The bills were supported by corporations, including Minnesota-based Cargill, while labor and human rights groups opposed the measures, particularly the deal with Colombia.

The South Korea agreement passed the House by a vote of 278 to 151 and the Senate by a vote of 83 to 15. The Colombia agreement passed the House 262-167 and the Senate 66-33. The deal with Panama passed the House 300-129 and the Senate 77-22.

Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken voted in favor of the South Korea and both voted against the Columbia deal. Klobuchar supported the Panama deal and Franken opposed it.

Republican Reps. Erik Paulsen, Michele Bachmann, John Kline and Chip Cravaack voted for all three trade agreements.

“These trade agreements will open new markets for Minnesotan and American workers, farmers, and small businesses to sell their goods and services to new customers,” Paulsen said in a statement. “Currently, U.S. exporters face unfair restrictions in other countries – either through high tariffs or discriminating regulations that put them at a disadvantage. These agreements help address these imbalances and level the playing field. I look forward to working with the President to implement these pacts so we can create jobs here at home, and get our economy back on track.”

Cravaack also praised the passage of the bills.

“Our ailing economy will not be cured through a single ‘jobs bill’ — it will take a comprehensive series of measures, all aimed toward removing government barriers to private-sector job growth and tax relief for employers and small businesses,” Cravaack said. “The bipartisan effort to pass the three free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea, which will help America’s farmers, businesses and manufacturers increase our exports and create jobs, represents a good start. These FTAs will create jobs at home in Minnesota without costing taxpayers a dime and will level the playing field for American exports and boost demand for our products.”

Bachmann returned to Washington from the campaign trail to cast her first vote since August.

“My long-standing support of the free trade agreements was reinforced when I met with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos in Colombia in February, and again when I discussed trade in my office with South Korean Ambassador Han Duk-soo in June,” she said. “Both the countries of Colombia and South Korea are eager for the implementation of these free trade agreements.”

All of Minnesota’s DFLers voted against the deal with Colombia citing concerns of government violence against the labor movement in that country. Reps. Keith Ellison and Betty McCollum voted against all three free trade agreements.

In a floor speech, McCollum explained her opposition.

“In Colombia, the intimidation and murder of trade unionists and human rights workers is widespread. According to Human Rights Watch, over 50 trade unionists were murdered last year,” McCollum said. “The Colombian government’s human rights record may be improving but it is still very poor. This is not the time to reward Colombia’s poor record with a preferential trade arrangement. This agreement does not advance fair trade, and I urge my colleagues to vote against it.”

She also said that the trade agreements would cost American jobs and create offshore tax havens for corporations.

“As we’ve seen with free trade agreements with China, NAFTA, and CAFTA, unfair trade deals cost American jobs,” McCollum said. “This is why Trade Adjustment Assistance exists — to provide training to workers who lose their jobs due to trade. Considering TAA while we consider these three agreements is evidence that these deals result in the loss of jobs here in the U.S. I support the passage of the needed TAA extension in order to provide some protections for American workers.”

The TAA, a fourth bill intended to offset the predicted job losses caused by the trade deals was supported by all members of Minnesota’s congressional delegation.

In the rest of the delegation, Rep. Collin Peterson backed the bill for South Korea and Panama but not Colombia. And Rep. Tim Walz voted for South Korea but not Panama and Colombia.

Just before the vote, the AFL-CIO sent an email alert to supporters urging them to contact Congress to vote against the trade bills.

These trade deals don’t benefit America’s workers. And an increasing number of people understand that. Only 17 percent of Americans polled think so-called free trade agreements have benefited the United States. And even 61 percent of self-identified Tea Party supporters think these agreements have hurt America,” the group said. “Politicians who support these agreements are claiming they will help with our jobs crisis—which is a talking point straight from Wall Street lobbyists—and it’s wrong. The Korea deal alone will cost 159,000 net American jobs.”

“I encourage members of the progressive caucus or any public official or any public figure, don’t try to inject yourself into this,” Ellison said on MSNBC over the weekend. “Show up and support it, if people want you speak—speak—but respect the fact that this is a citizen thing.”

