Kelliher picked up the endorsements from the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 49 (yesterday) and the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees (last week).

How important are such endorsements?

“[B]ecause of changing demographics, union political endorsements may not move the rank-and-file members, whose interests may not be the same as the union leadership, the way they used to be,” Hamline University professor David Schultz told the St. Paul Legal Ledger.

AFSCME Council 5’s executive director disputed that.

“[O]ur members are incredibly motivated to elect a new governor who will promote public services, rebuild the economy of the state and deal with the budget crisis in a way that asks the wealthiest people in the state to pay their fair share of taxes,” Eliot Seide said.

The center, which has existed in one form or another since 1977, has been planning a new children’s area at its centerpiece museum and has a fundraiser and holiday program on the calendar for December. The center also houses a 7,000-volume library and research center and hosts events throughout the year.

In January, the museum was scheduled to open an exhibit of photographs from Walden Woods in Massachusetts, a project involving the Walden Woods Project. That’s a cultural nonprofit (dedicated to preserving the place that Henry David Thoreau made famous) founded and supported by musician Don Henley.

Now would be a good time for a famous son or daughter of the Iron Range to do the same for the former Ironworld.

Margaret Anderson Kelliher

State House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher’s gubernatorial campaign landed another labor union endorsement today, from the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 49. The “49ers” credit Kelliher with engineering the 2008 override of Gov. Pawlenty’s veto of the transportation bill — giving life to what the union terms “the largest job-creating bill in decades.”

That override has haunted the six Republicans who helped Democrats get the bill passed Pawlenty’s veto — most recently on Monday, when news broke that state Sen. Steve Dille won’t seek re-election.

One week ago, Kelliher won the backing of the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees, who called her the “most electable candidate in the race.”

Mark Dayton

AFSCME Council 5, the state’s largest union for public employees, has endorsed former U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton for governor.

“Mark Dayton has won statewide elections — twice,” said Eliot Seide, director of AFSCME Council 5, in a press release announcing the endorsement. “Minnesotans know and like Mark. That’s because he listens more than any other candidate. He wears his heart on his sleeve and it’s obvious that he cares about people.”

Dayton was elected to the Senate in 2000, but did not seek a second term. He also won a single term as state auditor in 1990. In addition, Dayton ran unsuccessfully for the Senate in 1982 and was defeated in a gubernatorial primary in 1998. He has stated that he will run in a primary election even if he does not receive the DFL endorsement.

According to the AFSCME Council 5, it spent nearly $1 million on the 2006 gubernatorial contest. In addition, the union mobilized more than 1,000 volunteers and 70 percent of its 43,000 members voted for the AFSCME-backed candidate. Nearly half of the union’s members are state employees.

The endorsement is another sign that organized labor will be divided about who to back in the crowded DFL field. The North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters kicked off the endorsement sweepstakes in May by backing state Sen. Tom Bakk. Teamsters Local 120 then announced in September that it’s backing Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak — even though he’s not officially a candidate for the post. Earlier this month state Rep. Paul Thissen earned the support of the Minnesota Nurses Association.

St. Paul school board candidates at the Rice Street Parade. Via brodrick4kids.blogspot.com

John Brodrick spent 34 years teaching social studies and coaching hockey in St. Paul public schools. Throughout that time he was a dues-paying member of the St. Paul Federation of Teachers.

So it was little surprise that Brodrick was endorsed by the teachers’ union when he first ran for the school board eight years ago. The Democrat went on to win a seat with more votes than any other school board candidate. In 2005, again with the backing of the teachers’ union, he easily won a second term.

Brodrick is currently seeking a third term, but he’ll have to do so without support from the union that he belonged to for more than three decades. Brodrick’s not alone either. The other two incumbent school board members, Tom Goldstein and Elona Street-Stewart, both of whom have been endorsed by the teachers’ federation in the past, are also running without support from the union.

“Obviously as a former teacher and as a lifetime member of the St. Paul Federation of Teachers I was personally disappointed,” Brodrick says of the snub. “I am very proud of the work I’ve done over the last eight years. I think in many instances I have been a true voice for teachers.”

The political split stems from a rift that’s played out between the teachers’ union, which has roughly 3,600 members, and the school board over the last two years. Budget shortfalls, labor contract negotiations and proposed school restructurings have all contributed to the tension. Further exacerbating matters has been what the union perceived as heavy-handed tactics by former superintendent Meria Carstarphen.

“To borrow a phrase from a popular children’s book, it was a series of unfortunate events,” says Mary Cathryn Ricker, president of the St. Paul Federation of Teachers. “It wasn’t any one big thing.”

Late last year, for instance, the school board was presented with a plan to restructure staffing at three schools — Arlington High School, Humboldt Senior High School and Humboldt Junior High School — that had failed to meet student performance standards. Essentially employees at the three schools, many of whom were veteran teachers, would be required to re-apply for positions within the district. The teachers’ union, according to Ricker, was not asked for any input in the matter.

“The school board was absolutely thrilled with the restructuring plan and our teachers found it be an absolute disaster,” she recalls.

Then in February, the school board publicly supported freezing teacher salaries and benefits for next year in order to deal with looming deficits. The teachers’ union felt like this was a violation of the traditional negotiating process, whereby the two sides hash out contract details jointly.

