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St. Paul City Council passes sweeping overhaul of rent control ordinance
Less than five months after St. Paul’s citizen-authored rent control ordinance took effect, the City Council voted 5-2 to roll back the provisions that made it one of the most stringent policies in the country. As part of a package of amendments passed by the council on Wednesday, low-income housing will be exempted; new construction […]
Minnesota’s top public defender reappointed over objections from rank-and-file
Minnesota State Public Defender Bill Ward was reappointed on Tuesday over the objections of a significant number of rank-and-file public defenders, who say he has failed to advocate for more funding for the state’s beleaguered public defense system. The Board of Public Defense, a seven-member body appointed by the governor and Supreme Court, discussed the […]
15,000 nurses launch historic 3-day strike at hospitals across Twin Cities, Duluth
Thousands of union nurses walked off the job at 15 hospitals across the Twin Cities and Duluth area on Monday morning, launching the largest private-sector nurses strike in U.S. history. The picket line in front of Allina’s United Hospital and Children’s Minnesota in St. Paul stretched for two blocks, with nurses holding signs reading “Patients […]
Thousands of Minnesota nurses hit the picket lines in historic 3-day strike
The largest private-sector nurses strike in U.S. history began on Monday with some 15,000 nurses launching a three-day strike at 15 hospitals across the Twin Cities and Duluth area. The hospitals say the strike will bring minimal disruptions to patient care as they lean on thousands of traveling nurses to replace striking nurses. The strike […]
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 […]