Legislative update

This section offers an ongoing update on important workplace issues at the Minnesota Legislature. The 2004 session convened Feb. 2 and runs through May. To contact your legislator or check on the status of a bill, visit the Legislature’s website.

Frustrating session marks few gains for workers
May 18, 2004
ST. PAUL ? Minnesota workers won?t see an increase in the minimum wage, protections against jobs going overseas or new employment in large construction projects. Those are just a few of the outcomes ? perhaps they should be called ?non-outcomes? ? of the 2004 legislative session. Working people can count a few small victories ? most noticeably legislation to correct some of the problems in the new federally mandated voter registration system.

Legislature warned of consequences if it doesn?t clear up voter registration confusion
May 11, 2004
ST. PAUL ? This November?s election ?is a scandal waiting to happen,? Sen. John Marty said Tuesday during a Senate Elections Committee hearing on the impact that the new federal Help America Vote Act is having on voter registration laws in Minnesota.

Citizens appeal to Legislature to clear up voting law
May 6, 2004
ST. PAUL ? Saying ?the situation is critical,? The League of Women Voters, county election officials and citizen groups appealed to the Legislature to clear up confusion around new voting laws and prevent a possible disaster on Election Day.

Fallen workers may get state Capitol memorial
April 27, 2004
ST. PAUL ? Minnesotans who die from workplace accidents and illnesses will have a permanent memorial on the state Capitol grounds, under a project advocated by Minnesota AFL-CIO President Emeritus David Roe.

Every vote counts?
April 25, 2004
ST. PAUL ? “Hanging chads.” Inaccurate voter registration records. Thousands of eligible voters turned away from the polls. Florida’s failures during the 2000 elections drew international attention. Such problems couldn’t happen here in Minnesota. Or could they? Groups involved in helping people register for the 2004 election say they are running into confusion around new federal requirements — and they say legislation passed by the Minnesota House would make matters worse. Read Union Advocate Editor Michael Kuchta’s special report on problems posed by the new requirements — and how they could affect your right to vote.

State Senate votes to raise minimum wage
April 13, 2004
ST. PAUL ? The Minnesota Senate voted 36-30 Tuesday to raise the minimum wage to $6.65 an hour by 2005. They rejected efforts to impose a ?tip credit? that would have reduced the minimum wage for workers in the hospitality industry.

Commentary: Northstar rail line means jobs, transit solutions and development
By Bill McCarthy, president, Minneapolis Central Labor Union Council
March 25, 2004

MINNEAPOLIS ? The proposed Northstar Commuter Rail line will do more than create a 40-mile transit link between the northwest suburbs and Minneapolis. The $265 million project will create union construction jobs, cut commuting time and ease traffic congestion, and stimulate new development near six planned rail stations.

Minnesota Senate, governor act to limit outsourcing
March 25, 2004
ST. PAUL ? Both the Minnesota Senate and Gov. Tim Pawlenty have acted to limit the outsourcing of state services overseas, but the House has yet to take any action on the issue.

State overtime law heads to Senate floor
March 12, 2004
ST. PAUL ? Thousands of Minnesotans scheduled to lose their overtime pay at the end of this month would be protected under legislation sent to the floor of the state Senate.

Public employees take their issues to the Capitol
March 11, 2004
ST. PAUL ? More than 800 AFSCME members from across the state converged on the Capitol Thursday to speak out for better public services.

Ban on outsourcing advances with bipartisan support
March 11, 2004
ST. PAUL ? In a bipartisan vote, a legislative committee has approved a bill that would limit the outsourcing of state services overseas. In the course of their debate, lawmakers decried the economy?s ?jobless recovery? and railed against trade policies that restrict their ability to govern.

Minimum wage hike gets green light
March 11, 2004
ST. PAUL ? The minimum wage would rise 30 percent under legislation approved by a state Senate committee. Advocates say it is long overdue.

Legislators to discuss raising minimum wage
March 9, 2004
ST. PAUL ? A state Senate committee will hear a bill Wednesday to increase the minimum wage to $6.65 an hour by Jan. 1, 2005.

