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The Road to Equality Tour

In May, more than 100 women joined us in Duluth to talk about building a Minnesota that works for women and their families.

Continuing the conversation this month, our friends at the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota will cross the state for their 2014 Road to Equality Tour. See the details below:

“The tour will take us to seven vibrant Minnesota cities: Duluth, Grand Rapids, Rochester, Twin Cities, Mankato, Willmar, and Moorhead.

We’ll share the latest findings from our 2014 Status of Women & Girls in Minnesota research and learn from you how well the new data represents what’s happening for women and girls in your community.We’ll also show you how to use our new online research tool, Gender Equality Explorer.”

Interested? Head to their website to sign up. … Continue reading »

Minnesota can lead for more workplace fairness

It’s too soon to declare that the American women’s movement, begun in 1848 and revived in 1970, is gathering strength for a third wave of sweeping change. But if it is, future historians may note that this time, Minnesota was among the states that got it rolling.

That wasn’t true during two earlier waves. When women pushed for voting rights and the ability to enter male-dominated fields, Minnesota kept pace but was not in the vanguard of change.

But this month’s enactment of the Women’s Economic Security Act (WESA) vaulted this state into the lead in efforts to make work fairer and more humane for women — and along the way, for men, too. So said officials at the Washington, D.C.-based Center for American Progress, who came to Minnesota last week to praise what the 2014 Legislature accomplished (see accompanying text) and to call for more in 2015. With better protection from workplace discrimination for pregnant women, nursing mothers and parents of both genders, “You’re ahead of the curve,” said Lori Lodes, the Center for American Progress senior vice president.

Yet a gathering in Duluth last week for more than 100 Minnesotans who helped pushed WESA into law was not a victory party.… Continue reading »

Building economic security across Minnesota

At the end of February, we laid out for you a vision to expand economic equity in the 2014 legislative session.

Three months (and 2,000+ emails to legislators, almost 30,000 doors knocked on, 8,000 petition signatures, 1,500 conversations on the phone, and one very (very) cold march with single moms later) much of that vision has been realized.

More than 300,000 Minnesotans will get a raise come August 1. Soon grandmothers will be able to stay home from work to take care of their grandchildren, and employers won’t be able to fire women simply because they’re a mom. More Minnesotans will get a second chance, and Minnesota will continue to lead the nation in health care through MinnesotaCare.

None of this would have been possible without Minnesotans like standing hand in hand with bold champions at the Capitol fighting for progress every day – while under immense pressure from corporate interests to back down.

We know that there’s more work to do. We’re still fighting to make sure that no mom worries about getting fired for staying home with sick kids. To make sure that all our neighbors can participate in our democracy. And to make sure that all Minnesotans have access to the affordable health care they need.… Continue reading »

Women’s Economic Summit Focuses on Changes in Public Policy

Public policy changes aimed at helping women get ahead in the workforce were the focus of a women’s economic summit in Duluth today.

Featured speakers included DFL State Senator Sandy Pappas and House Speaker Paul Thissen.

In addition to the Economic Security Act, both lawmakers said the increase in the state’s minimum wage will help women and their families get a fair shot in the workforce.

Click here to read the full article.… Continue reading »

Summit focuses on women’s economic security

For a state that fancies itself progressive, it’s always good to prove it.

When Gov. Mark Dayton signed the Women’s Economic Security Act into law on Mother’s Day, it placed Minnesota at the forefront of the discussion on female equality in the workplace.

Today in Duluth, that discussion advances. The “Women & Families Economic Security Summit” at the DECC is the first of three nationally, joining Harrisburg, Pa., and Orlando, Fla., leading into a June 23 summit hosted by the White House.

For Liz Olson, Duluth’s inclusion in the discussion makes perfect sense. She cited the 8th Congressional District as being home to one of the biggest pay disparities between men and women in the state, particularly on the Iron Range and other rural areas.

