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Workers at Classical MPR and The Current announce intent to unionize
Employees of Minnesota Public Radio’s classical music station and The Current, its contemporary music station, announced their intent to form a union on Thursday, citing a need for more equitable pay, greater staff diversity and more consistent and transparent discipline. The announcement comes during a week that has already roiled one of the largest nonprofits […]
Metro Transit workers authorize strike after rejecting “final offer” on one-year contract
Metro Transit bus drivers, light rail operators, mechanics and cleaners voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike on Wednesday after workers rejected the year-long contract proposed by the Metropolitan Council, which operates the transit service. The vote came after the Metropolitan Council presented workers with a “final offer” in August, forcing the Amalgamated Transit Union Local […]
Republican lawmaker sues Minnesota’s top elections official to block mail-in ballot changes
A Minnesota Republican lawmaker is suing the state’s top elections official, seeking to block an extension to allow mail-in ballots to be counted up to a week after Election Day, Nov. 3. The extension has been granted and approved by the courts to accommodate the large volume of mail-in ballots because of the ongoing COVID-19 […]
American Public Media CEO Jon McTaggart to step down amid mounting pressure for racial equity
The CEO of American Public Media, the parent company of Minnesota Public Radio, will step down amid mounting pressure from inside and outside the company to improve its internal policies and coverage of racial and gender equity issues. American Public Media Board Chair Mary Brainerd, the former CEO and President of HealthPartners, announced the decision […]
MPR and American Public Media employees demand leaders address racial and gender inequities
Employees at Minnesota Public Radio and its parent company American Public Media authored a letter to readers on Tuesday saying they’ve “lost trust in the company’s senior leaders” and have issued a list of demands to improve racial and gender equity. The demands, listed on a new website called “Transform MPR,” come a week after […]
Biden in northeast Minnesota: “All Trump sees from Park Avenue is Wall Street”
HERMANTOWN, St. Louis County — Former Vice President Joe Biden sought to rally the support of a crucial voter bloc here Friday that could be decisive in the all-important Upper Midwest: Trades unions. Touring a carpenters union training center near Duluth, Biden drove home his support of unions and middle-class jobs in an area of the […]
62 people leave homeless camp for hotel as more arrive
Only hours after outreach workers had reclaimed the site of a former homeless encampment in Minneapolis earlier this month, some 70 tents had already filled the narrow strip of grass along Franklin and Hiawatha Avenues. The “Wall of Forgotten Natives” had been fenced off by the Minnesota Department of Transportation since December 2018, when the […]
Minnesota begins COVID-19 survey to find hot spots and gauge spread
The Minnesota Department of Health began a two-week survey of randomly selected households across the state on Monday to gauge the spread of COVID-19 and identify potential hot spots. Teams of health officers will visit pre-selected households and ask residents to participate by filling out a questionnaire and taking free COVID-19 tests for the SARS-CoV-2 […]
MPR News reporter quits, accuses editors of suppressing sexual misconduct investigation into DJ
A longtime Minnesota Public Radio News reporter announced her resignation on Monday, accusing editors of suppressing her investigation into a DJ at MPR’s contemporary music station The Current. Writing about her decision on Twitter, Marianne Combs said she spoke with eight women who say the DJ sexually manipulated or psychologically abused them. Combs did not […]
Judge removes county prosecutors in George Floyd case
Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman and members of his staff were disqualified from working on the criminal case against the four former Minneapolis Police officers involved in the killing of George Floyd for what a judge called “sloppy” work, according to WCCO. During a pre-trial hearing on Friday, Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill ruled […]
Landlords sue Minneapolis over tenant screening restrictions
The owners of more than 40 rental properties are suing the city of Minneapolis over a newly enacted ordinance that limits what landlords may consider when screening prospective renters. Under the rules, which took effect on June 1, landlords may not screen out prospective tenants for misdemeanors older than three years, certain felonies older than […]
Allina health care workers postpone strike following threat of unusual legal challenge
Around 200 health care workers at two Allina hospitals will postpone a two-day strike after the nonprofit medical provider threatened legal action for violating what the union calls an “arcane” labor rule. Allina Health told workers they would be breaking federal labor laws by picketing on September 14 and 15 because they did not provide […]