Regional LaborFederation to joinLabor Day paradeat State Fair

It has become one of thelargest union gatherings onLabor Day in Minnesota, andthe St. Paul Regional LaborFederation will do it again thisyear, sponsoring a marchingunit in the Minnesota StateFair’s parade through the fair-grounds Sept. 2.All union members and

retirees are invited to join themarching unit with their fami-lies. Free tickets to the fair areavailable to parade participantswho RSVP in advance.Union members are encour-

aged to wear their union garband carry their union banners.“As union members, this is

our day to be loud and proud,”Regional Labor FederationPresident Bobby Kasper said.“Let’s show the community whowe are, the work we do and thethings we stand for. Let’s makean impact!”The federation’s parade unit

will line up at 1 p.m. across thestreet from the fairgroundsentrance on Como Avenue,near Gate 25. The parade, whichsnakes through the fairgroundsat a distance of roughly 14blocks, begins at 2 p.m.RSVP is required by Monday,

Aug. 26, to Lynne Larkin-Wrightat 651-222-3787, ext. 116.

By Michael MooreUnion Advocate editorHibaq Mohamed reminds herself not to

drink too much water while she works in thepackaging department of Amazon’s MSP1 ware-house in Shakopee. Even on hot, humid days, when managers

make a point of encouraging workers to hydrate,

Mohamed remains at her workstation, intentional-ly parched. Too many times, she’s seen the walk toand from the restroom cost co-workers their jobs.“The bathroom is far away,” Mohamed said.

“It’s a huge building. There’s no time.”Outside MSP1 last month, on a muggy pick-

et line swollen with solidarity, Mohamed and

By Michael MooreUnion Advocate editorJoe Fowler and Trinidad Uribe III

flipped steaks at the grill. Don Mullinhauled ice to keep the beverages cold.Tom McCarthy kept a buffet line stockedwith pasta salad, corn on the cob andother sides.The four union leaders helped host a

barbecue Saturday, May 25, but it wasn’tyour typical holiday-weekend cookout.Fowler, McCarthy, Mullin and Uribe

were part of a volunteer team, recruited

by local nonprofit Serving Our Troops,that traveled from St. Paul to Kuwaitover Memorial Day weekend and servedsteak dinners to troops and civilians sta-tioned at Camp Arifjan, including morethan 600 soldiers from the MinnesotaNational Guard.At the same time, the Minnesota sol-

diers’ families and friends gathered atRiverCentre in St. Paul for a cateredlunch – with the same menu, served bylocal volunteers – and a brief program

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 8)

Union leaders bring taste of home toMinnesota Guard troops overseas

Building Trades leaders (L to R, standing)Tom McCarthy, Trinidad Uribe, Joe Fowlerand Don Mullin took a photo with ex-VikingSteve Hutchinson at Camp Arifjan.

photo courtesy Michael Murray Photography

Do Something!

United WayAction DayDo you remember

the excitement you feltabout school shopping?Buying new clothes andsupplies for a new schoolyear? Not every studenthas that memory.To make sure all stu-

dents have the suppliesthey need when schoolstarts this fall, GreaterTwin Cities United Wayplans to fill 40,000 back-packs during its annualAction Day volunteerevent Aug. 8 at XcelEnergy Center. Union members and

retirees are needed topitch in, and the St. PaulLabor Studies ResourceCenter is recruiting help-ing hands!To register yourself

and your co-workers,family members or chil-dren (ages 8 and up) fora volunteer shift, callLynne Larkin-Wright at651-222-3787, extension116, or Colleen Noceriniat extension 115.

123rd Year, No. 2, Issue 5429 For union homes in Ramsey, Dakota, Washington and Chisago counties August 2019

To keep up to date on labor events, visit www.stpaulunions.org

St. Paul to Kuwait

STRIKING IN PRIME TIME

Sahro Sharif, one of dozens of Amazon warehouse workers who joined a Prime Day strike in ShakopeeJuly 15, addressed supporters during a rally near the picket line. Union Advocate photo

Shakopee warehouse workers’ historic strike draws worldwide attention

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 6)

2 • THE UNION ADVOCATE • AUGUST 2019

Go Figure

Labor Voices: Tom Erickson

$14.5 million

287 to 1

Average compensation of S&P500 companies’ CEOs in 2018.

Those CEOs made 287 timesmore than the median employee

at their companies last year.

$5.2 millionIncrease in the average S&P 500CEO’s pay in the past decade.

$7,858Increase in the average U.S.

worker’s pay the past decade.Source: AFL-CIO Executive Paywatch

On behalf of our over 12,000 members, thank you foryour support of the Teamsters Local 120 MurphyWarehouse and Lakeville Motor express bargaining units.The outpouring of financial donations, social media out-reach and in-person presence on the picket lines wasoverwhelming. It exceeded anything I have seen in myover 35 years as a union member. We have all heard the saying “united we stand, divided

we beg.” But it’s humbling to truly realize the power wehave as a labor movement when we come together for ajust cause. With your backing, our members stood strongand sent a message to every employer in the region thatthe labor movement will unite to fight injustice whereverwe find it. The Murphy Warehouse strike ended with an agree-

ment that offsets every penny of in-network health carecost increases and every penny of premium increaseswith wages. On top of that, it delivers the biggest raises inthe history of the contract. Rights protected, voices heardand our members won. In January 2019, the former Lakeville Motor Express

employees won a $1.25-million-dollar settlement in the“alter-ego” case against the cohort of executives and shellcompanies involved in the Lakeville closure. The settle-ment also states if the payments are not made on time,the amount will increase to $2.4 million. Rights protected,voices heard and our members won.

Teamsters never forget, and your support won’t be for-gotten by our local. You can count on our local and ourmembers to rally for you the way that you rallied for ourMurphy Warehouse and Lakeville Motor Express workers. These campaigns were about sending a message that

corporate greed will be met with Union strength. And itworked. These employers mistakenly thought they couldtake on our local, but they couldn’t beat a united labormovement. Your assistance helped deliver a great contractand settlement for our members and laid a roadmap forwinning contract campaigns through labor solidarity. Thank you for your support, your strength and your

resolve for justice. In Solidarity,Teamsters Local 120– Tom Erickson is president and principal officer of

Teamsters Local 120.

An open letter of thanks to the local labor movement

Labor History Spotlight

Revisiting labor’s victory in the St. Paul charter battle of 1929

“Teamsters never forget,and your support won’t beforgotten by our local.”

– Tom Erickson

Editor’s Note: “Voices” is a forum for opinions from across the labor movement. It appears regularly in The Advocate. We encourage readers torespond to our columnists’ opinions. To write a letter to the editor, see the upper-righthand corner of this page. To inquire about contributing to

“Voices,” call 651-222-3787, extension 112. This column does not reflect the position of the St. Paul Regional Labor Federation or its assemblies.

• Send letters to: 353 W. 7th St.,Suite 201, St. Paul, MN 55102

• Fax them to 651-293-1989• Email them to:mmoore@stpaulunions.org

Letters

Official publication of the St. Paul Regional Labor Federation, AFL-CIO353 W. 7th St. #201, St. Paul, MN 55102.