“This would have been a different discussion had it taken place in St. Paul,” said Olson, who is the Duluth organizing and policy manager for TakeAction Minnesota, which is hosting the summit in conjunction with the Center for American Progress, a Washington, D.C., think tank.

Click here for the full article. … Continue reading »

A Minnesota that supports women and families

Working mothers in Minnesota are increasingly the primary breadwinners in their families and make up more than half of the workforce in our state. Yet, women continuously fall behind in almost every measure of economic success. Duluth women

Last week Minnesota took a big step towards tackling these problems when Governor Dayton signed the Women’s Economic Security Act into law. And on Monday, Duluth City Councilors, organizational leaders and community members gathered at Duluth City Hall to celebrate the passage of the Women’s Economic Security Act and to call on policy makers to continue moving forward. That night the Duluth City Council unanimously adopted a resolution highlighting the work that still needs to be done including expanding earned sick time for working families.

But you and I both know that there’s more to be done. Now is the time to continue to fight for changes that improve the lives of women in Minnesot and allow all Minnesotans to thrive — not just survive.

Want to be a part of a conversation on what’s next? 

At TakeAction we are excited to be working with the Center for American Progress to bring a statewide summit on women and families economic security to Duluth on May 22nd. … Continue reading »

A big step forward for women and their families

Moms working three jobs to support their family. Women being passed over for a promotion because they’ve got kids at home. Men being paid more for the same job. WESA Thank you

We’ve heard these stories so many times, but this Mother’s Day, things changed as Governor Dayton signed the Women’s Economic Security Act into law — a huge step forward for Minnesota women and their families.

What does this mean?

  • A big expansion to earned sick time! Employees can now use sick time to stay home with sick grandkids or in-laws and for “safety leave” for the purpose of providing or receiving assistance because of sexual assault, domestic abuse, or stalking — and if your employer penalizes you for using sick time, Minnesotans now have a way to get protections 
  • New parents can now take 12 weeks of unpaid leave, up from 6 weeks, and employers now need to provide reasonable accommodations for pregnant and nursing employees
  • Better enforcement of equal pay laws
  • No more discriminating against women in the workplace for being a mother
  • Support for women dealing with the economic consequences of domestic violence, stalking, and sexual assault

These are just some of the provisions that will go into effect with the Women’s Economic Security Act.… Continue reading »

Duluth City Council signals support for Women’s Economic Security Act

The Duluth City Council unanimously gave its blessing Monday night to a bill Gov. Mark Dayton signed into law this weekend.

Councilors Sharla Gardner, Emily Larson and Jennifer Julsrud introduced a resolution in support of the Women’s Economic Security Act.

Larson referred to the new law as “an important step in the right direction” for the state.

Liz Olson, a local organizer for TakeAction Minnesota, called the act “a huge victory for our state” and expressed her hopes that other states will follow suit.

Click here for the full article.… Continue reading »

Duluth city leaders, community members celebrate signing of Womens Economic Security Act

City councilors, TakeAction Minnesota, County Commissioners and women throughout the community gathered at City Hall to celebrate the signing of the Women’s Economic Security Act into law .

Governor Dayton signed the bill into law on Mother’s Day.

The group celebrated some of the highlights of the bill..including closing the gender pay gap , and allowing women to take 12 weeks of unpaid leave instead of the current six for maternity leave.

Currently women make up more than half of the work force in Minnesota.

Elizabeth Olson with TakeAction Minnesota says working mothers are generally the breadwinners in the family, but still make an average of 76 cents of every dollar a man makes.

Olson says the bill is a victory for the state of Minnesota, but there are still barriers holding women back.

“Women are often primary caregivers. Women in working families fall behind in our economy. but we can do something about this. The women’s economic security act was a huge step forward. We can continue where it left off and further policies that help women and working families succeed,” said Elizabeth Olson with Take Action, Minnesota.

