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CARE Documentary Watch Party

Join us at our Care Economy Meeting where we will be hosting a screening of the PBS documentary CARE, followed by community discussion. The screening is sponsored by Caring Across Generations, a national campaign to transform care so that everyone can live and age with dignity. 

Location: TakeAction MN 705 Raymond Ave, Saint Paul, MN 55114

ABOUT THE FILM: CARE, by Deirdre Fishel and Tony Heriza, shines a light on the relationships at the heart of the most supportive and sustainable long-term care option that we have: paid in-home caregiving. 90% of Americans wish to age at home but many cannot depend exclusively on their family and friends for their needs and so they rely on the critical, compassionate and skilled services of paid care workers. Shown through the eyes of both care workers and their clients, CARE illuminates the complexities of care work, as well as the life-changing attachments that often develop between care workers
and those who receive it. The film urges viewers to consider the many barriers that keep people from doing this admirable work and others from receiving the care they need and deserve.


ABOUT THE ISSUE: At some point in our lives, we will all need care.… Continue reading »

Cities, States Deliver Paid Leave so Survivors Can ‘Get Safe’

A growing movement is making it possible for survivors of domestic violence to take time off—without sacrificing their income or jeopardizing their jobs.

The lack of paid time off from work can spell economic disaster, or worse, for people escaping abuse.

Shawnu Ksicinski, a worker rights’ advocate, told Rewire about domestic violence survivors “fired for showing up with bruises on their face.”

“They lost their jobs because instead of staying home, or being able to seek medical assistance, they were going to work,” said Ksicinski, Duluth program manager with TakeAction Minnesota. The organization is pushing for paid sick time and “safe time” in cities around the state.

A growing movement is making it possible for survivors of domestic violence to take time off, with pay, to care for themselves and their families—without sacrificing their income or jeopardizing their jobs. Read the full story. … Continue reading »

Public Hearing: $15 for Minneapolis

Hosted by 15 Now Minnesota, CTUL, NOC, and SEIU MN State Council.

After years of protests, strikes, and community organizing across the city, 71,000 workers are on the verge of winning a historic victory: a $15/hour minimum wage in Minneapolis.

$15/hr would give a raise to 71,000 workers, disproportionately workers of color, immigrant and female workers. The city of Minneapolis’ economic impact study confirms that $15 would give massive stimulus to the local economy and help reduce food insecurity.

On June 22, city council is holding a public hearing on the $15 minimum wage. Anyone can testify. We know that big business is going to be there fighting to block $15 and water it down with loopholes and exemptions. We need to be there to tell city council that workers can’t afford to wait: we need $15 for all workers, no exemptions, as fast as possible!

Join us at 3 to rally before the hearing, or come at 6 for dinner from local restaurants that support $15 and an energy rally!

We could win one of the most progressive policies in recent Minneapolis history and be the first city in the Midwest to pass $15/hr. Be there to share your testimony and help workers win $15!… Continue reading »

Hardman Avenue Workers’ Center Grand Opening Reception

Join us for our Grand Opening Reception
Thursday June 8, 2017
Program at 5:00 p.m.
Refreshments from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m

Workers’ Center Inaugural Events Schedule:

June 9, 2017    9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.  Citizenship Program Training Workshop (for Staff and Volunteers)  June 10, 2017   9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.  Free Citizenship Application Workshop  June 11, 2017  9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.    Free Citizenship Application Workshop… Continue reading »

Minnesota Governor Rejects GOP-Backed Wage Suppression

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton (D) this week vetoed a bill written to deny workers paid sick-time and quash a local campaign to lift the minimum wage to $15 per hour.

The state’s base wage is $9.50 per hour, or $19,760 annually, Dayton noted in his veto message. It’s an amount that places a family of four below the poverty line.

“People need to be making a livable wage, which is $15 per hour,” Kyanna Roland, an activist with TakeAction Minnesota, which supports the $15 minimum wage, told Rewire.

The GOP legislation, SF 3, is an example of a preemption bill, an increasingly popular big-business strategy to suppress local labor laws. In 2016, 36 states introduced bills to preempt city ordinances, up from 29 states just a year earlier.

 

Minnesota Republicans advanced the preemption legislation in response to an anticipated $15 minimum wage hike in Minneapolis and paid sick-time measures passed in that city and St. Paul.

Without paid sick leave, employees “didn’t got to the doctor, they went to work sick,” Roland told Rewire. “That was a huge issue, especially in the food industry, where people would go to work sick.”

In recent years, roughly 40 U.S. cities have increased their minimum wage, and more than 30 have guaranteed paid sick days, according to the National Employment Law Project (NELP).… Continue reading »

Governor Dayton, vetoes are in order.

