By Max Nesterak, Minnesota Reformer
Take a seat in the Break Room, our weekly round-up of labor news in Minnesota and beyond. This week: DFL party reaches rocky compromise on copper-nickel mining; nursing home workers threaten second strike; Minneapolis police approve union contract; senators chastise Amazon for treatment of delivery drivers; Half Price Books workers win first contract; and jobs numbers.
DFL party supports holding hearings on copper nickel mining
Labor unions beat back a push by environmentalists at the recent Democratic-Farmer-Labor state convention for the party to hold hearings on “Prove It First” legislation, which would block copper-nickel mining in Minnesota until there’s independent scientific proof that a similar mine has operated elsewhere in the country for at least 10 years and been closed for at least 10 years without polluting.
The party instead adopted — with 62% support — a kind of compromise platform to hold legislative hearings on copper-nickel mining in general, which hasn’t happened in more than a decade. It does little to resolve an entrenched dispute between two of the DFL’s most important constituencies, however.
Labor unions say Prove It First is an impossible standard that effectively bans copper-nickel mines, robbing the state of good union jobs and the opportunity to support the green transition by producing metals needed for solar panels, batteries and other green infrastructure.
“Circumventing our comprehensive environmental review process with a politically-motivated ban would be a disservice to Minnesotans and our commitment to fighting climate change,” Joel Smith, president of LIUNA Minnesota and North Dakota, said in a statement.
Environmentalists argue sulfide ore mining presents too great a threat to the state’s waters, particularly the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, and the jobs created by more than 150,000 tourists visiting the area every year.
Friends of the Boundary Waters Executive Director Chris Knopf accused the AFL-CIO “working in tandem with some of the most corrupt corporations on the planet” in opposing hearings on Prove It First legislation.
The resolution approved by the DFL party supports the “Legislature holding hearings on copper nickel mining, and supports withholding all permits for copper nickel mines in Minnesota until it can first be proven that such mines can be operated safely in our water rich environment and not violate state, federal, and tribal water quality standards.”
Last year, the Biden administration withdrew more than 225,000 acres near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness from mineral leasing for 20 years.
New Hope nursing home workers file to strike
Nearly 200 nursing home workers at Saint Therese in New Hope filed their intent to strike again on June 15 for five days as negotiations over wages continue to stall, the union SEIU Healthcare Minnesota & Iowa announced on Thursday.
Workers at Saint Therese along with hundreds of other at 11 other nursing homes in the Twin Cities walked off the job for 24 hours in March in the largest nursing home strike in recent state history.
Since then, the 11 other facilities settled contracts with workers, winning double-digit wage increases. SEIU and UFCW, which also represents nursing home workers, fell short of their goal for a $25 minimum wage for all workers but are getting close. Union and non-union nursing home workers will be guaranteed an average minimum wage of $23.49 per hour as part of the first rules approved by Minnesota’s new labor standards board for nursing home workers.
The major sticking point at Saint Therese is over codifying a temporary $5 per hour pay increase for workers, which the union fears could go away when the facility is sold to a new company. Saint Therese announced this week it would sell the nursing home to Compass, giving the union less than the 90-days notice required in the union contract.
“It feels like they’ve treated us like trash, and it feels like this strike is our only option right now to protect workers and residents. We want to make them understand that how you treat your staff is how you treat your residents, and that’s why we are ready to strike,” Mofoba Kanneh, a certified nursing assistant, said in a statement.
A spokesperson for Saint Therese declined to comment amid ongoing negotiations.
Minneapolis police union approves new contract
Minneapolis police will get more than a 11.5% raise over the next three years — with veteran cops receiving as much as 21.7% raises with pro-rated backpay — under a tentative labor contract approved by the police union on Monday, the Star Tribune reported. The agreement must still be ratified by the City Council.
The wage increases, while historic, are less than the police union wanted. Last fall the union requested a one-year 13.25% raise.
The agreement, which came after eight months of negotiations and mediation, also includes some changes to the city’s disciplinary response to problem officers. The contract extends the time period in which an officer accused of misconduct can be placed on leave during an investigation, and adds civilian investigator positions.
Bipartisan group of senators chastise Amazon for lying
A bipartisan group of 34 U.S. senators including Minnesota’s Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith sent a letter to Amazon saying the company has been evasive and self-contradictory in the information it’s provided Congress about mistreatment of workers for its delivery service program.
The retail behemoth contends that workers for Amazon’s Delivery Service Partner Program are not Amazon employees, even though the company exerts immense control over their delivery subcontractors. The senators’ letter says there is ample evidence that Amazon is a joint employer of the drivers and includes a list of questions for the company to answer.
As The American Prospect reports, Amazon has attempted to skirt accountability for labor protections and foil unionization efforts by using subcontractors to employ the drivers. Meanwhile, Amazon trains the drivers, who wear Amazon uniforms and drive Amazon-branded vans, which are equipped with Amazon’s AI-powered surveillance cameras.
Half Price Books workers win first contract
Workers at four Half Price Books locations in the Twin Cities ratified their first union contract last week since voting in 2022 to unionize with UFCW Local 663 and 1189.
In a news release, the union said because of their efforts, employees across the company saw a 33% increase in starting wages — from $12 to $16 an hour.
UFCW said Half Price Books workers in Minnesota paved the way for union drives to follow in Indiana, Illinois, Kansas and California.
“Through the hard work of the entire bargaining committee, we have shown all of our coworkers the priceless value of having a union contract,” Aaron Kerr, a worker at the Roseville location, said in a statement.
U.S. added 272,000 jobs in May
U.S. job growth continues to exceed expectations, adding 272,000 jobs in May. But the country’s unemployment rate also increased, which had been below 4% for the past 27 months, CNN reports. Minnesota’s unemployment rate has been significantly lower, hovering around 2.7%.
Minnesota Reformer is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Minnesota Reformer maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor J. Patrick Coolican for questions: info@minnesotareformer.com. Follow Minnesota Reformer on Facebook and Twitter.