Click here for video and the full article.… Continue reading »

Minneapolis North Siders demand transit improvements

Minneapolis’ North Side is not getting its fair share of transit amenities, despite having a heavily transit-dependent population, a group of residents told Metropolitan Council representatives over the weekend.

At a packed meeting on Saturday in the offices of Neighborhoods Organizing for Change (NOC), bus riders said that north Minneapolis lacks adequate shelters — particularly heated ones — and that increased fares have strained already tight budgets.

“Riders notice the drastic difference between service and amenities in other parts of the city like Uptown and the south side,” said NOC’s transit organizer, Michael McDowell, who has been surveying transit riders. “And how the service is significantly better and they have more amenities at their stops than [in] north.”

Click here for the full article. … Continue reading »

Dayton signs law to give women a better workplace

 

Gov. Mark Dayton rang in Mother’s Day Sunday by giving final approval to a package of bills aimed at improving conditions for women in the workplace.

 

The Women’s Economic Security Act, comprised of nine separate pieces of legislation, won legislative approval last week with bipartisan support. It forces about 1,000 state contractors to certify that they pay men and women equally for similar jobs, extends parental leave from six to 12 weeks and requires employers to make new accommodations for expectant and new mothers.

 

Dayton signed the bill surrounded by women at an event at the governor’s reception room. Women’s groups fought hard for the package.

 

“Nothing else like this is happening in the nation,” said Lee Roper-Batker, president of the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota. “I have to tell you the nation is watching and cheering … right now.”

Click here for the full story. … Continue reading »

The Revolt of the Cities

During the past 20 years, immigrants and young people have transformed the demographics of urban America. Now, they’re transforming its politics and mapping the future of liberalism. 

…

Minneapolis is a city with a richer history of progressive activism than Pittsburgh. In 1948, Mayor Hubert Humphrey presented that year’s Democratic National Convention with its first civil-rights platform plank. For decades, Minnesota came closer to an American version of Scandinavian social democracy than any other state.

In recent decades, however, both the city’s and state’s demographics and economy have been transformed. The white share of the city’s population declined from 86 percent in the 1980 census to 64 percent in 2010. Minneapolis is home to the largest Somali community of any city except Mogadishu and the largest Hmong community outside Laos. “We’re ahead of any other state in equitable income and health—if you’re white,” says Dan McGrath, who heads TakeAction Minnesota, a progressive political organization of 45,000 members, which, like New York’s Working Families Party, functions chiefly as an electoral organization. “Minnesota’s way down the list when you include people of color. Four out of ten Minneapolis residents are people of color. We won’t have an economy 30 years from now if only half our minority students graduate high school.”… Continue reading »

10 things you did to raise the wage

Gov. Dayton signs minimum wage into lawOn this historic day, when Governor Dayton signed a minimum wage increase of $9.50 an hour, indexed to inflation, into law — let’s take a look back at the top 10 things members like you did to make this day possible.

1. Talked to our legislators in their districts, like these meetings with Senator Ann Rest in Robbinsdale and in Grand Rapids with Representatives Metsa, Melin, Radinovich, Persell, & Anzelc and Senators Tomassoni & Saxhaug

6. In district (Rest)6. In district (Grand Rapids)

 

2. Attended our caucuses and conventions to talk to our neighbors and senators about raising the wage. (Our Grand Rapids Organizer said this Itasca County convention had 95% of delegates wearing raise the wage stickers before she ran out!)

7. Grand Rapids Convention

 

3. Spoke up against a proposal to put a constitutional amendment on the 2014 ballot to index the wage — making it loud and clear that working families deserved a raise now, not a vote in November.

