From federal agencies like the National Labor Relations Board to lawmakers in Washington and state capitals, government at all levels makes decisions that affect workers' lives. Throughout U.S. history, employers have attempted to use government as a tool against workers, while unions have mobilized their members on behalf of many significant improvements, including abolition of child labor and passage of minimum wage, workplace safety, overtime pay, Social Security, health care and many other laws.
With the Senate confirmation hearing looming for Andrew Puzder, the fast-food magnate whom Republican President-elect Donald Trump nominated to be Secretary of Labor, foes of the Puzder selection are marshaling evidence to try to convince senators to reject him.
An exhibit at the newly renovated state Capitol showcases the workers who restored the building over the past few years.
The Minnesota AFL-CIO is praising Governor Mark Dayton’s proposal to invest $1.5 billion in community infrastructure projects statewide, creating an estimated 22,950 jobs.
The 2017 session of the Minnesota Legislature convenes Tuesday, with voters sending Republican majorities to both the House and Senate to face off with DFL Governor Mark Dayton.
After more than 100 years, the workers who built the Minnesota State Capitol, including six who were killed in the construction, will be honored in the statehouse. On Dec.15, a jury met to select designs for a commemorative plaque from among more than 50 entries submitted by sixth graders across the state.
The worker-led group Making Change at Walmart rolled out a campaign Wednesday to hold the nation’s largest retailer accountable for the strain its stores put on local resources. Walmart refuses to hire security officers, which costs taxpayers when local police have to respond to petty crime.
The nomination of a fast food executive as U.S. Secretary of Labor drew immediate condemnation from unions and other worker organizations, who cited his opposition to raising the minimum wage and expanding eligibility for overtime pay.
Led by National Nurses United and aided by 250,000 signatures from members of the Alliance for Retired Americans, a coalition of progressive groups delivered more than a million names on petitions to Congress to save Social Security and Medicare against threatened Republican cuts and privatization.
Fighting to keep one of the Obama administration’s top pro-worker initiatives alive, the Labor Department announced it will appeal a rural Texas federal judge’s ban on the department's expansion of worker eligibility for overtime pay.
The state of Minnesota is projected to have a $1.4 billion budget surplus when the fiscal year ends next June. Labor leaders caution against spending it on tax breaks for the wealthy.
Workers are organizing through unions and other organizations to improve their lives.
Court decision will set back, but not end faculty effort to organize