Phone 651-222-3787 x112; fax 651-293-1989;e-mail: mmoore@stpaulunions.org

Editor: Michael Moore

ST. PAUL REGIONAL LABOR FEDERATIONPhone: 651-222-3787 Fax: 651-293-1989

Website: www.stpaulunions.org

Bobby Kasper, PresidentPerry Schmidt, Executive Vice PresidentBernadine Engeldorf, Secretary-TreasurerJennifer Guertin, Sergeant-At-Arms

Theresa St. Aoro, V.P. - Ramsey CountyBrian Beedle,V.P. - Washing ton CountyConnie Beissel,V.P. - Dakota CountyMichael Madden, V.P. - Chisago County

Trustees: Jamie McNamara, Don Mullin,Paul Slattery

Executive Board Members At Large: BobDeRoy, Mike Dreyer, Kelly Gibbons, WadeLuneberg, Dorothy Maki-Green, JamieMcNamara, Mona Meyer, Dave Monsour,Carrie Robles, Mary Sansom, Paul Slattery,Rick Varco

MN AFL-CIO General Board GeographicalRepresentatives: Nick Faber, Ken Gorman,Jennifer Guertin, Deb Haugen, MikeHoppe, Suzanne Markham-Kocurek,Tom McCarthy, Bob Ryan, Lisa Weed

Committee on Political Education: CraigAngrimson, Tom Edwards, Gus Froemke,Martin Hoerth, Mark Krey, Travis Lohmann,Bob Mayer, Philip Qualy, Scott Seath, LeahVandassor, Josh Wise

State AFL-CIO Retirees Rep: Gerald Beedle

Office staff: Colleen Nocerini, Kera Peterson

AFL-CIO COMMUNITY SERVICESPhone: 651-222-3787 Fax: 651-293-1989

Website: www.stpaulunions.org/lsrc

Lynne Larkin-Wright, Liaison

This issue went to press July 23It was scheduled to go in the mail July 26

Next news deadline: Friday, Aug. 16

Remaining publication dates in 2019: Aug. 26, Sept. 23, Oct. 28 and Dec. 16.

News deadlines precede our publicationdates by 10 days; ad deadlines by 12 days.

To advertise, contact the Advocate officefor display options and rate information, ordownload an ad flier online atadvocate.stpaulunions.org/advertise.

Subscriptions are $15 for calendar year2019. Mail payment to Union Advocate, 353W. 7th St., Suite 201, St. Paul, MN 55102.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to:The Saint Paul Union Advocate, 353 W. 7th St.,STE 201, St. Paul, MN 55102-2314. Publishedmonthly except during July and December bythe St. Paul Regional Labor Federation, 353 W.7th St., STE 201, St. Paul, MN 55102-2314. (USPS 647820) (ISSN 24723320) Periodicals postage paid at St. Paul, MN.

Member International LaborCommunications Association.

By Iric NathansonSpecial to The Union AdvocateThe Union Advocate was outraged.Special interests were about to take

over St. Paul City Hall, the labor paperwarned its readers. “They want tomake government function as anagent of the profit hunting interestsregardless of human welfare,” declareda front-page editorial on Sept. 12, 1929.The Advocate’s outrage was aimed

at a plan to establish a city manager for

St. Paul, an appointed bureaucrat withbroad authority to oversee the opera-tion in municipal government. Theplan was drafted by a blue ribboncommittee, composed of members ofthe St. Paul Charter Commission andheaded by James Otis, a partner in oneof the city’s most prestigious law firms.Other committee members were allfrom St. Paul’s business establishment.They had spent the past year draftingthe far-reaching plan without any

input from labor. Now, the plan wasscheduled to come before voters in acitywide referendum Nov. 6.Under the proposal, the City

Council would be composed of 10 at-large members, each elected to four-year terms. Council members wouldhave overlapping terms, with half elect-ed every two years. The mayor would beelected every two years and would be avoting member of the council.

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 12)

AUGUST 2019 • THE UNION ADVOCATE • 3Labor Events

By Michael MooreUnion Advocate editorSprinkler Fitters Local 417 cut the ribbon on a new,

state-of-the-art training center and union hall inShoreview last month, celebrating with an open houseattended by active and retired members, labor leaders andelected officials.The 27,200-square-foot facility is nearly twice the size of

Local 417’s previous home in Minneapolis. The unioninvested over $2 million to purchase and remodel theShoreview property, which formerly housed a transmissionshop and an independent school.“It really was ideal,” Training Director Brad Hopping

said. “We needed classroom space, and we needed shopspace. This site had both.” Local 417’s old training space felt increasingly cramped

as the union’s roster of apprentices expanded in recentyears. The shop, in particular, was bursting at the seams,Hopping said.“We’re a hands-on trade,” he added. “People who come

to our apprenticeship don’t want to sit in a classroom; theywant to get their hands dirty.”Apprentices will have plenty of room to do just that in

the new facility. It boasts modules designed to teach multi-ple skills: pipe threading and grooving; soldering, brazingand welding; installation and repair of dry valve, pre-actionvalve and specialty systems; fire pump testing and installa-tion; backflow prevention and more.Trinidad Uribe III, Local 417’s business manager, said

the fire protection industry has “changed dramatically”over the last decade. Developers are using new technologyand materials on job sites, and the pace of work is speed-ing up.

The new facility, Uribe said, will equip the union’s 76apprentices with the skills they need to thrive on the jobsite – and give journey-level workers a place to keep theirskills up to date.“Our members reinvest in training as part of our wage

package,” Uribe said. “They know the positive effects ofinvesting in training. It’s what sets us apart from our com-petition.“We feel we’re the best-trained Sprinkler Fitters in the

country, and that is because our members have made acommitment to being the best.” That’s not just parochial boasting. Minnesota ranks

among the best states in the country when it comes tosprinkler-related fire saves.The importance of Sprinkler Fitters’ work took center

stage after the ribbon-cutting ceremony, when Local 417invited the National Fire Sprinkler Association to hold aburn-trailer demonstration. Under the watchful eye of Shoreview firefighters, the

NFSA representatives sparked fires on both sides of a two-room trailer, with each room furnished like a small livingroom. One room, equipped with fire sprinklers, remainedsalvageable after several minutes. The other room con-tained only charred furniture remains.“Everyone comes to a union shop like this as appren-

tices, looking for a high-paying job, looking for security fortheir family, looking for benefits, looking for a brightfuture,” the NFSA’s Tim Butler, former fire chief in St. Paul,said. “Everyone who comes to Local 417 is going to realizethat bright future, but they’re also going to walk out of herea lifesaver. “Every single person that puts a fire sprinkler in a build-

ing today is saving lives and property.”

Scenes from Local 417’s open house July 11, clockwise from top-left: Business Manager Trinidad Uribe and Shoreview MayorSandy Martin cut the ribbon on the union’s new training center, as (L to R) Business Agent Craig Bistodeau, Training Director BradHopping, Minnesota Pipe Trades Association President David Ybarra and Sen. Jason Isaacson, whose district includes the facil-ity, looked on; the National Fire Sprinkler Association’s burn trailer demonstrated the importance of union Sprinkler Fitters’ work;Pipe Trades leaders paused for a photo with St. Paul Building and Construction Trades Council Executive Secretary Don Mullin(L), St. Paul Regional Labor Federation President Bobby Kasper (third from right) and Minneapolis Regional Labor FederationPresident Chelsie Glaubitz Gabiou; Uribe addressed members, labor leaders and lawmakers who attended the open house.

Union Advocate photos

New training center gives Sprinkler Fitters Local 417 room to grow

Carpenters host ‘Girls Who Build’

Know a girl who likes getting cre-ative, building things or working withher hands? Encourage her to attend“Girls Who Build” on Saturday, Aug.17. It’s an opportunity for girlsbetween the ages of 7 and 16 to gainhands-on experience in a variety ofskilled-trade activities.The event, hosted by the North

Central States Regional Council ofCarpenters at the union’s training cen-ter in St. Paul, is designed to build girls’skills, confidence and understandingof the construction industry, whichoffers good-paying career opportuni-ties for men and women alike.Women who are members of the

Carpenters union will guide partici-pants through the event, helpingthem build their own take-homekeepsake and answering any ques-tions girls may have about working inconstruction.

“Girls Who Build” is co-sponsoredby the Girl Connect initiative of localnonprofit Girls Are Powerful. The event will run from 2 to 6 p.m.

at the Carpenters’ training center, 710Olive St., St. Paul. Registration fee is $15and includes a pizza dinner. Registeronline at www.girlsarepowerful.org.