9. Constitutional amendment

 

4. Made 6,000 calls to Minnesotans and sent nearly 2,000 emails to legislators.

10. Phone and action alerts

 

5. Collected more than 6,000 petitions signatures with CREDO Mobilize.

1. Petitions

 

6. Knocked on 2,000 doors to talk to working families about what raising the wage would mean to them.

2. Doorknocked

 

7. Members like K’Shauna testified at legislative hearings to make sure that legislators heard from the working Minnesotans who will benefit from this increase.… Continue reading »

Minnesota makes history with largest minimum wage hike

Gov. Mark Dayton signed into law the largest minimum wage increase in state history Monday, giving raises to more than 325,000 Minnesotans and making good on a signature Democratic pledge during an election year.

The move to a $9.50 base hourly wage catapults the state from one of the lowest minimum wages to one of the highest once it is fully phased in by 2016. The state’s base wage will be tied to inflation starting in 2018, ensuring the buying power of the state’s lowest-paid workers keeps better pace with the cost of living.

“Minnesotans who work full time should be able to earn enough money to lift their families out of poverty, and through hard work and additional training, achieve the middle-class American dream,” the DFL governor said, surrounded by legislators, workers and labor leaders at a ceremonial bill-signing in the State Capitol rotunda. “These are people, good Minnesotans all over the state, who just want to work and get paid something that is fair.”

The sharp wage hike puts Minnesota at the forefront of a major initiative by President Obama, who has failed to persuade Congress to raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 and instead is pressing his case state by state.… Continue reading »

Transit equity means more than light rail

The debate surrounding Southwest light-rail transit (SWLRT) shouldn’t be confined to rerouting freight rail and shallow tunnels. Wouldn’t we be better served by figuring out how light rail can be a catalyst for equitable transit across the 16-mile corridor? A discussion like that would help cork the fight over rail alignment and transform it into one that is far more constructive and economically beneficial for the region — and most notably for Minneapolis.

Nearly every other day an elected official or business leader touts “equity” and “reducing racial disparities” as priorities in public pronouncements. Rarely do they actually turn their words into action to really improve people’s lives. We think just such an opportunity now exists for those working to resolve turf warfare over SWLRT.

Click here to read the full commentary.… Continue reading »

Facing Race award winners overcome hardships to make a difference

I’m an easy-sell for a make-a-difference story, particularly when it comes to race, education and employment.

Like the bold stunt on the national stage by Sy Stokes, an African-American student at UCLA who used spoken word, hard statistics and video last fall  to chide the white majority, especially officials at the University of California Los Angeles, for the low 3.3 percent of African-American males in the school’s graduate and undergraduate programs, as well as for a lack of financial aid for these students.

“No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible,’’ charged Stokes in his lyrical video, which attracted 1.9 million views and sparked discussion around the country.

Confronting race is also what the local Facing Race Ambassador Awards April 7 are about. The idea is to “lift up and celebrate” people who are striving to end racial disparities, says Carleen Rhodes, president and CEO of The St. Paul Foundation, which will honor five “anti-racism advocates” at a free event open to the public.

Receiving the highest Facing Race Ambassador Awards are two working to limit disparities in employment and education: Minnesota Award recipient Justin Terrell, Justice 4 All program manager for TakeAction Minnesota who led the effort to put job applicants with a criminal background on a level playing field, and East Metro Award recipient Jada Sherrie Mitchell, a Tartan High School senior who played a key role in developing a student-mentoring program to help reduce the academic achievement gap.… Continue reading »

Janice Rettman faces re-election challenger Lori Stee for DFL endorsement

Lori Stee, a former manager with the nonprofits Project for Pride in Living Enterprises and Rebuild Resources, will challenge longtime Ramsey County Commissioner Janice Rettman for the DFL Party endorsement Saturday.

Rettman and Stee will vie for Democratic-Farmer-Labor support during an endorsing convention at the Washington Technology Magnet School, 1495 Rice St., in St. Paul The convention will open at 9 a.m.

Stee is a former campaign manager for state Rep. Rena Moran, DFL-St. Paul, and has the support of St. Paul City Council members Kathy Lantry, Russ Stark, Dai Thao and Dave Thune, as well as the influential organizing group TakeAction Minnesota.