Ellison said he’s convinced the Minneapolis occupations are peaceful, and that people are rightly concerned about predatory banks, unemployment and the “expanding wealth gap.”

“It’s deeper than a bill, and it’s deeper than what party’s in the majority,” Ellison said. “There is a growing sense among many Americans that the American dream is getting out of their grasp.”

Source: Flickr, David_Shankbone

About 800 young labor organizers at the AFL-CIO’s Next Up Youth Worker Summit in Minneapolis announced their support for New York Wall Street protesters Sunday.

The youth summit attendees compared the protests to the pro-democracy Arab Spring demonstrations in the Middle East and recent protests against Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.

“The future of our country depends on young people demanding the future we believe in,” the statement said. “And we believe that Wall Street should pay for the damage they’ve done to our economy, our jobs, and our communities – foreclosing on homes, making massive profits with no oversight, and not sharing in building a future for the next generation.”

The resolution was proposed by Mary Clinton of the CUNY Murphy Institute in New York. It passed by a unanimous voice vote at the convention.

Citing Occupy Wall Street’s slogan that “we are the 99 percent,” the labor organizers called for a “country that doesn’t just work for the top 1 percent.”

“We stand together to call for a sustainable future that doesn’t begin with massive tax breaks for the wealthy and end with austerity measures and a jobs crisis,” the statement said. “We are one.”

Protests inspired by the Wall Street occupation have broken out in Minnesota. One group, OccupyMN, plans to occupy a site in downtown Minneapolis Friday.

The full resolution is below:

“The world in which we live isn’t working for the vast majority of people. The top 1 percent controls the economy, makes profits at the expense of working people, and dominates the political debate. Wall Street symbolizes this simple truth: a small group of people have the lives and livelihoods of working Americans in their hands.

In the last two weeks, young people have sparked a movement on Wall Street, just as they did through the Arab Spring and in Wisconsin against Scott Walker. Participants at the AFL-CIO Next Up Young Worker Summit left Occupy Wall Street to join with young people in the labor movement to talk about how best to take back our economy for the middle class.

Today, more than 800 Next Up participants from around the country stand with those on Wall Street who are making their voices heard. The future of our country depends on young people demanding the future we believe in. And we believe that Wall Street should pay for the damage they’ve done to our economy, our jobs, and our communities – foreclosing on homes, making massive profits with no oversight, and not sharing in building a future for the next generation.

We stand together in calling for a country that doesn’t just work for the top 1 percent. We stand together to call for a sustainable future that doesn’t begin with massive tax breaks for the wealthy and end with austerity measures and a jobs crisis.

We are one.”

Source: Gfpeck, Flickr

The regional body of the National Labor Relations Board dismissed a labor complaint this week alleging that American Crystal Sugar hadn’t negotiated in good faith before 1,300 workers across three states were locked out.

The decision by NLRB Region 18 Director James Fox noted that the company had clearly stated its objectives throughout negotiations. It also found that the company shifted its positions in the last few rounds of talks, which the decision said didn’t “reflect bad faith.”

Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers Union Local 167G President John Riskey said in a statement that the union planned to appeal immediately: “While we strongly disagree with the regional NLRB’s ruling, it does not come as a surprise.”

Riskey said the union is still willing to negotiate.

American Crystal Sugar sent out a letter to employees Wednesday detailing the decision.

“Throughout the entire negotiating process, the Company has worked hard to find mutually acceptable settlements to contract language questions that are very important to both sides,” read the letter from American Crystal Sugar Vice President for Administration Brian Ingulsrud. “Our negotiation proposals were made in good faith, and we have tried to find common ground with the BCTGM bargaining committee.”

Ingulsrud said the company was hopeful that employees will return to their jobs. But American Crystal Sugar has stocked the plants with temporary workers provided by Strom Engineering in Minnetonka, who the union says aren’t adequately trained.

Union members were locked out by American Crystal Sugar after they overwhelmingly rejected a contract proposal at the end of July.

