In 2018 we published a comprehensive investigative piece on prison labor in Minnesota. This is an update to some of the key data points.
Community
Scammers Are Using Fake Job Ads to Steal People’s Identities
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From Facebook to LinkedIn to Indeed, ads are popping up that promise well-paying jobs — if applicants provide their Social Security numbers and other details up front. Scammers then use the information to apply for unemployment benefits.
COVID-19
Pandemic bonus pay proposal talks end in failure to compromise
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After missing their September 6 deadline for recommendations, the working group could not agree on a single proposal for the legislature.
Organizing
Half Price Books workers in Roseville, St. Paul form unions
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Workers at Half Price Books stores in St. Paul and Roseville marched on their bosses Thursday, demanding the bookseller recognize their union.
COVID-19
Minnesota DFL proposal for frontline worker bonus pay seeks to recognize more workers
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DFL members of the working group and frontline workers call for all frontline workers in Minnesota to be respected and acknowledged with the bonus pay proposal, even though it will be smaller payments.
COVID-19
Minnesota GOP proposal for frontline worker bonus pay narrows in on long-term healthcare workers
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Workers respond in solidarity and dismay to the announcement of a hero pay proposal seeking to give $1200 to only long-term healthcare workers
Community
A Landmark Win for Domestic Workers Lurks in the Reconciliation Bill
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$190 billion for home care has been folded into reconciliation—toward measures aimed at improving pay and job security for domestic workers.
Organizing
Conditions that sparked strikes at Nabisco, Frito Lay have ‘spread’ to Minnesota, union warns
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Old Dutch workers, members of BCTGM Local 22, gather outside the union’s offices in Minneapolis.
Community
As driver shortage hampers start of school, unions point to low pay, benefits
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“This is not a bus driver shortage; this is a bus driver crisis,” Local 320 Communications Director Gus Froemke said. “People are on the edge.”
COVID-19
As front-line workers wait, Minnesota state legislature negotiations on ‘hero pay’ stall
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The Minnesota State Legislature committed to $250 million in May for “hero pay” for frontline workers across the state. A working group has yet to develop a plan for distributing that money.
Unions
An Exhibit of Worker Power: Art Institute of Chicago Workers Join the Museum Union Wave
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Employees at the historic museum are organizing for pay fairness and transparency, part of a growing movement to unionize cultural institutions across the country.