Read more…… Continue reading »

Lots to Love about Duluth

You know what I love about Duluth? The big lake iced over in the winter, my West Duluth neighborhood, walking the trail at the end of Park Point, the great music and beer made locally, the Farmer’s Market in the summer, and the hearty people that call Duluth home.

Even with so many good things about Duluth we still have major issues confronting our community. Problems so daunting that they seem impossible to solve. We have a city whose residents’ life expectancy varies by zipcode, we have some of the worst income disparities between people of color and white people, and we have many who are without affordable housing. Our minimum wage leaves people in poverty.

And as a woman, I’m keenly aware that women in particular are being left behind in this economy. Two out of three Minnesotans working minimum wage jobs are women, and families headed by women are more likely to live in poverty than families that aren’t.

These are big problems. Problems that need solving.

But that brings me right back to what I love about Duluth. The people. We have so many committed, caring people, leaders, and organizations working together to tackle these problems. We can’t do it alone.… Continue reading »

My Skin in the Game

In reality, when I am fighting with the Justice4All program, I am fighting for myself.

I am fighting for my right to not be complicit in policies that work in my favor but that threaten my peers of color. I am fighting against a system that has invisibly shaped much of my life – that has planted in me fear, ignorance, and disconnection; that has denied me the ability to tell the difference between a threat and a stereotype; that has structured my life in such a way that I possess a radically unfair share of resources and privilege while others are locked up and locked out. I have been taught my whole life that people of color, especially black men, are criminals. I am fed this information through the media, where I consume images of black men labeled as thugs; I learn this when, from the back of the car, I hear the lock click as my white family travels through a black neighborhood; and I am supposed to understand that because more black men are locked away, it means that more black men break the law. But from my own experience, I know this isn’t true. Instead, I know that there is a double standard that benefits white people by constantly giving them the benefit of the doubt, and punishes black people by constantly denying their innocence.… Continue reading »

Face It! You Can’t Change Society Without Addressing Racism

Growing up on the east side of St. Paul, Minnesota, Renee Zschokke was surrounded by racism, but didn’t even know it. Her crime-ridden neighborhood, enveloped in violence she fell victim to for a period of time, sparked a desire in her to pursue a career in criminal justice, in order to “lock up the bad guys.”

“I just wanted my communities to be safe,” she said.

But throughout her time in college and her job afterward as a state county employment counselor, Zschokke realized that crime isn’t so simple.

“If people aren’t granted housing and jobs, they just go back to doing what they have to do to survive,” she said. “It’s not as simple as coming down to the individual.”

As a counselor with limited resources for her clients, who are mostly black men, Zschokke said she wanted to do something to fight what she saw as structural racism. She realized that explicitly talking about race might be the missing key needed to resist these systematic barriers.

Talking openly about race has never been an easy way to organize for change, but Zschokke found an organization, TakeAction Minnesota, which is trying to do just that.

Read more… Continue reading »

Marching with single moms

IMG_5272Earlier today, 100+ Minnesotans braved the cold to march with single moms and ask Wal-Mart to support policies that will lift Minnesota women out of poverty. We heard from women who were fired for being sick and who struggle to make ends meet working low-wage jobs.

They’re not an anomaly. Two out of three low-wage workers are women. Female headed families are four times more likely to be in poverty. And on and on.

So although I couldn’t feel my fingers or my toes, it felt worth it marching behind this single mom and her son.

Our kids’ moms deserve to be paid a living wage. Minnesota kids deserve to have their parents home with them when they’re sick without fear of losing their jobs. And Minnesota women deserve to equal pay for equal work.

Representative Carly Melin and Senator Sandy Pappas have put forward a bill that would tackle all these issues at once. Elizabeth in our office started a petition on CREDO Mobilize to back them up — will you add your name?