The lockout affects 1,300 union workers at facilities in Moorhead, East Grand Forks, Crookston, and Chaska, Minn.; Hillsboro and Drayton, N.D.; and Mason City, Iowa.

In the past few days fires broke out at two of the American Crystal Sugar factories staffed by replacement workers, which leaders of 1,300 locked out union members said was the result of poor training and preparation.

The fires occurred at the company’s the East Grand Forks, Minn., and Drayton, N.D., facilities. There were no injuries.

Union leaders have repeatedly warned that the use of replacement workers threatens the workers’ safety and the company’s sugar production.

“When you put poorly trained replacement workers into these facilities, preventable accidents can and will happen. That is exactly what happened last night in Drayton and in East Grand Forks this morning,” said John Riskey, president of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco and Grain Millers Union, in a statement.

American Crystal Sugar Vice President Brian Ingulsrud told the Associated Press at the start of this week that replacement workers have spent much of the last month in safety trainings. “We feel confident we are going to be able to run the factories with the replacement workers,” Ingulsrud said.

This isn’t the first accident involving replacement workers provided by Minnetonka’s Strom Engineering, a firm that specializes in providing support for company labor actions like lockouts and strikes.

In 2006, a Strom replacement worker was killed in an accident in an Alaska AK Steel factory. OSHA initially cited AK Steel for a serious violation of safety in the accident. During that same lockout, three other replacement workers were injured in an explosion. Former Strom workers also alleged unsafe conditions in a recent Star Tribune article.

Union members were locked out by American Crystal Sugar after they overwhelmingly rejected a contract proposal at the end of July.

The lockout affects 1,300 union workers at facilities in Moorhead, East Grand Forks, Crookston, and Chaska, Minn.; Hillsboro and Drayton, N.D.; and Mason City, Iowa.

In his address to Congress Thursday night, President Obama outlined his “jobs plan” to jump start the American economy. Minnesota’s elected officials and interest groups weighed in on Obama’s speech, and the responses fell along party lines.

Rep. Betty McCollum called on the tea party to “Stop the Game Playing and Pass Obama’s Jobs Legislation”:

“The President’s common-sense proposal to put Americans back to work should be passed by Congress as soon as possible. However, even with millions of people out of work and hurting, passing this jobs package requires the Tea Party majority to act in a responsible, bipartisan manner which is doubtful.

“For the past eight months, the world has witnessed an out-of-control Tea Party majority in Congress, harming our economy and stalling job growth with their posturing and political games. The American people want jobs, not dangerous and harmful Tea Party schemes to protect polluters, bust unions, eliminate Medicare, and outsource more jobs.”

Rep. John Kline called on Obama to roll back regulation on corporations:

“For weeks, I have been in Minnesota hearing from job creators, workers, and too many frustrated unemployed Americans about how we can get America working again. They want to see positive solutions that put the nation’s fiscal house in order and remove Washington’s regulatory roadblocks to job creation.

“I was pleased to hear the President heed the call of Americans by expressing a desire to work together to promote long term economic growth. Unfortunately, his call for more stimulus-type measures ignores the reality that people – not government – are our nation’s true job creators. The private sector doesn’t need Washington to tell them how to create jobs; they need Washington to get out of their way.

“I join most Americans who aren’t content with yet another speech. We need commonsense solutions that put Americans back to work. Earlier this year, House Republicans put forth a pro-growth agenda that builds on the Pledge to America, our governing agenda focused on job creation and economic growth. Our ‘Plan for America’s Job Creators’ will address our economic challenges, foster innovation and investment, and help job creators without raising taxes on working families and small business owners. The President should consider our in-depth proposal as well as urge the Democrat-controlled Senate to vote on numerous House-passed bills that could immediately spur job creation.

Sen. Al Franken praised Obama’s plan:

“Our top priority must be getting people back to work. The President presented a smart plan that will create needed American jobs and won’t add a dime to the deficit. This plan will benefit Minnesota, and Congress needs to act on it quickly. This package would put lots of Minnesotans back to work, including teachers, first responders, and construction workers, and put more money in the pockets of our state’s working families.”

