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Cheers and standing ovations marked Governor Mark Dayton’s speech to the Minnesota AFL-CIO convention Monday, where he pledged to keep the focus on job creation.
“Good jobs, union jobs, with more jobs to follow,” Dayton said, as 450 delegates applauded. “We need to keep investing more in Minnesota – and if I’m around, we will.”
Under the leadership of Dayton, lawmakers voted in the 2014 legislative session to invest $1 billion in infrastructure projects across the state, creating thousands of jobs for construction workers and others.
DFL Governor Dayton faces Republican Jeff Johnson in his effort to win re-election in November. Dayton has been endorsed by the state labor federation, which is mounting a major effort to turn out votes in support of him, U.S. Senator Al Franken and labor-endorsed candidates for legislative and local offices.
The governor touted progress in numerous areas during his first term: more funding for early childhood education, adoption of all-day kindergarten, an increase in the minimum wage, marriage equality, holding the line on tuition increases, higher income taxes on the wealthy, statewide property tax relief, elimination of school debt and “an honestly balanced budget,” among others.
If re-elected, he said he would advocate for a comprehensive transportation plan to rebuild bridges and roads and beef up transit and other services. Transportation is a top priority for the labor movement going into the 2015 legislative session.
He thanked unions for their endorsement, saying, “With your help and support, we’ll keep moving ahead.”