After union members overwhelmingly rejected a contract proposed by American Crystal Sugar Company this weekend, management made good on its threats to lock out 1,300 workers in three states.

Ninety-six percent of voting union members rejected the contract Saturday; their contract expired Sunday night. Union members have expressed concern about increased health care costs and wording that would allow temporary workers to do union jobs.

“The company’s offer still has major loopholes allowing non-union contractors to replace union workers and makes health insurance unaffordable,” John Riskey, president of Local 167G of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco and Grain Millers Union said in a statement after the vote. “Any raise is meaningless if our health care costs increase even more or if management can eliminate our jobs and replace us at will.”

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.

The company had previously vowed to lock out workers and replace them with temporary employees if a contract hadn’t been approved by Aug. 1. The Associated Press reports that union workers showing up for work Monday were told not to cross a spray-painted line on the ground by security guards at the entrances of the plant in Moorhead, Minn.

Riskey read a statement Monday asking the company to reopen contract negotiations.

“Instead of letting 1,300 people continue working while a fair contract is negotiated, American Crystal Sugar executives have instead decided to hurt our communities with an unnecessary lockout,” Riskey said. “The company has the power to immediately end this lockout and return to the negotiating table.”

Brian Ingulsrud, Crystal’s vice president for administration told the Fargo Forum that there were no plans to negotiate any further.

Despite severe weather, workers began picketing the plants on Monday morning. MPR reported Monday morning that replacement workers were present at some facilities.

After sometimes angry and emotional debate Monday, the Moorhead City Council defeated an ordinance that would’ve created a domestic partner registry. Some at the council meeting said the registry of same-sex couples would reflect Moorhead’s inclusive values, while others warned it could lead to the breakdown of traditional marriage. “I don’t like queer relationships,” one man said. “Do you want the city of Moorhead to be known as a queer community?”

The largely symbolic ordinance, drafted by the Moorhead Human Rights Commission, has been in the works for months. The commission voted last November to approve the registry and send the issue to the city council. If passed, Moorhead would join cities like Duluth, Minneapolis and St. Paul, which have passed similar measures.

Many members of the Moorhead community spoke in support of the initiative.

“Speaking as a pastor in your community, there is no one definitive faith perspective on this issue,” said Mark Pettis, of First Congregational United Church of Christ. “The good of all is served when we act to affirm one another rather than continuing patterns that only serve to injure individuals.”

Small-business owner Mark Sinner said the creation of the registry “will shout inclusion and growth, creativity and progress.”

But others invoked Christianity in expressing their opposition.  Sel Nygard, who serves as a member of the Moorhead Human Rights Commission, said, “It’s not something that Christians believe in or should support,” he said.

“I think it’s just the next step to allowing gay marriages,” he added, calling letters to the editor of the Fargo Forum in support of the measure “trash.”

Resident Janine Hanson was concerned about the children. “I believe it’s unfair to married couples and I believe its send the wrong message to our youth.”

But perhaps the most incendiary commentary came from Moorhead resident Ken Lucier. Stepping up to the microphone in a shirt that read “Pray! Vote! Pray!,” he said, “If you want to have a man-man relationship or a woman-woman relationship you can have that. We may not want you living next to us, but you can do what you want. You have the liberty to do that.”

“I’m concerned that these nontraditional relationships, abnormal relationships… Abnormal is queer,” Lucier continued. “I don’t like queer relationships. Do you want the city of Moorhead to be known as a queer community?”

Council members Mark Altenburg and Diane Wray Williams both spoke out in favor of the ordinance. “I think this is a very, very small step, a symbolic step,” said Williams. “I honor their relationships.”

But the boldest words came from Greg Lemke, an openly gay member of the council. The argument that the measure would bring gay marriage to Moorhead is “bullcrap,” he said, adding that the city should remove signs calling Moorhead “welcoming” if the ordinance didn’t pass.

“It’s a pox on the city of Moorhead if we don’t pass this.”

The measure died in a 5 to 3 vote, with council members Luther Stueland, Nancy Otto, Dan Hunt, Brenda Elmer and Mark Hintermeyer voting against.

The Win Back Washington rally is organized by the same group that but together the Take Back Washington rally in North Dakota in February. At that event Bachmann told Tea Partiers, that she’s had to “grow a titanium spine” in response to media criticism.

The proposed cuts are equivalent to 3.3 percent of the program’s funding in 2009 and 7.6 percent in 2010. Towns with populations under 1,000 are exempt from the cuts. Many municipalities in greater Minnesota with shrinking populations rely on LGA to bolster their finances, as do larger cities with high levels of poverty.