Rep. Erik Paulsen said he’s willing to work with Democrats, but not on Obama’s plan:

“Neither party can escape blame for our nation’s economic turmoil. Republicans during the Bush years made mistakes, spending lots of money the country didn’t have. But a few of my colleagues and I want to reform Washington’s reckless, unsustainable ways,” said Paulsen. “I’m always willing to work across the aisle on good ideas to revive the economy. Unfortunately, the President’s remarks tonight were more of a rehash of previously failed policies. He and we can do better.”

Presidential candidate Rep. Michele Bachmann delivered her own response to the president’s speech:

Unfortunately, it seems, every time the President speaks, his policies have cost the American people jobs and future prosperity.

Tonight the President under the veil of one of the most sacred deliberative forums, a joint session of Congress, delivered another political speech where he doubled down on more of the same policies that are killing the economy. Mr. President, what among your proposals was new? What here hasn’t already been tried and failed before? While the President’s speech comes on the heels of a trillion dollars of failed stimulus, bailouts, and temporary gimmicks aimed at creating jobs, the President continued to cling to the idea that government is the solution to creating jobs.

My conservative colleagues and I have been fighting over the last two and half years for pro growth policies.

I stand here tonight to say to the President, not only should Congress not pass your plan, I say, “stop; your last plan hasn’t worked, it’s hurting the American economy.” Instead of temporary fixes, do what has proved to work in the past, permanent pro growth policies that are driven by the free market.”

Bachmann offered her plan to create jobs:

1) Repatriate American business dollars earned from overseas, 2) Massively cut spending and the size of government, 3) Repeal Obamacare, which is the government takeover of America’s healthcare system, 4) Cut taxes, including corporate taxes, 5) Repeal Dodd-Frank, 6) Repeal job killing regulations, 7) Increase exports by finalizing free trade agreements, 8) Spur new investment in America, inspire innovation, 9) Provide job creating energy solutions, including decreased regulations on developing new energy supplies from our abundant domestic energy resources.

Gov. Mark Dayton gushed over Obama’s speech:

“The President’s speech was the best I have ever heard him deliver. He was exactly the decisive, strong, and forward-looking leader our nation needs at this critical moment. He properly called upon all of us to set aside our partisan differences and to unite in support of the best ideas and initiatives for the people of America, for now and for the future.

“The President’s vision should inspire Americans and galvanize Congress. As he stated so eloquently, the time to act is NOW. His American Jobs Act will put thousands of Minnesotans back to work; they need Congress to act NOW.

“As we learn more in the days ahead about the details of the President’s plan, I am confident we will find even more initiatives that will help Minnesota’s citizens, businesses, and economy. I look forward to rolling up my sleeves to support the President’s proposals and to put them to work for Minnesota.”

Minnesota AFL-CIO President Shar Knutson also weighed in on the speech:

“President Obama took a major step toward pushing Congress to finally address our nation’s jobs crisis in his speech this evening.

“Washington politicians have already wasted too much time being guided by a Tea Party Republican agenda of protecting the super-rich while millions of Americans want and need to work.

“The American Jobs Act invests in jobs for middle class families and finally ensures the super-rich and big corporations start paying their fair share in taxes.

“Now is the time to be bold. We call on President Obama to act on his rhetoric and for Congress to end the political log jam to create the jobs Minnesota’s middle class families need.”

The Minnesota AFL-CIO, the state’s labor federation, voted on Monday to oppose a ballot measure that would add a ban on same-sex marriage to the Minnesota Constitution. The vote of the general board was unanimous in oppositon to the amendment which will be on the ballot in 2012. The AFL-CIO is made up of 1,000 affiliated local unions and represents more than 300,000 workers.

“The labor movement is, and has always been about protecting and advancing the rights of all people,” Minnesota AFL-CIO President Shar Knutson said in a statement on Monday. “We will not stand by and allow discrimination to become part of Minnesota’s constitution.”

In addition to the AFL-CIO, AFSCME Council 5 and the SEIU have also announced opposition to the amendment.