Solidarity on a stickThe Minnesota State Fair runs

Aug. 22 to Sept. 2, and the MinnesotaAFL-CIO Labor Pavilion will offer adaily lineup of family-friendly, laborprogramming all 12 days of the greatMinnesota get-together. Stop by the pavilion, at the corner

of Dan Patch and Cooper, for livemusic, demonstrations, giveawaysand to meet the working people whomake up our labor movement. A complete schedule of events will

be posted at mnaflcio.org.

Freedom Library tackleshousing justice

The East Side Freedom Library inSt. Paul will host a community con-versation about housing justice Aug.13 at 7 p.m. “Housing Justice: What ItIs and How To Achieve It” comes aftera series of events – films, panel discus-sions, presentations – exploring theissue not as an abstract idea, but as itrelates to the neighborhood.“We believe that when renters,

homeowners, home buyers, commu-nity and labor activists, realtors, andhomeless persons come together, wecan put together the pieces of thepuzzle that will reveal answers,”organizers said in promotional mate-rials for the event.The ESFL is located at 1105

Greenbrier St. Learn more about thelibrary at eastsidefreedomlibrary.org.

AUGUST 2019 • THE UNION ADVOCATE • 5

By Michael MooreUnion Advocate editorAirline catering workers at

Minneapolis-St. Paul InternationalAirport are mobilizing in advance of apotential nationwide strike that couldimpact services on board American,Delta and United airlines.During informational picketing at

MSP July 3, LSG Sky Chefs workers saidthey aren’t backing down from theirdemands for a living wage and afford-able, accessible health insurance.“We’re going to fight together, and

we’re going to win,” Sky Chefs workerJuana Estrada said.UNITE HERE Local 17, which rep-

resents about 450 Sky Chefs workersbased at MSP Airport, scheduled thepicketing on a busy travel day, as vaca-tioners headed out of town for the hol-iday weekend. After gathering across the street

from Terminal 1’s departures area,some 50-plus workers and supportersmarched, carried signs and chantedthe union’s rallying cry, “one jobshould be enough!”U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, who repre-

sents Minnesota’s 5th CongressionalDistrict, joined the picketing. During abrief rally, she applauded Sky Chefsworkers for taking a stand against cor-porate greed, noting that the airlinesdoing business with Sky Chefs haveearned a combined $50 billion in prof-its over the last five years. “So the greedy bosses think that it’s

OK to take home $50 billion of profitand not pay their workers?” Omarsaid. “We’re saying not under ourwatch.“Health care should be a human

right, and nowhere in the UnitedStates should people have to workmore than one job to take care ofthemselves. I hear you loud and clear,and we’re going to make sure that (theairlines) hear you loud and clear.”Yobit Bizen, a Local 17 member

who was appointed by Gov. Tim Walzto the Metropolitan AirportsCommission just weeks earlier,pledged to make sure workers’ voicesare heard by the MAC.“It’s because of these people and

their contributions that we are able tobe the best airport in the country,” saidBizen, who works as a server at an MSPrestaurant. “It’s only fair that they getthe respect and fair treatment theydeserve.”The union contract between

UNITE HERE and Sky Chefs, coveringroughly 11,000 workers, becameamendable under the Railway LaborAct in December 2018. Federally medi-ated talks have been taking place onthe national level for months.In June UNITE HERE members

nationwide voted overwhelmingly toauthorize a strike if the NationalMediation Board, which administersthe Railway Labor Act, declares animpasse and releases the two sides

from negotiations. Union officials atthe picket said they expected that tohappen in the coming weeks.“But we’re not going to wait until

they release us,” Local 17 PresidentChrista Mello said. “It’s important thatwe all continue to join in actions” topressure Sky Chefs and the airlines.Locally, 99.7% of MSP-based Sky

Chefs workers who participated in thevote supported a strike. Estrada saidthe vote shows her co-workers “aretired of working for a company thatdoesn’t want to give us the rights wedeserve.”According to Local 17, catering

workers at MSP earn as little as $11.15per hour, a rate lower than the City ofMinneapolis’ minimum wage for largeemployers. Most earn less than $15 perhour, and only 26 percent of cateringworkers enrolled in their employer-provided health insurance last year.Estrada said the insurance plan’s

premiums and out-of-pocket costs are

too high for most Sky Chefs workers toafford. Family coverage costs her $500a month, she said, and even after 23years working for Sky Chefs, she’s stillforced to “choose between paying billsat the clinic or buying food for myfamily.”“We’re not even living like

humans,” she said.

Ready to strike, airline catering workers say ‘one job should be enough’

Members of UNITE HERE Local 17 who work at Sky Chefs, Delta’s catering con-tractor, staged informational picketing at MSP Airport July 3. Union Advocate photos

“Nowhere in the United States should people have to work more than one job totake care of themselves,” U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar told picketers.

Juana Estrada

Airport server takesseat on MetropolitanAirports Commission

Airport workers continue tohave a voice on the governingbody that oversees Minneapolis-St. Paul International and sixsmaller airports after Gov. TimWalz appointed Yodit Bizen, aserver at MSP, to the MetropolitanAirports Commission June 28.Bizen, who resides in Apple

Valley, has been a member ofUNITE HERE Local 17, the TwinCities-based hospitality workers’union, since taking a job at the air-port in 2001. Local 17 representsover 1,200 workers at MSP Airport.“Thanks to Governor Walz for

the opportunity,” Bizen said. “I amlooking forward to working withthe other commissioners. Also,thank you to my union, UNITEHERE Local 17, for supportingme.” Airport workers first won a

voice on the MAC in 2015, whenthen-Gov. Mark Dayton appointedIbrahim Mohamed to the commis-sion. Mohamed drove passengercarts in MSP for Air Serv, a Delta AirLines contractor whose workers, atthe time, were seeking to organizea union with the ServiceEmployees International Union.Bizen’s appointment to the

MAC was timely as well. Two weeks prior to Walz’s

announcement, airline cateringworkers who prepare, pack, anddeliver food and beverages servedonboard Delta flights – Bizen’s fel-low UNITE HERE members –voted overwhelmingly to author-ize a strike. A campaign to raise theairport minimum wage to $15 isalso gaining strength. Local 17 Secretary Treasurer

Sheigh Freeberg said by appoint-ing Bizen to the MAC, “Gov. Walzand Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan haveshown that they believe workingpeople’s voices matter. We areproud and excited to see a long-time member take such an impor-tant role!”

Painters’ charity golffundraiser Aug. 27

District Council 82 of theInternational Union of Painters andAllied Trades (IUPAT) will hold itsannual PATCH Day Golf FundraiserTuesday, Aug. 27, at Majestic Oaks GolfClub in Ham Lake.All proceeds from the 18-hole event

will support the Painters and AlliedTrades Children’s Hope Foundation,which contributes to causes across thecouncil’s five-state jurisdiction.For registration information, call

Lindsay at 651-224-5480.

dozens of her co-workers took astand against Amazon’s punishingproductivity rates, unsafe workingconditions and anti-union culture. The July 15 strike put up a “digital

picket line” on Prime Day, the compa-ny’s annual savings celebration. It wasthe first Prime Day strike at a U.S.worksite, and it drew the attention ofpresidential candidates, union leadersand media outlets worldwide.“We know Prime Day is a big day

for Amazon, so we hope this strike willhelp executives understand how seri-ous we are about wanting real changethat will uplift the workers inAmazon’s warehouses,” SafiyoMohamed, an MSP1 worker whojoined the strike, said. “We create a lotof wealth for Amazon, but they aren’ttreating us with the respect and digni-ty that we deserve.”

