Republicans will hold their presidential election-year convention at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul from Sept. 1 to Sept. 4, 2008.
St. Paul Trades and Labor Assembly President Shar Knutson said she and Harry Melander, president of the St. Paul Building and Construction Trades Council, are engaged in talks with the host committee chair on a labor-peace agreement.
Knutson stressed, however, that the agreement would in no way infringe upon any union member\'s freedom of speech.
"What the Republican National Committee wants is to make sure that there are no strikes or picket lines or walkouts at the Xcel Energy Center," Knutson said. "That\'s the agreement, and we\'re working through what that would look like.
"But if you\'re an individual and you wish to protest, you\'re doing that as an individual. The agreement is only asking that locals agree not to disrupt the work at the convention."
Republicans and organized labor may not always see eye-to-eye when it comes to politics, but the host committee has demonstrated a willingness to work with trades, service-sector and public-employee unions during convention planning.
The last thing the committee wants, Knutson said, is labor strife stealing headlines from the convention.
"We\'re working through identified concerns, and a significant portion of that is making sure that there are no disputes," Knutson said.
But she acknowledged that because the convention will be so large – unlike anything St. Paul or the Xcel Energy Center has hosted before – jurisdiction disputes likely will be unavoidable.
"Jurisdiction inside Xcel can be a little different from outside, but there will be outside people coming in because there is going to be so much work," Knutson explained. "Our answer to that is making sure there is a good dispute-resolution mechanism when issues of jurisdiction come up – and any other disputes between unions."
One union, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1005, has a contract that will expire during the convention dates. Although the transit workers hope to settle with the Met Council ahead of schedule, Knutson said the Assembly\'s agreement with the host committee would not affect negotiations.
"That\'s an example of one of the local issues that we have to address," Knutson said. "Under the AFL-CIO, unions and union locals are autonomous bodies, and we\'re not going to do anything to hurt their ability to negotiate a good contract."
Knutson said she is hopeful the 2008 convention will be a source of union jobs not only next summer, but beyond.
"It\'s a tremendous amount of work for this area," she said. "It is also a way to showcase that St. Paul can host large conventions, which could mean additional work in the future."
Reprinted from The Union Advocate, the official newspaper of the St. Paul Trades and Labor Assembly. Used by permission. E-mail The Advocate at: advocate@stpaulunions.org
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Republicans will hold their presidential election-year convention at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul from Sept. 1 to Sept. 4, 2008.
St. Paul Trades and Labor Assembly President Shar Knutson said she and Harry Melander, president of the St. Paul Building and Construction Trades Council, are engaged in talks with the host committee chair on a labor-peace agreement.
Knutson stressed, however, that the agreement would in no way infringe upon any union member\’s freedom of speech.
"What the Republican National Committee wants is to make sure that there are no strikes or picket lines or walkouts at the Xcel Energy Center," Knutson said. "That\’s the agreement, and we\’re working through what that would look like.
"But if you\’re an individual and you wish to protest, you\’re doing that as an individual. The agreement is only asking that locals agree not to disrupt the work at the convention."
Republicans and organized labor may not always see eye-to-eye when it comes to politics, but the host committee has demonstrated a willingness to work with trades, service-sector and public-employee unions during convention planning.
The last thing the committee wants, Knutson said, is labor strife stealing headlines from the convention.
"We\’re working through identified concerns, and a significant portion of that is making sure that there are no disputes," Knutson said.
But she acknowledged that because the convention will be so large – unlike anything St. Paul or the Xcel Energy Center has hosted before – jurisdiction disputes likely will be unavoidable.
"Jurisdiction inside Xcel can be a little different from outside, but there will be outside people coming in because there is going to be so much work," Knutson explained. "Our answer to that is making sure there is a good dispute-resolution mechanism when issues of jurisdiction come up – and any other disputes between unions."
One union, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1005, has a contract that will expire during the convention dates. Although the transit workers hope to settle with the Met Council ahead of schedule, Knutson said the Assembly\’s agreement with the host committee would not affect negotiations.
"That\’s an example of one of the local issues that we have to address," Knutson said. "Under the AFL-CIO, unions and union locals are autonomous bodies, and we\’re not going to do anything to hurt their ability to negotiate a good contract."
Knutson said she is hopeful the 2008 convention will be a source of union jobs not only next summer, but beyond.
"It\’s a tremendous amount of work for this area," she said. "It is also a way to showcase that St. Paul can host large conventions, which could mean additional work in the future."
Reprinted from The Union Advocate, the official newspaper of the St. Paul Trades and Labor Assembly. Used by permission. E-mail The Advocate at: advocate@stpaulunions.org