New activities spice up labor booth at State Fair

Radio broadcasts, CDs on a stick, and a unique excavator are among new features at this year?s House of Labor at the Minnesota State Fair, which starts Thursday and runs through Labor Day.

? Wendy Wilde of Straight Talk Radio (740 AM and 1530 AM) will broadcast live from 9-11 a.m. each weekday. On some days, Brendan Cummins and Bill O’Brien, of the law firm Miller O?Brien, will stop in for “Job Talk,” in which they answer questions in a style inspired by Tom and Ray Magliozzi of the ?Car Talk? radio show. The next scheduled broadcast of “Job Talk” is Friday, Sept. 3.
? The new group Young Union Members will hand out free music CDs ? with a catch. Fairgoers must accept information about unions, organizing and workplace rights.
? Operating Engineers Local 49 will give fairgoers a chance to play in the sand, literally. Visitors can sit at full-size controls that operate a small-scale excavator in a 4×4 sandbox, said Glen Johnson, business manager for Local 49.

Traditional fair activities remain, including the hourly raffles of benches made by the Carpenters and affiliated unions. The Glass Molders, Letter Carriers, Machinists, Minnesota Building Trades, PACE, Steel Workers, UAW and UFCW are among unions with booths at the fair. Education Minnesota and the Minnesota Nurses Association will have separate exhibits in the Education Building.

The House of Labor is at Dan Patch Ave. and Cooper St. on the fairgrounds. It is staffed from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; after that, members are out enjoying the benefits of an 8-hour day.

Adapted from The Union Advocate, the official newspaper of the St. Paul Trades and Labor Assembly. E-mail The Advocate at: advocate@mtn.org

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