Solidarity pours inMSP1 workers walked off the job

and onto the picket line at 2 p.m., cut-ting short their scheduled shift bythree and a half hours. They were greeted by members of

community, faith-based and laborgroups who traveled to Shakopee tostand in solidarity with the strikingworkers. The crowd steadily grew towell over 200 people, who fanned outalong the sidewalk that bordersAmazon’s property in the Shakopeeindustrial park.Members of the Minnesota Nurses

Association, Service EmployeesInternational Union, Teamsters,United Food and Commercial Workersand other local unions walked thepicket line, and a string of elected offi-cials offered words of encouragementduring a rally later that afternoon.Liz Shuler, secretary-treasurer of the

AFL-CIO and the second-highest-rank-ing labor leader in the U.S., praised thestriking workers for their courage in avideo posted on social media. “At the AFL-CIO, we’re standing

strong in solidarity with the workers inShakopee and beyond, and we hope

you will too,” Shuler said. “ShowAmazon that Prime Day is not just forshopping, it’s for respecting the rightsof working people.”

‘Humans, not robots’Striking workers wore shirts and

carried banners emblazoned withtheir rallying cry, “We are humans, notrobots!” Atop the list of demandsprinted on their picket signs was“humane workloads.”Amazon assigns a productivity rate

to each position at the facility, andthat rate, MSP1 workers say, is tooinflexible. Hibaq Mohamed said she’sscheduled to be at MSP1 for 10 and ahalf hours per workday, and she clocksout for a 30-minute meal break eachshift. During each of the remaining 10hours, Mohamed is expected to “makerate,” or assemble a minimum num-ber of packages. The number doesn’t change if she

stops working to use the bathroom, torest her sore arms, or to pray. That’swhy Mohamed tries to drink as little

water as she can. She’s seen co-work-ers running to and from the restroomfall and injure themselves. She’s seenpeople who failed to make rate losetheir jobs.“They’re not even treating us like

animals,” Mohamed said. “They’retreating us like insects.”Meg Brady, currently on short-

term disability from her job at MSP1,described Amazon’s attitude towardits warehouse employees as “churnand burn.” Brady was among a group of 70

workers who started at MSP1 inNovember 2017. Only five still work atthe warehouse today, she said.“Some of them left because they

were injured in the first few weeks,and some left because they couldn’tmake rate,” Brady said. “Still others leftbecause the constant mental andphysical stress of this job just wasn’tworth it to them any longer.”

Amazon can do betterBrady wants to see Amazon not

only ease its productivity quotas, buttake steps to reduce workers’ risk ofinjury. She and Hibaq Mohamedagreed that too many workers areafraid to speak up about fatigue or safe-ty concerns because, Mohamed said,the answer is always the same: “If youdon’t like it, go home.” Organizers said many more MSP1

workers supported the strike, butfeared retaliation from management.Amazon has a track record of hos-

tility toward unions. The companyditched plans to locate its new head-quarters in New York after the city’sunions pressured elected officials toattach minimum wage and otherlabor standards to generous tax breaksand subsidies they had offered thecompany.Tax avoidance and low wages –

that’s how founder and CEO JeffBezos, the world’s richest person, hasbuilt his company. Despite turning an$11.2 billion profit last year, Amazonpaid no federal taxes. And while work-ers in Amazon’s warehouses scurryback and forth from the bathroom,CEO Jeff Bezos, worth an estimated$120 billion, is building his ownspaceship.If any company can afford to do

better by its workers, it’s Amazon.“Management demands the best

from their workers,” Brady said. “Nowwe want their best.”

Hibaq Mohamed, Amazon MSP1 worker

6 • THE UNION ADVOCATE • AUGUST 2019

On Prime Day, Shakopee warehouse workers strike for safer conditions and a voice on the job(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1)

Striking Amazon warehouse workers Hibaq Mohamed (L) and Meg Brady (R)shared a laugh on the picket line outside the MSP1 facility in Shakopee.

Union Advocate photos

“They’renot eventreating us

likeanimals.They’re

treating uslike

insects.”

Minnesota is now a national leader in makingsure workers get paid what they’re owed, thanks toa new, bipartisan wage theft law. The measure wonapproval during a special legislative session inMay and was quickly signed by Gov. Tim Walz.Advocates, including the union-backed

Minnesota Coalition to End Wage Theft, hailed thenew law as one of the strongest in the country. Itmakes wage theft a criminal felony and broadensthe state’s power to prosecute alleged violators. That means more of the estimated 40,000

working Minnesotans who pursue wage-theftclaims annually will get the justice they deserve.“If you earn a wage, you should be paid a

wage,” Walz said July 17, during a ceremony at the

Capitol to celebrate the new law. “If a worker hastheir wages stolen, it is no different than any otherkind of theft. “For too long, bad employers have taken wages

from hardworking Minnesotans, with little to norecourse for the workers.”Wage theft can take the form of failing to pay

the minimum wage or overtime premiums, ordenying workers their mandatory breaks.Employers who misclassify employees as inde-pendent contractors also commit wage theft.In July, Attorney General Keith Ellison

announced plans to form a special unit “to use allthe powers the law gives us to investigate wagetheft and enforce the new law.”

Unions hail new wage theft law as nation’s toughest

Advocates gathered around Gov. Tim Walz during acelebration of the state’s new wage theft law at theCapitol last month. photo courtesy SEIU Healthcare MN

At the Capitol

AUGUST 2019 • THE UNION ADVOCATE • 7

STRIKE IN ELK RIVERNursing home workers at Guardian Angels in Elk

River staged a two-day strike June 6-7, putting theiremployer on notice that they are serious about bar-gaining higher wages and staffing levels to improvethe facility for both residents and staff. “We are on strike for our residents, our jobs and

our whole community,” said Avis Lage, a dietaryaide at the facility. SEIU Healthcare Minnesota represents more than

100 workers in the bargaining unit who do house-keeping, laundry, dietary, health unit coordinating,nursing assistance, recreation and maintenancework. On the picket line, they raised concerns aboutGuardian Angels’ increased use of temporary work-ers – paid higher wages to do the same jobs as unionmembers – over the last two years.Jane Gardner, a nursing assistant and trained

medic with 14 years of experience at Guardian Angels,said temporary staff lack familiarity with the facility’sresidents and procedures. “They don’t know anythingabout these people,” Gardner said. “We’re like anextension of their families. For some, we are closerthan their families.”Workers reported several alarming mistakes

made by temp workers, including failure to proper-ly administer medication and, in another instance,administering a pain patch to the wrong resident. That’s why union members are drawing a line in

the sand during contract talks. Rather than paying atemp agency, they want Guardian Angels to invest inthe workers who are invested in their residents. “Wewant them to offer a wage that will attract, retain andreward their staff,” nursing assistant Nicole Mellumsaid. “We want respect.”

TALLYING THE TONNAGEThe annual food drive of the National

Association of Letter Carriers, which took place May11, collected more than 76.1 million pounds of foodnationwide, the third-highest total in the drive’s 27years. Locally, Twin Cities letter carriers brought inabout 900,000 pounds of donated items.The Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive is the nation’s

largest single-day food drive, and it relies on the gen-

erosity of residents, who leave donations of non-per-ishable food items next to their mailboxes before themail delivery that day. Letter carriers collect dona-tions along their routes, and distribute them to localfood banks, pantries, shelters and churches.“This is a labor of love for letter carriers, and we

are proud to see how it has grown in impact over theyears,” NALC President Fredric Rolando said. “It’s anhonor to be able to help people in need all acrossthe country – and to do so in a way that brings outthe best in so many Americans.”Since the food drive began in 1993, letter carriers

have collected a total of about 1.75 billion pounds offood.

