The Minnesota AFL-CIO is urging union members to attend the forums, which start July 25 in St. Cloud and will be held in Fergus Falls, Redwood Falls, St. Paul, Thief River Falls, Brooklyn Park and Owatonna. A forum was held in late June in Virginia.
With two unemployed Minnesotans for every available job, it is clear the Pawlenty administration’s current policies are not advancing Minnesota\'s economy or promoting its workforce, said Minnesota AFL-CIO President Ray Waldron.
Developing Minnesota\'s economy so that full-time jobs are family-supporting jobs is a fundamental goal for Minnesota\'s unions, Waldron said. State government must play a role in creating those jobs through its policies and its practices.
"The state must set the standard for other employers by making sure the full-time jobs in its agencies and through its contracts are family-supporting jobs with benefits. They\'re not even doing that," he noted.
"Just look at what they did over at the Capitol. On the first of July, Gov. Job Killer\'s new contract for the capitol cafeterias kicked in - and 20 good full-time jobs were replaced by 20 part-time jobs without benefits. That\'s this governor\'s approach to economic development and it stinks."
Waldron said he believes that the state has a responsibility to use its policies and strategies to develop more family-supporting jobs. Currently, 32 percent of the jobs in Minnesota do not pay enough to support a single person living alone, according to the 2007 Job Gap report released this week by the Jobs Now Coalition. The same report uses state data to show that 52 percent of the available jobs in the state pay less than $15.78 an hour — the minimum that one working adult must earn to support a family of four.
Waldron said he hopes union members will attend the \'Competitiveness Forum\' in their regions. According to DEED Commissioner Dan McElroy, the department hopes to use the forums "to bring together state and local leaders to identify the partnerships and strategies we need to develop globally competitive communities and robust regional economies for the 21st century."
Here is the forum schedule, with data on each region from the 2007 Job Gap report. Attendee check-in starts at 8 a.m. and each forum runs from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. You can register for a forum by going to www.positivelyminnesota.com/events/forummeetings.htm
Wednesday, July 25 - Central Minnesota - St. Cloud Technical College, Room 1-244, 1540 Northway Dr., 8 a.m. Forty percent of the jobs in the St. Cloud area pay less than $11.93 per hour, the amount a single adult must earn to be self-supporting.
Thursday, July 26 - West Central Minnesota - Minnesota State Community & Technical College, Fergus Falls, Legacy Hall, 8 a.m. Thirty-four percent of the jobs in West Central Minnesota, Economic Development Region 4, pay less than $9.80 per hour, the amount a single adult must earn to be self-supporting.
Friday, Aug. 3 - Southwest Minnesota - Redwood Falls Community Center, 901 Cook St., 8 a.m. Twenty-eight percent of the jobs in Southwest Minnesota, Economic Development Region 8, pay less than $9.20 per hour, the amount a single adult in the region needs to earn to be self-supporting.
Wednesday, Aug. 8 - South Metro - St. Paul Technical College, 235 Marshall Ave., cafeteria, 8 a.m. Twenty-nine percent of the jobs in the metro area pay less than $11.89 per hour, the amount a single adult in the region needs to earn to be self-supporting.
Wednesday, Aug. 15 - Northwest Minnesota - Ralph Engelstad Arena, Thief River Falls, Imperial Room, 8 a.m. Thirty percent of the jobs in Northwest Minnesota, Economic Development Region 1, pay less than $9.73 per hour, the amount a single adult in the region needs to earn to be self-supporting.
Wednesday, Aug. 22 - North Metro - Brooklyn Park Community Center, 5600 85th Avenue North, 8 a.m. Twenty-nine percent of the jobs in the metro area pay less than $11.89 per hour, the amount a single adult in the region needs to earn to be self-supporting.
Friday, Aug. 24 - Southeast Minnesota - Owatonna Holiday Inn, 2365 NW 43rd St., 8 a.m. Thirty-one percent of the jobs in Southeast Minnesota, Economic Development Region 10, pay less than $10.31 per hour, the amount a single adult in the region must earn to be self-supporting.