The League of Minnesota Cities has posted a spreadsheet breaking down Pawlenty’s proposed cuts to local government aid. While a city’s overall budget needs to be scrutinized in order to gauge the significance of the hit, in sheer dollar amounts here are the ten municipalities slated to lose the biggest chunks of change:

1. Minneapolis: $44.6 million in 2009; $102.4 million in 2010
2. St. Paul: $5 million in 2009; $11.6 million in 2010
3. Rochester: $1.7 million in 2009; $3.9 million in 2010
4. Duluth: $1.5 million in 2009; $3.5 million in 2010
5. St. Cloud: $1.2 million in 2009; $2.7 million in 2010
6. Winona: $531,000 in 2009; $1.2 million in 2010
7. Moorhead: $489,000 in 2009; $1.1 million in 2010
8. Brooklyn Center: $464,000 in 2009; $1.1 million in 2010
9. Owatonna, $454,000 in 2009; $1 million in 2010
10. Faribault: $392,000 in 2009; $905,000 in 2010

More, including a full transcript, after the jump.

In his talk, titled “Crisis and Service,” Obama did mention the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Fargodome as a site for sandbag-filling rather than football or a rodeo.

But unlike Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal in his GOP response to Obama’s address to Congress last month, the president resisted referencing Hurricane Katrina, staying silent on FEMA’s failure and the crisis-induced squalor at another covered stadium: New Orleans’ Superdome.

Obama cited his emergency declarations for North Dakota and Minnesota and pledged continued federal support for local and state efforts. He called out by name top officials including Minnesota’s Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty and U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson and Minnesota’s lone U.S. senator, Amy Klobuchar, both Democrats.

The president also let praise for Red River Valley volunteers flow into a promise to sign the national service legislation that passed Congress this week.

Here’s a full transcript of Obama’s remarks.

President Barack Obama’s Weekly Address, March 28, 2009

Even as we face an economic crisis which demands our constant focus, forces of nature can also intervene in ways that create other crises to which we must respond – and respond urgently. For the people of North and South Dakota and Minnesota who live along rivers spilling over their banks, this is one such moment.

Rivers and streams throughout the region have flooded or are at risk of flooding. The cities of Fargo and neighboring Moorhead are vulnerable as the waters of the Red River have risen. Thousands of homes and businesses are threatened.

That is why, on Tuesday, I granted a major disaster declaration request for the State of North Dakota and ordered federal support into the region to help state and local officials respond to the flooding. This was followed by an emergency declaration for the State of Minnesota. And we are also keeping close watch on the situation in South Dakota as it develops.

The Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency continue to coordinate the federal response. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is helping to oversee federal efforts and she remains in close contact with state officials. Acting FEMA administrator Nancy Ward has been in the region since yesterday to meet with folks on the ground and survey the area herself.

In addition, The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is assisting in the emergency construction of levees. The Coast Guard is aiding in search and rescue efforts while the Department of Defense is helping to move people and supplies. Members of the National Guard have been activated and are on the scene as well.

Hospitals and nursing homes in the area are being evacuated and residents in poor health or with special needs are being transported to higher ground. Teams from the Department of Health and Human Services are aiding in this work. And the Red Cross is in place to provide shelter and supplies for folks in need.

It is also important for residents in these states to remain vigilant in monitoring reports on flood crests and to follow instructions from their state and local leaders in the event that evacuations become necessary.

My administration is working closely with Governors John Hoeven, Mike Rounds and Tim Pawlenty. And I’ve been meeting with Senators Byron Dorgan, Kent Conrad, and Amy Klobuchar, as well as Congressmen Earl Pomeroy and Collin Peterson, to pledge my support. I will continue to monitor the situation carefully. We will do what must be done to help in concert with state and local agencies and non-profit organizations – and volunteers who are doing so much to aid the response effort.

For at moments like these, we are reminded of the power of nature to disrupt lives and endanger communities. But we are also reminded of the power of individuals to make a difference.

In the Fargodome, thousands of people gathered not to watch a football game or a rodeo, but to fill sandbags. Volunteers filled 2.5 million of them in just five days, working against the clock, day and night, with tired arms and aching backs. Others braved freezing temperatures, gusting winds, and falling snow to build levees along the river’s banks to help protect against waters that have exceeded record levels.

College students have traveled by the busload from nearby campuses to lend a hand during their spring breaks. Students from local high schools asked if they could take time to participate. Young people have turned social networks into community networks, coordinating with one another online to figure out how best to help.