BTCU GETS SEAL OF APPROVALBuilding Trades Credit Union received a lofty

ranking last month in an online publication’s annu-al review of credit unions nationwide. The TwinCities-based institution, which serves more than17,000 members of Building and ConstructionTrades unions and their families, was recognized asthe 10th-safest credit union in the country byDepositAccounts.com.Each year, DepositAccounts.com evaluates the

financial health of all 5,460 credit unions in the U.S.in an effort to assist consumers in making the rightchoice for their money. Each institution is gradedon a number of factors, including capitalization,deposit growth, and loan-to-reserve ratios, to deter-mine a comprehensive health score. The top 200safest credit unions are recognized on their Top 200Healthiest Credit Unions in America list.“Serving our members in the union building and

construction trades with comprehensive productand service offerings has always been our mission,”CEO Bill Daehn said. “And we recognize that, morethan ever, consumers are focused on the safety andsoundness of the financial institutions they choose.We’re proud that our members can continue to trustBTCU as their primary financial partner.”DepositAccounts.com is the largest and most

comprehensive online publication in the U.S. dedi-cated to banking and deposit product informationfor consumers.

Labor News in Review

Nursing home workers in Elk River walked the picket line for two days in June, standing together for high-er wages and staffing that, they say, would benefit themselves and their residents. Union Advocate photo

8 • THE UNION ADVOCATE • AUGUST 2019

featuring Gov. Tim Walz and severalmembers of the state’s congressionaldelegation. Live video feeds projected onto

theater-size screens linked the twoevents. It was virtual “dinner with thefamily,” an idea that has been at thecore of Serving Our Troops’ missionfor the last 15 years. The trip to Kuwait this year was the

St. Paul nonprofit’s 14th project, andfounder Pat Harris, a former St. PaulCity Council member, beamed withpride from the podium set up inCamp Arifjan as volunteers served theorganization’s 100,000th steak to a sol-dier.“This is about the kitchen being

open in Minnesota for Minnesota’sservice men and women and theirfamilies,” Harris said.

Reaching out to soldiersIn planning the May trip to Kuwait,

Serving Our Troops’ fourth since 2012,Harris approached local BuildingTrades leaders to discuss a potentialpartnership. They didn’t require muchconvincing.Mullin, executive secretary of the

St. Paul Building and ConstructionTrades Council, said the decision wasa “no-brainer.” Fowler, business man-ager of LIUNA Local 563, told Harrishe was willing to “go over there andclean latrines if that makes the life of asoldier easier,” joking that “as aLaborer, it wouldn’t be the first time.” Eager as union leaders were to

show their appreciation for those serv-ing, they also had another objective inmind: raising awareness among sol-diers of the many post-military careeropportunities available in the BuildingTrades.Construction unions have been

aggressive both locally and nationallyin marketing their apprenticeshiptraining programs to military veterans.Unions founded an outreach organi-zation, Helmets to Hardhats, in 2003,and since then over 20,000 veteranshave entered construction jobs acrossthe U.S.By building a pipeline from the

barracks to the Building Trades,unions and their contractors are doingtheir part to help veterans make thetransition back into civilian life.Registered apprenticeship offers veter-ans a chance to earn middle-classwages while they learn a marketabletrade. And working union offers veter-ans the familiarity of sharing a com-mon goal – not to mention goodhealth insurance and retirement secu-rity – with the people they work along-

side.“For military personnel, they

already have the structure, the disci-pline, the self-motivating skills to suc-ceed in our labor union apprentice-ship programs,” said Uribe, an Armyveteran and business manager ofSprinkler Fitters Local 417. “They’reused to striving to be successful andproficient at what they do.”That means recruiting veterans to

construction apprenticeship programsisn’t just good for veterans – it’s goodfor the industry as well. McCarthy, president of the St. Paul

Building Trades and Plumbers Local34, recalled being in awe of soldierssetting out on an 18-mile hike in 109-degree heat, carrying 20-pound packson their backs. “Yeah, I would imaginethat person is a good worker,”McCarthy laughed. “When they getback here, I think we can find them aspot.”

A ‘humbling’ experienceSeizing the opportunity to thank

active-duty soldiers – and represent

their unions in person – meant agree-ing to a whirlwind schedule, with 48hours of travel over six days. Afterdeparting the Twin Cities onWednesday, May 22, the Serving OurTroops team landed in Kuwait City at10 p.m. Thursday. Early Friday morning, volunteers

bused to Camp Arifjan. The MinnesotaNational Guard’s 34th Red BullInfantry Division has been stationedthere since November 2018, when ittook command and control of TaskForce Spartan.The task force is part of Operation

Spartan Shield, intended to “maintaina U.S. military posture sufficient tostrengthen U.S. defense relationships,build partner capacity and executeU.S. Central Command’s contingencyplans, if necessary,” according to theGuard. Thousands of soldiers fromsubordinate brigades fall under theRed Bull division’s command.Volunteers stayed overnight on the

base Friday and Saturday. It was thefirst time Fowler, McCarthy and Mullin

had been on an Army base, an experi-ence all three described as “humbling.”“Here, if you want a little bit of

space to your own, you’re able to getthat space,” Mullin said. “There, you’renot able to do that. In some waysyou’re extremely isolated from every-body that you know and love, but inother ways you’re never alone.“Our men and women that are

serving, they’re doing it in someextraordinary conditions. It’s a hugesacrifice.”And there was no escaping the

heat, which regularly climbs above 115degrees in the summer. Kuwait record-ed the hottest temperature on earthtwo weeks after the Serving OurTroops event.Uribe’s eight-year stint in the Army

never took him to Kuwait. “I do recall acouple rotations in the MojaveDesert,” he said. “I don’t recall the heatbeing as hot as it was in Kuwait.”

A taste of St. PaulIt was even hotter at the grill,

Building Tradesleaders help bring‘dinner with thefamily’ to soldiersstationed in Kuwait(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1)

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 9)

Joe Fowler (L)and TrinidadUribe loadedsteaks ontothe grill atCamp Arifjan,whereServing OurTroops volun-teers provid-ed aMancini’s-style dinnerfor roughly4,000 sol-diers andcivilians sta-tioned on thebase.Temperaturesat the grillexceeded135 degrees,Fowler said.

photos courtesyMichael MurrayPhotography

Pat Harris, a former St. Paul City Council member,directed Serving Our Troops volunteers who arrivedat Camp Arifjan the Friday before Memorial Day.Harris is a co-founder of the organization.

Soldiers serving in the Minnesota National Guard’s 34th InfantryDivision, denoted by the Red Bull patches on their sleeves, enjoyed asteak dinner while their friends and families had the same meal forlunch at RiverCentre in St. Paul.

Labour sight-seeing inWinnipeg worth the tripLooking for a three- or four-day

holiday with a labor/labour flavor? Winnipeg is an easy day’s drive

from the Twin Cities – even closer tomany other Minnesota communities.And 2019 is the 100th Anniversary ofthe Winnipeg General Strike, when35,000 – Yes, thirty-five thousand! –workers walked off the job for sixweeks. Considered the most influential in

Canadian history, the strike is beingcommemorated in a variety of ways,including museum exhibits, walkingtours, public art and even a musical.Take a few days and check them out:• “Strike 1919: Divided City,” an

exhibit at the Manitoba Museum’sUrban Gallery, 190 Rupert Ave. Forinformation call 204-956-2830 visitmanitobamuseum.ca.• “Strike! The Extended Walking

Tour,” a 90-minute, guided strollaround strike landmarks, with lots ofinformation about what life was likein Winnipeg before, during and afterthe strike, and some of the peopleinvolved. Call 204-942-6716.• Life-size replica of a streetcar

tipped over by angry protestors onwhat’s called Bloody Saturday, June21, 1919. It’s at Pantages Plaza, acrossfrom City Hall.While in Winnipeg, you could also

stay another day to visit TheCanadian Museum of Human Rights(humanrights.ca), an amazing build-ing whose eight levels of exhibits andgalleries hold a wealth of informationin all kinds of formats, exploringhuman rights from multiple perspec-tives, telling stories of struggles forliberty, equality, justice and respectby many diverse groups and individ-uals throughout history and aroundthe world. There’s an exhibit aboutthe 1919 General Strike there too.And the many interactive exhibitsand helpful staff make it a fun placefor kids.The Manitoba Federation of

Labour website has a “UnionizedSuppliers” feature that will help youfind lodging at a union hotel:mfl.ca/buy-union-retailer.And, if you don’t manage to make

it to Winnipeg, you can still learnabout the 1919 strike from a newbook by Dennis Lewycky,“Magnificent Fight: The 1919Winnipeg General Strike.” What’s more, the feature film

“Stand!” is set to premier this fall. It’sadapted from “Strike! The Musical,”with updates relevant to the currentpolitical climate.– Bill Moore, AFSCME Council 65

and TNG-CWA Local 37002 retiree andMinnesota State Retiree Council boardmember, visited Winnipeg in early Junewith his wife, Mary Wagner.

