Labor

Calling yesterday’s health care summit in Washington the “the final port of call” in achieving health care reform, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) says he can see “that final harbor… without binoculars,” adding that he thinks action on a health care bill will be taken in the next four to six weeks. As the Iowa Independent [...]

The campaign of Dr. Maureen Reed says it will not abide by the DFL endorsement should it go to her opponent, state Sen. Tarryl Clark, the St. Cloud Times reports. Reed’s campaign says she hasn’t gotten a fair shake from key DFL constituencies, mainly labor unions.

When state legislators want to make major changes to law, sometimes they put the law to the voters to decide. This year, they’re asking Minnesotans where we stand on issues like guns, health care and labor unions. There’s even a bill to ask the voters whether the state Constitution should be amended to change the way Minnesota amends the Constitution.

The percentage of American workers represented by unions rose in 2007, reversing a quarter- century decline in union membership.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 12.1 percent of the workforce was made up of organized labor, up from 12 percent in 2006. While the gain was small, it was notable for being the first gain [...]

As The Daily Show  and The Colbert Report return to the air, Publishers Weekly looks at the dilemma faced by authors: How to promote titles on “two of the most effective book publicity outlets on TV” without having to cross the picket line. The Writers Guild of America has been on strike for over two [...]

Switching from fossil fuels to renewable energy has potential to stabilize not only the planet’s climate but also the nation’s struggling manufacturing sector.

A new think-tank report says a national program to develop renewable energy would generate tens of thousands of jobs, including about 18,000 in Minnesota. Those workers would manufacture everything from gears and shafts [...]

Tom Elko, a member of AFSCME 3800 and author of Sky Blue Waters, offers a unique videoblog view from the picket line at the University of Minnesota, where clerical, technical and health care workers have been on strike for a week. He highlights morale-boosting support from Barack Obama (who sent a letter of encouragement) and [...]

Navigating the complex and closely watched politics of the I-35W reconstruction project may prove to be a dangerous task indeed.

With conservative pundits lambasting DFLers for politicizing the disaster, DFL leaders accusing Gov. Pawlenty of hurrying the project’s progress to impress national Republican leaders and organized labor groups making stringent demands of the project, Pawlenty and [...]

The overall confidence of Twin Cities workers fell for the second straight month in November, according to a report from Hudson.

The Hudson Employment Index fell to 92.1, a drop of 1.9 points from October.  The index matched August’s low for 2006, and was a full 12 points lower than at the same time last year.

42% [...]

For most Americans it seems that Labor Day weekend means two things: (1) A chance for a final family getaway before fall and (2) the symbolic end to summer.

Few realize why we celebrate Labor Day.

There was a time once when American and fresh-off-the-boat immigrant labor was misused in the name of capitalism and economic expansion. [...]