 

 … Continue reading »

Off and running

Last weekend hundreds of Minnesotans gathered in St. Paul and watched online as we elected our board of directors, kicked off a bold agenda for change in 2014, dreamed big together, and just had some plain old fun at our carnival.

See the beautiful mural below built from people’s dreams for our state and our families, then say you’re in for what’s next.

Win Build & Change the Story… Continue reading »

How Pro-Austerity Groups Lost the Deficit Wars

t’s debt ceiling time and the US economy is once again on the brink, held hostage by extremists hell-bent on forcing cuts to Medicare and Social Security.

Oh wait. That was last year.

In 2014, for the first time in three years, the vote to extend the nation’s debt ceiling did not bring the US to the brink of default in a high-stakes game of slash and burn.

Last week, the House voted to raise the government’s borrowing limit until March 2015 without any conditions. In fact, if the Speaker had his way, he would have tied the vote to the repeal of cuts to military retirement pensions. The Senate concurred, sending a clean debt ceiling bill to the President’s desk.

It was a striking turnaround for the forces of austerity. One of the biggest losers? The Campaign to Fix the Debt, the $40 million AstroTurf austerity group, financed by Pete Peterson and other Wall Street big wigs, and fronted by Maya MacGuineas, Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson.

Call it Alan Simpson’s last harrumph.

…

In August, National Peoples Action kicked off the “CEO Summer” (Corporate Evil Outing) in fifteen cities and towns. Take Action Minnesota dropped a huge banner across from a Fix the Debt gathering, while in Chicago, clergy, IIRON, and ONE Northside targeted General Electric for its failure to pay taxes and urged Senator Dick Durbin to stiffen his spine and do more to support Social Security.… Continue reading »

Raising Minnesota’s minimum wage expected to be hot issue

Scott Coykendall lost a $63,000-a-year job a few years ago, had one for a while at around $17 an hour, and for the past few months has worked full time at Domino’s for the federal minimum wage of $7.25.

The Robbinsdale man, 43, is divorced, sharing custody of two school-age kids, living in a two-bedroom place for $919 a month, and he’s been struggling.

He’s had to borrow money and sell some of his stuff. He’s been using the food shelf and Toys for Tots, organizations he used to donate to. He’s also been buying groceries a day or two at a time because he can’t scrape up enough for a week or two’s worth.

“We eat over at my mom’s a lot,” Coykendall said. “It’s demeaning.”

Coykendall secured a higher-paying job this week, which should help.

But the experience he’s had trying to make ends meet on minimum wage is the kind of thing state lawmakers have in mind when they talk about the need to bump it up.

“Minnesota workers are working hard and not able to survive (and) support themselves,” said state Rep. Ryan Winkler, DFL-Golden Valley, sponsor of the minimum-wage bill in the House. “It isn’t really a question of how we compare to other states; it’s a question of whether people who are working full time should live in poverty.”… Continue reading »

VIDEO: Saturday, February 15 — 2014 Annual Meeting Livestream

Our 2014 Annual Meeting & Progressive Carnival is this Saturday, February 15th at 10:30 a.m. at St. Paul Central High School  Hundreds of Minnesotans will gather to launch TakeAction’s work for the year and to dream big about the change we want to see in our state in the long term — and we hope that you’ll join us (get the details here).

But if the drive is too far or you can’t get away from the house, we still want you to be a part of the day. Watch live on this page from your home starting at 11:00 a.m. this Saturday.

You’ll join a program in three acts. We’ll remember parts of our state’s progressive history and the people whose shoulders we stand on. We’ll talk about how we win by building relationships and partnerships, and why it matters that we shape the stories that get told about us. We’ll also explore what it takes to build the Minnesota we want — winning elections, winning campaigns, investing in our movement, and dreaming big together.

The program will start at 11:00 a.m. — hit play below to start watching, and then join the conversation on Twitter by tweeting @TakeActionMN with hashtags #ForwardTogether and #TAMN. … Continue reading »

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