AUGUST 2019 • THE UNION ADVOCATE • 9

where Uribe, Fowler and othervolunteers spent Saturday afternoonflipping steaks – the same steaksserved at Mancini’s Char House, St.Paul’s iconic, union steakhouse. It was over dinner at Mancini’s 15

years ago that the idea for ServingOur Troops hatched, according toHarris. Wars in Iraq and Afghanistanhad pulled thousands of Minnesotasoldiers into active duty. “We didn’t think it was fair that we

were here, enjoying a meal, while themen and women serving our countrydidn’t have that option,” Harris said.“So we decided to do somethingabout it.”Within months, Serving Our

Troops had raised enough money toembark on its first project – a trip toKosovo to serve steaks to 800Minnesota soldiers, connected viavideo feed to their family and friendsgathered at Xcel Energy Center for asimilar meal. Under Harris’ leadership, Serving

Our Troops has evolved into a net-work of civic, business, communityand, now, labor leaders that, withsupport from local restaurants, notonly provides “dinner with the fami-ly” for the state’s active-duty soldiers,but also raises awareness ofMinnesota’s tradition of service.“The people that are part of

Serving Our Troops, these are selflesspeople, great people,” Uribe said. “Wehad the opportunity to foster newrelationships with these people andspread the message among theirorganizations that labor was there tosupport the troops along with all oftheir organizations.”“Some of the connections I made,

not only with the volunteer team butwith some of the soldiers that werethere, hopefully will last forever,”Mullin added. “This organizationmore than exceeded any expectationthat I had.”

Getting the job doneAbout 4,000 soldiers and support

personnel passed through the buffetline at Camp Arifjan during theSaturday-night event, keeping volun-teers on their toes. McCarthy saideverything happened so fast that the

event “is kind of a blur” in his memory.“The soldiers have very healthy

appetites,” he said. “As they started todevour everything, we would prettymuch keep changing everything out –changing out the pasta salad, chang-ing out the potatoes, changing out thecorn as fast as they went through it.”Fowler and Uribe took turns at the

grill, where temperatures exceeded135 degrees. “It was a very well chore-ographed dance we had going on forseveral hours,” Fowler remembered.“We started about 3 p.m. and wewere still serving when it was dark,around 8:30. I haven’t drunk thatmuch water in my life. It was easily 20bottles and four or five Gatorades.”For Uribe, working side by side

with other volunteers in miserableconditions, pulling together to get thejob done, “brought back those greatmemories of the camaraderie and theso-called second family” during mili-tary deployment. “You’re dependingon each and every one of the peopleyou work next to,” he said. If steak is on the soldiers’ menu

during an overseas deployment, it’susually tough – and never Mancini’s-grade quality. “We got a lot of thank-you’s,” Mullin said.“Every single person that came

through the buffet line thanked us forcoming out,” McCarthy added.“Regardless of whether they werefrom Minnesota or around theUnited States or around the world,they were happy that someoneappreciates what they’re out theredoing.”“Most humbling experience I’ve

ever had,” Fowler said. “These sol-diers are saying ‘thank you’ to us, andwe’re saying, ‘No, thank you.’”

Keeping in touchBefore beginning the journey

home with a 3 a.m. wake-up callSunday morning, Fowler, McCarthy,Mullin and Uribe handed out asmany business cards as they could.Since returning to St. Paul, the unionleaders have remained in contactwith National Guard officers, whothey hope will remind soldiers, asthey return to civilian life in early fall,that the doors to Building Trades’apprenticeship halls are open.“We go to schools and we do out-

reach events all the time,” McCarthysaid. “But this was nice because itwas a singular event based on sol-diers who are deployed and are com-ing back. “They help us out, and we should

be helping them out too.”

Letter to the editor

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz addressed military families gathered at RiverCentre inSt. Paul and troops at Camp Arifjan via video feed. Union Advocate photo

(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8)

10 • THE UNION ADVOCATE • AUGUST 2019

After more than seven years asa member of the St. Paul RegionalLabor Federation’s professionalstaff, Vicki Beebe resigned lastmonth to accept a position ascommunity relations officer withSt. Paul Federal Credit Union. Herlast day was July 12.Beebe served as a political

organizer for the St. Paul RLF andas an AFL-CIO CommunityServices liaison with the RLF’snonprofit organization, St. PaulLabor Studies and ResourceCenter.“I really will miss the people I

worked with and the relationshipsI’ve built,” Beebe said. “I look for-ward to maintaining them in mynew job – and building new ones,too.”As a political organizer, Beebe

worked closely with the federa-tion’s labor assemblies in Chisagoand Dakota counties, coordinat-ing phone banks, door-knocksand other volunteer activities insupport of local labor-endorsedcandidates.As a Community Services liai-

son, she recruited volunteers forservice projects, served as afounding board member at theEast Side Freedom Library andhelped plan the RLF’s participa-tion in the State Fair parade on

Labor Day.“It was very rewarding to get

people in the labor movement outin the community, whether it wasfor a United Way project or aparade,” Beebe said. “I hope tocontinue helping union membersat my next job, to build morebridges and more relationships.”St. Paul RLF President Bobby

Kasper credited Beebe as the driv-ing force behind the annual UnionJobs and Resource Fair, which hasexpanded each year since launch-ing in 2016.

“Our job fair has introduced somany people to the opportunitiesavailable when you work union,and it wouldn’t have happenedwithout Vicki’s hard work,” Kaspersaid. “Sometimes it seemed like shehad only one word in her vocabu-lary – ‘yes.’ Vicki is a true union sis-ter, who will be well missed.”Beebe is a longstanding mem-

ber of the Machinists union andretirees organization, stemmingfrom a 36-year career withNorthwest and, later, Delta AirLines.

Beebe departs RLF after seven years as Community Services liaison

Vicki Beebe and RLF President Bobby Kasper

To mark the 29th anniversary of aturning point in the historic “Justicefor Janitors” campaign, union janitorstook to the streets of St. Paul, march-ing on an influential property ownerwhose business practices are draggingdown wages and working conditionsin their industry.Local 26 of the Service Employees

International Union, which representsabout 8,000 property-service workersin the Twin Cities, organized theaction in response to troubling reportsfrom janitors working inside buildingsowned by Madison Equities, one ofdowntown St. Paul’s most prominentlandowners.One of those janitors, Carlos

