Alliance earns more honors

The efforts of the St. Paul Works! Alliance continue to grab local and national acclaim.

Gary Reed, business manager of Laborers Local 132, was honored Sept. 16 at the Laborers’ Public Service Employees national convention in Providence, R.I. Terence O’Sullivan, general president of the Laborers International Union of North America, and Terrence Healy, vice president of the Great Lakes region, congratulated Reed and Local 132 for ‘outstanding service’ in the battle they waged against St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman’s privatization attempts under the banner of Compete St. Paul. It was the first year the Laborers recognized such service at the regional level.

A week earlier, Progressive Minnesota honored the Alliance during its first-ever banquet, held Sept. 8, at the hall of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 789 in South Saint Paul.

Progressive Minnesota also honored Jaye Rykunyk, principal officer of Hotel Employees Restaurant Employees Local 17. Progressive Minnesota chairwoman Holly Rodin cited the union’s successful defense of Holiday Inn Express workers facing deportation because of their successful union organizing efforts, and the union’s successful strike this summer against Minneapolis hotels.

This article was written for the Sept. 27 issue of The Union Advocate newspaper. Used by permission. The Union Advocate is the official publication of the St. Paul Trades and Labor Assembly. E-mail The Advocate at: advocate@mtn.org

Comments are closed.