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Minnesota’s public defenders vote no confidence in agency head
The union representing Minnesota’s rank-and-file public defenders announced on Thursday an overwhelming vote of no confidence in the state’s Chief Public Defender Bill Ward, who oversees roughly 470 public defenders and 200 support staff. The symbolic vote comes just days before the Board of Public Defense is scheduled to vote on the reappointment of Ward […]
St. Paul council poised to exempt new construction from rent control
Less than a year after St. Paul voters passed rent control through a citizen-led ballot initiative, the City Council is poised to roll back the signature features that make the current law one of the most stringent in the country. Under a package of amendments the council will vote on Sept. 14, new construction will […]
Hospitals allege nurses’ strike would be illegal; union says it won’t back down
Hours after the Minnesota Nurses Association announced 15,000 nurses would go on strike at hospitals across the Twin Cities and Duluth area, several health systems filed complaints with the National Labor Relations Board seeking to block the strike. A spokeswoman for St. Luke’s Duluth said the union has not given proper notice of their intent […]
15,000 Minnesota nurses to walk off job in historic strike over wages and staffing levels
After months of stalled negotiations, some 15,000 union nurses across more than a dozen hospitals will strike for three days later this month in what the union believes will be the largest private sector nurses’ strike in U.S. history. “Today is a somber day,” said Minnesota Nurses Association President Mary Turner, dressed in all black, […]
U of M staff picket for higher wages on move-in day
University of Minnesota students and parents arriving on campus for move-in day on Tuesday were met by a picket line of custodians, dining staff, mechanics and groundskeepers chanting against the university’s “poverty wages.” The workers held the informational picket as negotiations have stalled between the university and Teamsters Local 320, which represents 1,500 U of […]
Workers at Minneapolis Starbucks strike on first day of pumpkin spice season
Workers at a south Minneapolis Starbucks went on strike for the second time on Tuesday, hitting the company during one of its most important days of the year: the first day of pumpkin spice latte season. “Pumpkin spice is a hallmark of Starbucks, and it’s a really big day for them,” said Emily Mahoney, a […]
A landlord let squatters take over. Tenants are paying the price.
BEMIDJI — The apartment building where Rachael Greene has lived for 14 years has nearly been taken over by squatters. Every day, she leaves her apartment not knowing what to expect. The hallways are filled with graffiti. The windows are smashed out. Shirtless young men, high on meth or opioids, wander in and out of […]
Renters and developers press St. Paul council for opposing changes to rent control policy
Renters, activists and developers rehashed the heated debate over St. Paul’s rent control ordinance during more than two hours of public testimony in a packed City Council meeting on Wednesday. On one side are developers, landlords and union construction workers who called on city leaders to exempt new construction, saying the ordinance that took effect […]
Starbucks workers vote to unionize Edina store, 5th in Minnesota
Starbucks workers at an Edina store voted 9-0 to unionize, becoming the fifth store in Minnesota to do so. The election at the Edina store — at 5122 Edina Industrial Blvd. — is the latest success in a wave of unionization drives across the country, with workers at more than 220 Starbucks stores voting to […]
Nurses vote to authorize strike at 15 hospitals in Twin Cities, Duluth
Union nurses at 15 hospitals in the Twin Cities and Duluth area voted to authorize a strike on Monday, escalating pressure on hospital executives as the two sides remain far apart on staffing levels and wages. The strike authorization, which required a two-thirds vote, allows the Minnesota Nurses Association to call some 15,000 nurses away […]
Minnesota’s top public defender faces no confidence vote from rank and file
Minnesota’s State Public Defender Bill Ward faces a vote of no confidence from union public defenders, who say he has failed to advocate for the office and allowed morale to reach its lowest point in decades. Minnesota’s roughly 470 public defenders and 200 support staff began receiving ballots in the mail on Monday from Teamsters […]
Judge dismisses lawsuit challenging Minnesota State Fair gun ban
A federal judge on Friday dismissed a lawsuit brought by gun rights activists challenging the Minnesota State Fair’s ban on guns, ruling the ban does not violate the activists’ Second Amendment rights. The Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus and pair of gun rights activists — the Rev. Tim Christopher and Sarah Cade Hauptman — filed a […]