Hernandez, gave his account of work-ing inside a Madison Equities proper-ty as an employee of ROC CommercialCleaning. He earned an hourly wage,Hernandez said, in his first few weekson the job. But that soon changed. According to Local 26, Hernandez

and other janitors say they were misclas-sified as independent contractors – atactic unscrupulous employers use tododge labor laws and avoid payroll taxes. Hernandez said he confronted his

supervisor about the change and wasgiven a choice: accept it or find a newjob. He chose the latter.“They’re trying to deny us some

basic benefits and protections thatemployees have,” Hernandez said

during a rally in Mears Park, justblocks away from Madison Equities’offices. “That’s why it’s important weall join together in this fight.”From Mears Park, the delegation of

about 40 janitors and supportersmarched to Madison Equities, distrib-uting fliers along the way. They urgedpeople to call owner Jim Crockarell anddemand he do business with responsi-ble cleaning contractors – like thosethat employ members of SEIU Local 26.Union janitors do the same work,

in similar properties, owned by com-panies comparable to MadisonEquities, Local 26 steward ElsaGuaman said. But union janitors earnfair wages with access to vacation andearned sick time, health care benefitsand protections against unsafe work-ing conditions.But they didn’t get those benefits

without a fight.SEIU members in cities across the

U.S. launched “Justice for Janitors” inthe mid-1980s, taking a stand against

the steady erosion of workplace stan-dards in their industry. At the time, commercial property

owners were increasingly outsourcingproperty-management responsibilities– like cleaning and security – to inde-pendent companies, which competedfiercely for the contract, putting down-ward pressure on janitors’ wages.The campaign drew national atten-

tion on June 15, 1990, when hundreds ofstriking janitors in Los Angeles marchedthrough the streets, drawing a violentresponse from the police. A flashpoint inthe campaign, the date is rememberedannually as “Justice for Janitors Day.”In the decade that followed, janitors

organized, mobilized and bargainedstrong contracts that hold buildingowners and their cleaning contractorsaccountable – just like Local 26 plans todo with Madison Equities in St. Paul.“If Jim Crockarell is wealthy

enough to own two restaurants and allthese buildings,” Guaman asked,“then how can he not have enough tomake sure workers get paid fairly?”It’s a question no one at Madison

Equities was willing to answer.The delegation made it as far as the

hallway outside the company’s offices,where security guards refused Local 26President Iris Altamirano’s request toenter and speak with Crockarell.“We’ll be back!” workers pledged.– Michael Moore, UA editor

After non-union janitors raise concerns, union seeks answers from St. Paul property owner

Janitors marched from Mears Park to the offices of Madison Equities, calling on the com-pany to do business with cleaning firms that respect workers’ rights. Union Advocate photo

AUGUST 2019 • THE UNION ADVOCATE • 11

Minutes of the Saint Paul Regional Labor FederationJUNE 12, 2019

The Saint Paul Regional LaborFederation met in regular session onthe above date and was called to orderwith the Pledge of Allegiance byPresident Kasper at 6 p.m. Boardmembers in attendance were BeedleB, Beedle G, Beissel, DeRoy, Engeldorf,Faber, Gorman, Guertin, Kasper,Madden, McNamara, Meyer, Robles,Ryan, Sansom, Schmidt, Seath,Slattery, St. Aoro and VanDassor.Excused were: Haugen, Markham-Kocurek, and Mullin. Absent were:Dreyer, Gibbons, Hoppe, Luneberg,Maki-Green, McCarthy, Monsour, Varcoand Weed.

CREDENTIALS• Credentials were received from

Construction and General Laborer’sLocal 563, International OperatingEngineers Local 49, MinnesotaNewspaper Guild – CWA 37002, SheetMetal Workers Local 10 and TeamstersLocal 120 and Local 320. PresidentKasper administered the Oath ofObligation to those new delegates andalternates present.

MINUTES• M/S/C TO APPROVE MINUTES

OF MAY 8, 2019 AS PUBLISHED INTHE UNION ADVOCATE NEWSPAPERAFTER THE SECRETARY NOTESTHERE ARE NO ADDITIONS ORCHANGES CALLED FOR.

COMMITTEE ON POLITICAL EDUCATION (COPE) MINUTESJUNE 12, 2019

COPE met in regular session onthe above date and was called to orderby President Kasper at 5 p.m. Boardmembers in attendance wereAngrimson, Beedle B, Beedle G,Beissel, DeRoy, Edwards, Engeldorf,Faber, Gorman, Guertin, Hoerth,Kasper, Lohmann, Madden, Mayer,McNamara, Meyer, Qualy, Robles, Ryan,Sansom, Schmidt, Seath, Slattery, St.Aoro, VanDassor and Wise. Excusedwere: Haugen, Markham-Kocurek, andMullin. Absent were: Dreyer, Froemke,Gibbons, Hoppe, Krey, Luneberg, Maki-Green, McCarthy, Monsour, Varco andWeed.

Items to come before this boardincluded:

• The Ramsey County LaborAssembly requested consideration ofgranting Labor Endorsement to the fol-lowing Saint Paul City Council candi-dates: Liz De La Torre, Ward 1; JanePrince, Ward 7

• The committee made a decisionto screen for Saint Paul City CouncilWard 6 and Saint Paul School Board butwill be holding off endorsing for RamseyCounty Commissioner District 1.

• Immediately following the dele-gate meeting tonight there will be ameet and greet with elected leaders inRamsey and Washington Counties.

• M/S/C TO APPOINT AUGUST“GUS” FROEMKE, TEAMSTERSLOCAL 320, TO THE COPE BOARD.

• M/S/C TO RECOMMENDLABOR ENDORSEMENT OF SAINTPAUL CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATEJANE PRINCE, WARD 7.

• M/S/C FOR NO ENDORSE-MENT IN WARD 1.

• M/S/C FOR THE RLF TO MAKEA $250 CONTRIBUTION TO THE MIN-NESOTA DFL CAUCUS AND A $250CONTRIBUTION TO THE SENATE DFLCAUCUS FOR THE 2019 POST-SES-SION FUNDRAISER ON WEDNESDAY,

JUNE 19, 2019 AT THE CARPENTERSHALL, 700 OLIVE STREET, SAINTPAUL, FROM 4 to 6 P.M.

• M/S/C FOR THE RLF TO MAKEA $1,000 CONTRIBUTION TO THE2019 POST LEGISLATIVE SESSIONBRIEFING EVENT IN HONOR OF GOV-ERNOR WALZ AND LT. GOVERNORFLANAGAN ON MONDAY, JUNE 24,2019 AT THE ST PAUL HOTEL, 350MARK STREET, ST. PAUL, FROM 5 TO6:30 P.M.

There being no further business tocome before this committee, the meet-ing adjourned.

EXECUTIVE BOARD MINUTESJUNE 12, 2019

The Executive Board met uponconclusion of COPE with those samemembers present who are duly electedto this board.

Items to come before this boardincluded:

• PRESIDENT’S REPORT: – President Kasper reported on

tonight’s Meet and Greet. – He will be attending the upcom-

ing Strategic Planning Retreat on July15 and 16, 2019 at the Delta Hotel inMinneapolis and will be attending theMinnesota State Building TradesConvention on July 24-25 at Maddenson Gull Lake.

– The RLF sponsored UFCW Local1189’s Kaposia Days – 5K & 10KLabor Against Cancer Run-Walk, and weare looking for other folks to run.

– The Saint Paul LaborAppreciation Night will be at 7 p.m. onWednesday, August 14, 2019 at AllianzField. We will raffle tickets at the Julymeeting.

– Kasper thanked everyone forsupporting Teamsters Local 120. Onbehalf of 12,000 teamster members,they thanked everyone for their supportof the Murphy Warehouse bargainingunit during their strike. The outpouringof financial donations, social mediaoutreach and in-person presence onthe picket line was overwhelming andexceeded anything that Tom Erickson,President, Teamsters Local 120, hasever seen in his 36 years as a unionmember.

– The RLF sent a letter of supportfor UNITE HERE Local 17 to the ownerof JAX Café in Minneapolis to negotiatea fair and honest contract.

– Management at the hotel locat-ed next to the Labor Center is asking2/3 property owners consent for aliquor license. The Board has instruct-ed President Kasper not to sign.

– Kasper reviewed the 2018 RLFaudit. M/S/C TO APPROVE AUDIT.

• M/S/C TO APPROVE BONUSESAND STAFF CONTRACT.