Senate jobs package offers real hope, unions say
March 8, 2004
ST. PAUL ? Senate Democrats? package of legislation to create jobs, boost pay and stop outsourcing offers real hope to working and unemployed Minnesotans, the Minnesota AFL-CIO said.

Without enough revenue, budget deficits continue to haunt state
March 9, 2004
ST. PAUL ? Minnesota continues to cut spending, but its budget deficit continues to grow. That?s one way of looking at the latest budget forecast from the state Finance Department, which says revenues will continue to fall short of expenses until at least 2007.

Labor on track with commuter rail plan
February 26, 2004
ST. PAUL ? Labor representatives joined a crowd that included businesspeople, transit advocates, elected officials and other citizens for a rally Thursday to support funding for the Northstar commuter rail line.

Nurses offer their own prescription to lawmakers
February 26, 2004
ST. PAUL ? Hundreds of nurses walked the halls of the state Capitol Thursday. They spent a day away from their jobs treating patients to share their views on health care issues with lawmakers.

Bill would ban use of state money in union organizing drives
February 26, 2004
ST. PAUL ? A bill that would ban the use of state tax money to support or oppose union organizing cleared a Senate committee.

Rally Thursday for Northstar Commuter Rail
February 23, 2004
ST. PAUL ? Supporters of the Northstar Commuter Rail line plan a rally at the State Capitol rotunda Thursday, Feb. 26, at 10:30 a.m.

Health care forum outlines core principles for reform
February 23, 2004
ST. PAUL ? Recommendations from a citizens forum provide real hope for reforming the health care system, but Minnesotans need a constitutional amendment to keep the pressure on lawmakers to act, a leading labor leader said.

Several legislative proposals pose threat to working families
February 22, 2004
ST. PAUL ? Unions and their allies once again are playing defense against legislative proposals that hack away at workers? collective bargaining rights and quality of life.

State labor movement sets legislative priorities
February 22, 2004
ST. PAUL ? The Legislature will consider hundreds of bills this spring. But to help you keep track of what?s important to the state?s labor movement, the Minnesota AFL-CIO is keeping it simple ? four categories, with some specifics, tell you the basics in determining whether proposed legislation is good or bad.

Controversial social studies standards all but ignore workers
February 18, 2004
ST. PAUL ? Under Minnesota?s controversial new social studies standards, students must learn about being an entrepreneur. They are not required to learn about being a worker.

Labor makes bonding bill a priority
February 15, 2004
ST. PAUL ? A state bonding bill for millions of dollars in construction across Minnesota is a top priority for unions in the 2004 legislative session.

Battle expected over legislation to stop movement of state work overseas
February 15, 2004
ST. PAUL ? Proponents expect a major fight at the state Capitol over legislation that would bar state work from being outsourced overseas. Unions representing public employees say the debate highlights the problems caused by privatizing public services.

AFL-CIO wants health care to be a right in Minnesota
February 12, 2004
ST. PAUL ? Basic, affordable health care ought to be a right guaranteed to every resident of Minnesota, the state AFL-CIO says. To turn that concept into reality, the state?s largest labor organization is proposing an amendment to the Minnesota Constitution.

State should raise minimum wage, economist says
February 11, 2004
ST. PAUL ? More than half-a-million workers would get a pay raise if the state breaks with federal policy and raises its minimum wage to $7 an hour, a leading economist at the University of Minnesota says.

People?s Legislature sets a people-oriented agenda
February 3, 2004
ST. PAUL ? Jobs, housing, health care and child care topped a list of priorities for the People?s Legislature that convened Tuesday at the state Capitol. Imposition of the death penalty and a ban on gay marriage ? issues that preoccupy some of their elected representatives ? were not even mentioned.

Construction, justice issues to dominate legislative session
February 1, 2004
ST. PAUL ? Legislators return to the state Capitol Monday with a full agenda including a bonding bill for new construction projects. The ?People?s Legislature? also plans to resume its work of monitoring the actions of lawmakers.

State work being done in India, newspaper reports
February 1, 2004
ST. PAUL ? Some state services are being performed by workers in India, prompting two Minnesota lawmakers to call for new legislation to stop the practice, the Pioneer Press reported Sunday.

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