Workday Magazine (https://workdaymagazine.org/category/government/page/3/)
Protest, Washington D.C. Vlad Tchompalov @tchompalov
“Governor Walz’s budget proposal is a bold plan that invests in priorities to help working people recover from the COVID-19 pandemic while laying out a vision for a more just and equitable state.”
Minnesota’s union membership rate increased from 13.7% of the workforce in 2019 to 15.8%.
Even before COVID, many seniors, people with disabilities, and the families that support them are without the care that they need to stay safely in their homes. It is expected that the increase in wages and benefits will play a key role in combating the care crisis.
The heated political rhetoric leading up to the recent riots at the U.S. Capitol has left many democracy advocates wondering whether civil discourse can be restored.
Even with the Biden administration set to take over the White House in less than two weeks, many members of Congress say President Donald Trump needs to be removed beforehand because of this week’s riots at the Capitol
In the new year, unions will continue to watch and pressure the Legislature to protect workers and provide relief.
The Trump administration is rushing to approve dozens of eleventh-hour policy changes. Among them: The Justice Department is fast-tracking a rule that could reintroduce firing squads and electrocutions to federal executions.
Don Slaten has been volunteering in support of his union’s political program for years. Never has he seen a campaign season like this one, marked by social distance, early voting and a highly polarized voting public. “It’s just unreal,” said Slaten, a retired member of Machinists Local Lodge 459 who became active in local politics in the mid-1980s. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
In an election cycle with no playbook, Minnesota’s unions have adjusted their approach to politics. Physical distance is now baked into the Labor 2020 campaign strategy, with phone and text banks taking the place of most door-to-door canvassing.
In a ceremony held on the floor of Ironworkers Local 512’s apprenticeship training center today, Gov. Tim Walz signed into law a $1.88 billion package of infrastructure investments that will create thousands of jobs for union tradespeople across Minnesota.
The working people who keep Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport running, who keep it clean and who have made it safe for travelers during the COVID-19 crisis are about to get a well-deserved raise.