wait an entire year before taking […]