In the face of an incredible challenge, the people of these communities have rallied in support of one another. And their service isn’t just inspirational – it’s integral to our response.

It’s also a reminder of what we can achieve when Americans come together to serve their communities. All across the nation, there are men, women and young people who have answered that call, and millions of other who would like to. Whether it’s helping to reduce the energy we use, cleaning up a neighborhood park, tutoring in a local school, or volunteering in countless other ways, individual citizens can make a big difference.

That is why I’m so happy that legislation passed the Senate this week and the House last week to provide more opportunities for Americans to serve their communities and the country.

The bipartisan Senate bill was sponsored by Senator Orrin Hatch and Senator Ted Kennedy, a leader who embodies the spirit of public service, and I am looking forward to signing this important measure into law.

In facing sudden crises or more stubborn challenges, the truth is we are all in this together – as neighbors and fellow citizens. That is what brought so many to help in North Dakota and Minnesota and other areas affected by this flooding. That is what draws people to volunteer in so many ways, serving our country here and on distant shores.

Our thanks go to them today, and to all who are working day and night to deal with the disaster. We send them our thoughts, our prayers, and our continued assistance in this difficult time.

Thank you.

The Red River is now projected to crest at 42 feet at 1 p.m. Saturday in the Fargo-Moorhead area. The Coast Guard has already rescued 82 people who got trapped in the flood waters, according to Napolitano. The federal government has 50 heavy-duty vehicles, 7 boats and 14 aircraft in the area to assist with additional rescues and monitor the levees for failures. The DHS also has gathered enough food and water in the area to provision 30,000 people for a week.

Napolitano stressed that any decisions about evacuations will be made at the local level. So far, roughly one-third of Moorhead residents have been asked to evacuate.

The former Arizona governor also stated that she briefed President Obama on the situation this morning and will do so again this evening. “He’s watching it very, very carefully,” she said.

(Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

The Fix’s Chris Cillizza fixed Pawlenty’s current rank among “Ten Republicans to Watch” thusly:

7. Tim Pawlenty: T-Paw, the governor of Minnesota, continues to stay out of the national limelight but watch for him to ramp up his national profile in the early summer. Pawlenty also has to make a decision about whether or not to seek a third term in 2010 after winning in 2006 with just 47 percent. A loss would likely close out his presidential prospects, a fact that leads us to believe Pawlenty will retire to focus on building a national organization rather than risk his political future on a single statewide race. (Previous ranking: 6)

UPDATE: That may be the view from D.C., but an argument can be made that Pawlenty has a good shot at a third term.

The highlight, though, was this cryptic exchange about President-elect Barack Obama:

NYT: Are you going to send him a little note congratulating him?
Rove: I already have. I sent it to his office. I sent him a handwritten note with funny stamps on the outside.
NYT: What kind of funny stamps?
Rove: Stamps.

That called to mind one of the more cryptic MnIndy interviews of the campaign season. It took place last month, outside a Todd Palin rally in Moorhead, Minn. Prompted by the Minnesota Independent’s Paul Demko, Moorhead resident Greg Rhodes, a McCain-Palin supporter, revealed that he’d just handed Alaska’s “first dude” some photographs. What kind of photographs?  Watch a less-than-a-minute MnIndy video clip after the jump to find out.

If Al Franken ultimately loses the U.S. Senate race to Norm Coleman by roughly 700 votes, as the tally currently stands, he might find himself lamenting that there wasn’t time for just one last trip to Moorhead before the campaign came to a close. Why might the Democrat have found electorally useful a final effort to supplicate and beg before the residents of the Red River Valley?

Consider these results from Senate District 9, which includes parts of Becker, Clay, Wilkin and Traverse counties. In the presidential contest Barack Obama carried 55 percent of the vote there, a rather remarkable showing when you consider that President Bush won the area by large margins in both 2004 (9 points) and 2000 (12 points).

Clearly these folks were, in political parlance, persuadable for Franken. But he failed to tap into this blue current flowing through the Red River Valley. Franken lost to Coleman by a 47-40 percent margin in the area. If the DFL’er had been able to shave even a third of that lead off in Senate District 9 he’d be the one wishing there was a state law prohibiting recounts.

But his most pointed words were about Obama’s ethnicity. Stating that he served with a “real African American” in the military, Leiseth said Obama is “an Arab who is a little tiny bit African American… His father was an Arab… He was a Muslim and he was also an Arabian, not an African from both sides. You can look it up and decide for yourself.”

Related: MnIndy video: Palin fans saw a subdued ‘first dude’ in Minnesota

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