Workday Magazine (https://workdaymagazine.org/category/unions/page/26/)
“We are grateful that the legal system is holding those who commit wage theft and illegal trafficking of construction workers seriously,” said Jessica Looman, the Minnesota Building and Construction Trades Council’s executive director
In recent years, with the construction industry facing a shortage of skilled tradespeople, unions and contractors have boosted their marketing and recruitment efforts. Amanda Phillips, an apprenticeship instructor with the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters, said the union is doing outreach events several times a month.
Victories for union represented workers continue.
Matt Williams, President of MSCF explained that, “the employer was caught calculating work in a way that allowed them to pay people less than what they were really owed.”
The results of Tuesday nights municipal elections saw union-backed candidates, women, and people of color surge to victory. School levies across the state were also the big winner.
Despite a variety of setbacks and membership declines at the national level, Minnesota union leaders say their members have been energized by the recent wave of high-profile labor movements.
Members of SEIU 73 ratified their contract this week, and CTU members will now have 10 days to do so. But the impact of the two-week walkout is likely to extend far beyond the contracts themselves.
About 220 members USW Local 63B are on strike over Carley Foundry’s unfair labor practices. The strike began on Saturday morning.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 485,000 U.S. workers were involved in strikes and lockouts during 2018. That’s the highest number since 1986.
“The good news is in terms of the really difficult sticking points, it’s not a very long list,” Sharkey said. “The bad news is, looking at what’s happening, I feel like the city, the mayor and the school’s chiefs are digging in.”