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The Minnesota AFL-CIO is urging union members to attend the forums, which start July 25 in St. Cloud and will be held in Fergus Falls, Redwood Falls, St. Paul, Thief River Falls, Brooklyn Park and Owatonna. A forum was held in late June in Virginia.
With two unemployed Minnesotans for every available job, it is clear the Pawlenty administration’s current policies are not advancing Minnesota\’s economy or promoting its workforce, said Minnesota AFL-CIO President Ray Waldron.
Developing Minnesota\’s economy so that full-time jobs are family-supporting jobs is a fundamental goal for Minnesota\’s unions, Waldron said. State government must play a role in creating those jobs through its policies and its practices.
"The state must set the standard for other employers by making sure the full-time jobs in its agencies and through its contracts are family-supporting jobs with benefits. They\’re not even doing that," he noted.
"Just look at what they did over at the Capitol. On the first of July, Gov. Job Killer\’s new contract for the capitol cafeterias kicked in – and 20 good full-time jobs were replaced by 20 part-time jobs without benefits. That\’s this governor\’s approach to economic development and it stinks."
Waldron said he believes that the state has a responsibility to use its policies and strategies to develop more family-supporting jobs. Currently, 32 percent of the jobs in Minnesota do not pay enough to support a single person living alone, according to the 2007 Job Gap report released this week by the Jobs Now Coalition. The same report uses state data to show that 52 percent of the available jobs in the state pay less than $15.78 an hour — the minimum that one working adult must earn to support a family of four.
Waldron said he hopes union members will attend the \’Competitiveness Forum\’ in their regions. According to DEED Commissioner Dan McElroy, the department hopes to use the forums "to bring together state and local leaders to identify the partnerships and strategies we need to develop globally competitive communities and robust regional economies for the 21st century."
Here is the forum schedule, with data on each region from the 2007 Job Gap report. Attendee check-in starts at 8 a.m. and each forum runs from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. You can register for a forum by going to www.positivelyminnesota.com/events/forummeetings.htm
Wednesday, July 25 – Central Minnesota – St. Cloud Technical College, Room 1-244, 1540 Northway Dr., 8 a.m. Forty percent of the jobs in the St. Cloud area pay less than $11.93 per hour, the amount a single adult must earn to be self-supporting.
Thursday, July 26 – West Central Minnesota – Minnesota State Community & Technical College, Fergus Falls, Legacy Hall, 8 a.m. Thirty-four percent of the jobs in West Central Minnesota, Economic Development Region 4, pay less than $9.80 per hour, the amount a single adult must earn to be self-supporting.
Friday, Aug. 3 – Southwest Minnesota – Redwood Falls Community Center, 901 Cook St., 8 a.m. Twenty-eight percent of the jobs in Southwest Minnesota, Economic Development Region 8, pay less than $9.20 per hour, the amount a single adult in the region needs to earn to be self-supporting.
Wednesday, Aug. 8 – South Metro – St. Paul Technical College, 235 Marshall Ave., cafeteria, 8 a.m. Twenty-nine percent of the jobs in the metro area pay less than $11.89 per hour, the amount a single adult in the region needs to earn to be self-supporting.
Wednesday, Aug. 15 – Northwest Minnesota – Ralph Engelstad Arena, Thief River Falls, Imperial Room, 8 a.m. Thirty percent of the jobs in Northwest Minnesota, Economic Development Region 1, pay less than $9.73 per hour, the amount a single adult in the region needs to earn to be self-supporting.
Wednesday, Aug. 22 – North Metro – Brooklyn Park Community Center, 5600 85th Avenue North, 8 a.m. Twenty-nine percent of the jobs in the metro area pay less than $11.89 per hour, the amount a single adult in the region needs to earn to be self-supporting.
Friday, Aug. 24 – Southeast Minnesota – Owatonna Holiday Inn, 2365 NW 43rd St., 8 a.m. Thirty-one percent of the jobs in Southeast Minnesota, Economic Development Region 10, pay less than $10.31 per hour, the amount a single adult in the region must earn to be self-supporting.