• M/S/C TO APPOINT CARRIEROBLES, LIUNA LOCAL 563; SCOTTSEATH, PIPEFITTERS LOCAL 455;AND LEAH VANDASSOR, ST. PAULFEDERATION OF EDUCATORS LOCAL28 TO THE EXECUTIVE BOARD.

• ORGANIZING/UPDATES/CAM-PAIGNS:

– Minnesota Nurses are in on-going negotiations with Metro Hospitalsand Allina Metro Regional Rx Center.Thank you for your support.

– The NALC Annual Food Drive wasonce again a huge success.

– The Saint Paul and MinneapolisFederation of Educators are in contractnegotiations.

– The Saint Paul Retirees will beholding their annual picnic onWednesday, July 17, 2019 here at the

Labor Center.– Save the Date: United Way Day of

Action will be held August 8, 2019 at theXcel Energy Center. Team up with UnitedWay and the Minnesota Wild, the hostsof this year’s annual volunteer event,where we will pack 40,000 backpacks tohelp local students start the school yearready to learn.

– Brian Beedle, Chair of theWashington County Labor Assembly,shared that Josiah Hill will be runningfor Senate District 39.

• REQUESTS:– M/S/C FOR THE RLF TO MAKE

A $1,000 CONTRIBUTION TO THELABORERS FAMILY FUN RAISER &PICNIC SCHEDULED FOR SATURDAY,AUGUST 17 AT COMO REGIONALPARK FROM 10 A.M. TO 1 P.M.

• Thank-you notes received fromthe Organized Workers’ Fight in thePhilippines for the RLF’s contribution of$1,000, Twin Cities Labor Chorus forthe RLF’s $500 contribution andTeamsters Local 120 for the RLF’s sup-port of the Murphy Warehouse bargain-ing unit during their strike as well asthe support from our unions.

There being no further business tocome before this board, the meetingadjourned.

PRESIDENT’S REPORTPresident Kasper read the thank-

you letter he received from TomErickson, President of Teamsters Local120, regarding support of the MurphyWarehouse workers’ strike.

Kasper announced that KeraPeterson, political director, will be doingthe introductions of tonight’s discus-sions with the state elected leadersfrom Ramsey and Washington counties.

NEW BUSINESS• President Kasper called for a

floor vote on the COPE Committee rec-ommendation to grant labor endorse-ment to Jane Prince, Saint Paul CityCouncil Ward 7.

M/S/C TO GRANT LABORENDORSEMENT TO JANE PRINCE,SAINT PAUL CITY COUNCIL, WARD 7.

• PRESIDENT KASPER DEFERREDALL REPORTS UNTIL JULY 2019 TOACCOMMODATE THE RAMSEY AND

WASHINGTON COUNTIES MEET ANDGREET.

There being no further business tocome before this delegation the meet-ing adjourned.

Submitted by, BERNADINE ENGELDORF

Secretary-Treasurer

The St. Paul Regional LaborFederation’s Ramsey andWashington County LaborAssemblies held a “meet andgreet” with labor-endorsedlegislators June 12. It offeredunion members an opportuni-ty to learn more about thedecisions made at the Capitolthis year – and what workremains in 2020. “We’vebeen doing these meet-and-greet events since 2012,”RLF President Bobby Kaspersaid. “They are a big part ofhow we get working people’sissues on the agenda.”

submitted photos

A legislative debrief with the deciders

Endorsementnotice

The St. Paul RLF mayconsider local endorse-ments during its Augustand September meetings,including endorsementsfor St. Paul City Council(Ward 6), St. Paul SchoolBoard and RamseyCounty Board (District 1).For more information,

call 651-222-3787.

12 • THE UNION ADVOCATE • AUGUST 2019

Ninety years ago, St. Paul unions took on a big fight at City Hall – and wonThe city manager would serve at the pleasure of

the council for an indeterminate term. In turn, hewould appoint the heads of city departments,including Finance, Public Works and Public Safety. Ina major departure from St. Paul’s existing municipalsystem, the city’s public schools would be placedunder the jurisdiction of a separate seven-memberschool board appointed by the mayor. Under thestructure then in place, the schools functioned as acity department under the City Council’s control.In order to sell the plan to St. Paul voters, Otis

and his supporters organized an unofficial advoca-cy group, the New Charter League. In its promo-tional materials, the League argued St. Paul neededto overhaul its governmental structure because theexisting system was not meeting residents’ needs. APioneer Press ad placed just a few days before theNov. 6 election warned of “Streets Getting Rougher –Schools Under Manned and Deteriorating – Two BigDeficits, Created Since 1924 to Pay out of Taxes – AWonderful Library Decaying – A Year Gone By Sincethe People Authorized Money for Improvementsand Virtually NOTHING Has Been Done. And YetYour Taxes Go Higher.”The League’s supporters believed a city manager

would help City Hall operate in a more efficient,businesslike manner. But the manager was expectedto do more than oversee the daily workings of localgovernment. In order to lead the city, the manager, atleast indirectly, needed to become a policy makertoo. The manager had the potential to become CityHall’s most powerful person, wielding power withoutbeing held in check by voters.The St. Paul Trades and Labor Assembly and

opponents of the proposed system would exploit this

lack of accountability as they worked to defeat thecharter plan. In its Sept. 19, issue, The Union Advocate head-

line announced “ORGANIZED LABOR DECLARESAGAINST CITY MANAGER PLAN.” The paper report-ed that the Assembly, at its September meeting, hadvoted unanimously to adopt a report opposing thecharter, which “would open the way for a powerful,securely entrenched special interest that would enjoyenlarged privileges at the expense of the rank and filetaxpayer.” The report concluded by calling on unions“to do everything in their power” to defeat the plan.Those efforts were led by William Mahoney, a

longtime St. Paul labor leader who served as editor ofThe Union Advocate and later as mayor of St. Paul.As Mahoney honed his arguments, his newspaperimplied – but never explicitly stated – a major reasonfor labor’s position: a belief that unions’ influence atCity Hall would be diminished by a manager whowould takes cues from the city’s business establish-ment. At an earlier time, St. Paul labor leaders mighthave viewed the business establishment with lesssuspicion. But by the late 1920s, the two groups hadtaken a more combative stance. As the charter campaign entered its final weeks,

the Advocate served as the public voice of the “VoteNo” campaign. St. Paul’s three daily papers firmlysupported the plan and provided only minimal cov-erage to its opponents. Opponents had to rely on TheAdvocate to deliver their message to St. Paul voters.In the end, voters turned down the city manager

charter. The tally was almost evenly split, with oppo-nents edging out proponents by 500 ballots. But a60% vote was needed for passage. The charter lostdecisively in working class wards on the East Side,but it carried the city’s more affluent neighborhoods.

During the hard-foughtcampaign, both sidesresorted to exaggeratedclaims, but charter propo-nents faced one challengethey were not able to over-come. They argued a citymanager would take poli-tics out of government, fail-ing to acknowledge thatgovernment, by its verynature, was political in thebroadest sense. Particularly in the coun-

try’s largest cities, with theirdiverse and often compet-ing interests, anothermodel of municipal organi-zation, the strong mayorsystem, was intended tomake local government more efficient while, at thesame time, taking account of the political environ-ment within which it operated.St. Paul would wait another four decades before

moving to this new municipal model. Followinganother defeat of the city manager charter in 1930,St. Paul maintained its status quo until 1970, whenvoters finally approved a “strong” mayor system, withan elected chief executive who was able to hire andfire city department heads. During the 40 year inter-im, The Union Advocate, with the backing of theTrades and Labor Assembly, was able to hold off amove that would have substantially altered the bal-ance of power in City Hall.– Iric Nathanson is the author of “Minneapolis in the

Twentieth Century: The Growth of an American City.”

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William Mahoney, editorof The Union Advocate,led the fight against abusiness-backed char-ter proposal in 1929. MN Historical Society photo