“Completely ignoring the collective bargaining process was extremely offensive to our members,” says Ricker.

Goldstein counters that they didn’t have much choice given that the school district faced a severe budget deficit for the upcoming year. “This is a difficult time,” he notes. “If this is how the teachers think they need to handle it, I respect that. They’re a union. They have to look out for their members.”

Shortly after the blow-up over the proposed salary freeze, the teachers’ federation held its first screening for school board candidates. The outcome: It opted not to endorse any candidates. Then in June, after Tom Conlon announced that he was stepping down from the board, creating an opening for a partial term, the union screened candidates again. The federation settled on two challengers: Jean O’Connell for a full term and Vallay Varro to serve the remainder of Conlon’s term. None of the incumbents were endorsed.

With the election looming next month, the teacher’s union remains at loggerheads with the school board over a new labor agreement. The current two-year contract expired in June, but Ricker says it’s not unprecedented for negotiations to drag on beyond that point.

“Historically St. Paul has not settled before the contract runs out,” she says. “It’s not unusual for us to begin a new school year without a contract.”

Despite the rebuff from the teachers’ federation, Brodrick continues to view himself as a strong ally of unions. Indeed, he’s endorsed by numerous labor organizations: the Service Employees International Union, the Teamsters and the St. Paul Regional Labor Federation, among others. He expresses bewilderment at the teachers’ federation’s political tactics.

“I’m very personally disappointed, but am I angry?” he asks. “No, at my age I try not to get angry.”

“Tarryl has worked hard in the senate representing working people in her district, and now finally the 6th Congressional District has an opportunity to have a congresswoman who works for the district and not for cable TV,” said Carol Nieters, Secretary Treasurer of SEIU’s state council, in a statement announcing the endorsement. “I volunteered for Tarryl in her senate race. When I went door to door in the district for Tarryl, one thing was clear: voters really like her. She’s proven she can win in a Republican leaning district.”

Clark is vying with Maureen Reed for the DFL endorsement.

“As a community leader, as a state senator and as the senate’s assistant majority leader, Tarryl Clark has shown us that she is proud to stand with working people,” said Minnesota AFL-CIO president-elect Shar Knutson in a statement announcing the move. “Now we are proud to stand with her. Tarryl is a strong leader, a tough campaigner — and she’ll be a great Congresswoman.”

“In the Senate, Tarryl Clark has been a strong voice for Minnesota’s working families,” added Harry Melander, president of the Minnesota Building and Construction Trades Council, in a statement announcing the endorsement. “From fair wages to job creation, Tarryl has stood with us.”

Clark and Maureen Reed are both seeking the DFL endorsement to take on Bachmann.

Elsewhere in Minnesota headlines this morning …

ST. PAUL: McCollum’s health-care forum “civil.” Case in point: The guy in the photo holding a “Socialism” placard with President Obama’s face in scary Joker facepaint appears to be sitting quietly with his hand in his lap next to a woman with a “Standing Together for Health Insurance Reform” sign in hers. [St. Paul Pioneer Press]

STATEWIDE: My stronghold is stronger than your stronghold. Entrenched DFLers in the state House are more entrenched than their Republican counterparts. [Smart Politics]

FORT SNELLING: Franken joins Klobuchar, Pawlenty at sendoff for Afghanistan-bound reservists. The state’s new senator recited some rules for phoning home, including not asking about “your car, finances or boat” before asking how the family is. [Minnesota Public Radio]

MINNEAPOLIS: Protest shines light on “wage theft.” Working through breaks, losing tips, and doing unpaid overtime: It’s not just for immigrants anymore. [Workday Minnesota]

NORTH METRO: Northstar Commuter Rail rolls out Nov. 16. Perfect timing for commuters who dislike iffy November driving conditions, or for anyone with a grandmother in Big Lake to visit for Thanksgiving. [Finance and Commerce]

ST. CLOUD: Just build a pool. We don’t need no stinkin’ spendy aqauatics center, writes a St. Cloud grandmother (whose grandkids could visit via the new train if it didn’t terminate at Big Lake). [St. Cloud Times]

“Tarryl Clark has been a proven leader for Minnesota’s working families,” said Kyle Makarios, political director for the council, in a statement announcing the decision. “It is important to have someone in Washington who is advocating for workers, especially in this time of economic hardship.”

Clark previously won endorsements from AFSCME Council 5 and Council 65 and the Teamsters Joint Council 32. She is battling Maureen Reed for the DFL endorsement.

Photo: TarrylClark.com

State Sen. Tarryl Clark has picked up another endorsement from organized labor for her congressional bid. Yesterday, Teamsters Joint Council 32 officially gave the St. Cloud Democrat the nod in her challenge to 6th district incumbent Rep. Michele Bachmann. Joint Council 32 has 62,000 members, many in Bachmann’s district.

“We will reach out to our members in the district and show them the facts as to how they have been ignored by the current congressional representative,” said Sue Mauren, Teamsters Joint Council 32 president. “She has been an absolute disappointment and, in many cases, an embarrassment to voters in the area.”

The endorsement follows that of AFSCME Council 5, which represents some 5,000 government employees of voting age in the 6th district, in early August. AFSCME Council 65 threw its support behind Clark, who is the state Senate’s Assistant Majority Leader, a week later.