Here’s full text of the resolution passed on Monday.

Opposition to 2012 Ballot Question Recognizing Marriage as Only Between One Man and One Woman

WHEREAS: Whereas, the mission of the Minnesota AFL-CIO is to improve the lives of working families and to bring economic justice to the workplace and social justice to our state; and

WHEREAS: Trade unionists believe that civil rights are vital to a just society and all families should have access to the benefits they need and deserve; and

WHEREAS: The United States General Accounting Office has documented that over 1,000 federal benefits and protections acquired by civil marriage are not available to same sex couples; including the ability to collect social security benefits, pension or death benefits in the event of a partner’s death, ability to receive benefits under the Family and Medical Leave Act to care for a sick partner or child; and

WHEREAS: State-sanctioned civil marriage provides rights and responsibilities set out in over 500 Minnesota laws available to opposite sex couples, but not same sex couples; including negotiated health coverage for state and local public employees, workers’ compensation, unemployment benefits paid to a survivors, and laws affecting couples during illness and even death; and

WHEREAS: Trade unionists believe that our gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender brothers and sisters undeniably deserve the same benefits as their heterosexual counterparts; and

WHEREAS: The Minnesota Constitution has never been amended to discriminate against any group of people by denying them civil rights; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED: That the Minnesota AFL-CIO opposes the 2012 general election ballot question recognizing marriage as only between one man and one woman.

The workers, who are represented by the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco and Grain Millers Union, are being offered slight pay increases in exchange for decreased company contributions to benefits like pensions.

Brian Ingulsrud, American Crystal Sugar’s vice president for administration, told the Star Tribune that the company will go ahead with lockout plans if workers reject this “final offer.”

Minnesota AFL-CIO Communications Director Chris Shields told the Minnesota Independent that union leadership is officially neutral on the contract.

“There were some holes in it, but the leadership wanted to give members the chance to vote up or down on it,” Shields said.

Tomorrow’s vote will need a simple majority to pass.

American Crystal Sugar Company is a cooperative of 3,000 sugar beet–producing shareholders based in Minnesota.

Gov. Mark Dayton planned to meet with the union’s leadership on Friday afternoon, according to his daily agenda.

As Congress draws nearer to considering three new free trade agreements, union members are putting pressure on their congressional representatives to oppose them, arguing that they’d cost the state more manufacturing jobs, even as corporate supporters see new hope for quick passage.

Laura Askelin, president of the Southeast Minnesota Labor Council, said members of her union have been writing letters to the editor and organizing rallies to urge lawmakers to oppose the free trade agreements in Panama, Colombia and Korea. These local mobilizations are part of the AFL-CIO’s nationwide push against the agreements.

“Jobs are shipping oversees, and we’re not getting jobs here because of the trade deals,” Askelin told the Minnesota Independent. “We’re definitely feeling it here in rural Minnesota.”

Minnesota has lost about 90,000 manufacturing jobs in the last decade, according to the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. At least 13,700 Minnesota manufacturing jobs were lost because of NAFTA, according to an Economic Policy Institute (EPI) study this year.

The United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement, signed in June 2007 but not yet approved by Congress, is the biggest of the three trade deals. The Office of the United States Trade Representative describes it as the “most commercially significant free trade agreement in more than 16 years.” President Barack Obama calls the deal a “win” for American workers.

Although a study from the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) projected that the United States would win out slightly in the trade deficit with Korea due to the Korea Free Trade Agreement, an EPI study last year found the deal could cost about 159,000 American jobs.

The U.S. Department of Commerce has said the Korea deal would add more than $10 billion to the U.S. Gross Domestic Product, which an April Commerce statement said would lead to the creation of tens of thousands of American jobs.

Rep. Tim Walz of Minnesota’s First Congressional District, who opposes the Colombia and Panama trade agreements, has been contacted by members of Askelin’s union. Walz’s spokesperson, Sarah Severs, said the congressman is still waiting to see the final form taken by the Korea agreement before he makes a decision.

