Change is in the Air

At least at Corner House Comments. The next seven weeks will see me working full time on GOTV (get out the vote) efforts on behalf of Labor in Minnesota. In the interest of disclosure, this is a paid position. I have taken a leave of absence from my regular Union (UFCW)  job as a forklift [...]

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Takin’ It To The Streets

Election Day is bearing down on us quickly and many people and organizations are working hard to elect their candidates. One such group is the Minnesota AFL-CIO  which has gathered over 500 delegates in Duluth this week to listen to candidates, pass resolutions, and get fired up for the remainder of this election cycle. Monday, [...]

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Minnesota AFL-CIO Goes Green!

If you are going to attend the Minnesota State Fair be sure to check out the new Minnesota AFL-CIO Labor Pavilion. It is the first State Fair Building designed to meet ‘Green’ Building Standards and was built with union labor. Fox 9 News has video here. Check it out to see all the cool features. Senator [...]

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Minnesota Veterans Launch Union Veterans Council

The Minnesota AFL-CIO along with rank and file union members who are veterans gathered in St Paul at the capitol today, July 10, to launch the Union Veterans Council.  The AFL-CIO Union Veterans 2008 website states: Some 2.1 million union members, or 14 percent of all union members, are veterans of military service. The AFL-CIO is bringing together [...]

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Minnesota’s Union Busting Attorney General

The effort to unionize the staff at the Minnesota AG’s office has been going on for some time now but this last week has seen a resurgence in news about the organizing drive and Attorney General Lori Swanson’s efforts to quash it. The office of Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson is riven by fear, politicization, [...]

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H.R.676-the United States National Health Insurance Act

Health care has been one of the major issues of this current presidential campaign. Minnesota Central, a frequent visitor to Corner House comments, has left a comment about one of my previous posts which mentioned this issue and H. R. 676. Introduced by Representative John Conyers (D), of Michigan, HR 676 would institute a single payer health [...]

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Remembering Paul Wellstone

Five years ago on October 25 the labor movement, the State of Minnesota, and the nation lost a great friend and Senator in a tragic airplane crash in northern Minnesota. Sheila Wellstone, his wife and a strong voice on the issue of domestic violence, was also lost along with their daughter, Marcia Wellstone Markuson. Friends and [...]

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New staff at Minnesota AFL-CIO

The state’s largest labor organization has announced new staff changes. Here is the press release from the MN AFL-CIO: Brad Lehto has been promoted from Legislative Director to Chief of Staff and Jennifer Schaubach has been promoted to Legislative Director. In related action, the federation hired Candace Lund to direct its mobilizing and organizing programs.

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