Twin Cities Daily Planet (https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/category/work-economy/labor/page/3/)
On Saturday, a group organized by ISAIAH gathered in the parking lot of the Sears store in St. Paul on Rice Street, west of the State Capitol complex to seek better working conditions for Sears workers, especially at this holiday season.
Hundreds of workers and their supporters rallied at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport to call for raising the minimum wage at the facility to $15 an hour and union rights. Many airport workers struggle to support themselves and their families on wages as low as $8 an hour.
Pre-note, side comment, and recommendation: In light of current events it seems almost superfluous to write about a meeting of the Board of the Minnesota Orchestra. There is a great deal happening on the national scene, most recently the non-indictment of the policeman involved in the death of Eric Garner on Staten Island and Ferguson, Mo and spreading unrest around injustice. And all signs suggest that the U.S. Congress will be even more dysfunctional and confrontational with President Obama in 2015 than it is now, attempting its own power play with no good ahead for our country.
We are a country at war within ourselves. Still, a few words about an Orchestra organization trying to heal after one of the worst lockouts in American labor history seems worthy of some time. Continue Reading
The Herald of Everett Washington recently published two opposing pieces on raising the minimum wage in Washington state (
Fast food workers, home health care workers, airport employees and dozens of supporters blocked traffic outside an Uptown McDonald’s on Dec.4, demanding a $15 minimum wage and union benefits. More than 50 protesters marched into the nearby McDonald’s where several employees walked off the job.Thursday marked two years since fast food workers first walked off the job in New York City to demand a living wage, sparking a movement across the country. Minneapolis first joined the “Fight for $15” in September, when workers went on strike for a day at several fast food locations around the city. Just last week, nearly 500 people took part in a Black Friday protest at two Walmarts in St. Paul and Minneapolis, including dozens of retail janitors who walked off the job. Continue Reading
Joined by Mayor Betsy Hodges, fast food workers and supporters briefly occupied a Burger King restaurant in Minneapolis Thursday as part of the nationwide movement for a $15-an-hour minimum wage.
The organization 15 Now is reporting today that Delta Airlines has fired Kip Hedges, long-time Minnesota labor activist and Delta baggage handler, for statements he made in a Workday Minnesota video that was published on October 20, 2014. Workday has reposted the video here.
On the day that President John F. Kennedy was shot, November 22, 1963, a classmate told me that she could see why I was upset, as I was a Democrat, like the president. But why should she, a Republican, feel bad? Something like that is going on now, with the Ferguson/Michael Brown grief and protests. Now, as in 1963, the voices that say “their sorrow, their problem, not mine” are wrong. We are all in this together. Continue Reading
Advocates of faculty unionization at the University of Minnesota are asking for the support of a new group: students.
If the Storify story doesn’t appear, refresh your browser. Original story here.[<a href=”//storify.com/maryturck/hands-up-don-t-buy” target=”_blank”>View the story “Black Friday protests: Hands up, don’t shop” on Storify</a>] Continue Reading