“He feels that potential exists, but he hasn’t taken a position on it yet because he’s still waiting to see how it comes up,” Severs told the Minnesota Independent. “There have certainly been trade deals brokered in the past that have had a negative impact, and that is the result of poorly brokered deals.”

Severs said Walz is concerned about potential job losses, but also wants to help open borders to Minnesota manufacturers. He’s currently talking to all concerned parties, Severs said.

Republican Rep. Erik Paulsen of Minnesota has been a vocal advocate of the trade deal. Other members of the Minnesota congressional delegation have yet to take sides.

While unions like the AFL-CIO are pushing against the Korea Free Trade Agreement, hundreds of corporations are pulling for it in the U.S.-Korea FTA Business Coalition, which includes Minnesota companies like Target and 3M. The Huffington Post also points to a number of other groups that are lobbying for the agreement, including the National Association of Manufacturers, the American Farm Bureau, the Business Roundtable, the Financial Services Roundtable and the Retail Industry Leadership Association.

The free trade agreements have been delayed by the debt ceiling debate at the Capitol. They aren’t expected to be introduced until after the August congressional recess, although supporters of the agreements are hopeful of earlier passage as Senate Republicans throw their weight behind the trade deals.

Republican legislative leadership unveiled its budget targets on Thursday. Most government departments would see a cut under the budget proposals from the last two years, while a few, such as education and health and human services, would see a modest increase from the last biennium. Democrats immediately blasted the proposal, which will spend $34 billion in the 2012–2013 biennium — $3 billion less than the budget proposed by Gov. Mark Dayton.

Republican leadership set targets for committees as they begin to create the budgets for their respective policy areas. The numbers account for the difference in spending from the last budget cycle and don’t account for the automatic increases that most state agencies build into their budgets.

In the Senate, education would see an 2.5 percent increase with an accounting shift that puts off paying schools.

There’s a 16 percent cut to higher education proposed as well as an 11.4 percent cut to agriculture and rural economics. Energy, environment and commerce would see a 29 percent cut compared to last budget cycle, and jobs and economic growth would get a 47 percent cut. Sixteen percent is proposed to be cut from transportation, while other cuts will hit the judiciary and public safety (3.5 percent), state government and veterans (53 percent) and tax aids and credit spending (9.6 percent).

Debt service and capital projects would see a 35 percent increase, and the Senate proposal would include a 5.9 percent increase to Health and Human Services.

House leadership posted a similar level of cuts and increases.

The budget targets prompted strong reactions from many quarters.

“Much of it is continuing down the road of failed policies of Gov. Pawlenty,” Minority Leader Tom Bakk said at a press conference Thursday afternoon. “With $1.4 billion in additional cuts over what [Gov. Dayton] proposed, what is that going to look like?”

Bakk predicted three impacts if the Republicans’ budget became law: property taxes will go up, tuition will go up, and health care is going to be more expensive and cover less Minnesotans.

“My hope is that they give the public the opportunity to participate in this process,” Bakk said.

“Middle class families looking for relief from sluggish job growth and regressive property taxes will be sorely disappointed with the Senate Republicans’ budget targets,” said Minnesota AFL-CIO President Shar Knutson in a statement. “Draconian cuts to job creation tools and our colleges and universities are job killers that take Minnesota backwards.”

The Republican Party of Minnesota praised Republican legislative leadership for the budget targets.

“Republican leaders in Minnesota are working hard to reign in auto-pilot spending increases and to make government live within its means,” said party chair Tony Sutton. “The budget targets released today protect essential services, including education, public safety, the judiciary, and health and human services, all without raising taxes.”

Gov. Mark Dayton’s office was less enthusiastic about the targets.

“Earlier today the governor reiterated his belief that budgets are a reflection of values and priorities and the decisions we make about the budget affect people’s lives,” Katharine Tinucci, Gov. Mark Dayton’s press secretary, said in a statement. “Based on the spreadsheets the GOP put out today it appears those values and priorities are cutting education, cutting health care, cutting jobs, cutting veterans, and raising property taxes. These cuts will hurt school children, tax payers, businesses and seniors.”