May 26, 2017

Honorable Governor Mark Dayton

130 State Capitol

75 Dr. Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.

St. Paul, MN 55155

 

Governor Dayton:

On behalf of the 67,000 supporters and 28 member organizations of TakeAction Minnesota from across the state, we ask you to veto the following bills: H.F. 470 Public Safety, S.F. 3 Labor Standards, S.F. 1456 Jobs & Energy, H.F. 2 E-12 Education, and H.F. 1 Taxes.  We also ask for a meeting with you at your earliest convenience to discuss both our opposition to these bills and hour our statewide network of activists can support progressive legislative alternatives.

The purpose of our state government is to serve Minnesotans through a robust democratic process that is inclusive, fair, and focused on the future.  Provisions in each of these five bills fall far short of this vision; they contain policies or approaches that violate these basic principles, and the values we hold as Minnesotans. The Legislature’s bills harm ordinary citizens, while blatantly prioritizing the financial interest of corporations and wealthy individuals.

The anti-immigrant driver’s license language in H.F. 470, the Public Safety Finance bill, is pointless and mean-spirited.  It is an effort to slam the door shut on new Minnesotans, rather than welcome and include them. … Continue reading »

Fast Food May 1st Strike

Hosted by CTUL.

Fast food workers organizing with CTUL will be on strike on May 1st to demand $15 in Minneapolis and the right to form a union. Fast food workers have been on the front lines and have played a very crucial role in moving the conversation about living wages forward in Minneapolis. Two years ago, we were told it couldn’t be done, and today we are closer to passing $15! Join us to continue to uplift the stories of these fearless leaders on May 1st.

The fast food action will be a part of the International Workers’ Day and Day Without Immigrants March, which will begin at East Phillips Park. There will be a stop on the march at Wendy’s as we make our way to Federal Plaza.… Continue reading »

Retail Janitors May 1st Strike!

Hosted by CTUL.

Stand with retail janitors going on strike May 1st!

Retail janitors organizing with CTUL will be going on strike on May 1st to demand an end to low wages and wage theft in their industry and are fighting for fair pay and a voice on the job.

Other retail janitorial companies have improved wages and other work standards including the right to form a union without fear of retaliation, but Kimco, Capital, and Diversified refuse to meet those basic standards.

This strike will be one of multiple upcoming actions on May 1st which will include a fast food strike and A Day Without Immigrants to demand an end to poverty wages, improvements in working conditions, and respect amidst attacks under President Trump and his corporate backers.… Continue reading »

Rise Up for Renters’ Rights! MFE Week of Action Renters Action

Hosted by InquilinXs UnidXs por Justicia.

Join renters from across the city in staning up against one of Minneapolis’ worst slumlords: Stephen Frenz. This May Day, renters with Inquilinixs Unidxs Por Justicia/United Renters for Justice will be demanding a rent freeze and recognition of a tenant union. Renters will share their stories of injustice and abuse on behalf of Stephen Frenz and The Apartment Shop as well as our city’s need for rent control.

Stephen Frenz, landlord with The Apartment Shop, has repeatedly neglected repairs and housing conditions, committed fraud, and is now increasing rents while the city is moving to revoke his rental licenses. Tenants are saying enough is enough, and taking the fight to his doorstep! Join us at The Apartment Shop headquarters to show Stephen Frenz that he can’t get away with abusing tenants and raising rents.

—–

Únese con inquilinxs de toda la ciudad en levantarse en contra de unos de los peores dueños de Minneapolis: Stephen Frenz. Este Primero de Mayo, inquilinxs con Inquilinxs Unidxs Por Justicia van a demandar que el dueño congele las rentas y que reconozca un sindicato de inquilinxs. Inquilinxs van a compartir sus historias de injusticia y abuso por parte de Stephen Frenz y The Apartment Shop y también sobre la necesitad de nuestra ciudad por control de renta.… Continue reading »

No Cuts. No Hikes. Fund Transit Now!

Rally Against Metro Transit Service Cuts & Fare Hikes
Please RSVP here: https://tinyurl.com/TF-rally4-18

For years the Minnesota legislature has refused to increase long-term funding for transit. Now despite more than a billion dollar surplus, they are pushing service cuts and fare increases for Metro Transit.

We’re frustrated and worried about how this could impact families and workers who rely on transit every day.

Stand up for transit riders and for affordable, equitable, and clean transportation options in the metro.

Sign up at https://tinyurl.com/TF-rally4-18 to let us know you’ll be there.

Organized by Transportation Forward.… Continue reading »

Stand with Retail Janitors at Home Depot!

Hosted by CTUL. On March 24th janitors who are contracted to clean Home Depot will protest Home Depot founders’ support for Donald Trump because of his anti-immigrant and low-wage policies and demand that Home Depot adopt a Responsible Contractor Policy to protect workers rights and ensure fair wages. Meet at 2pm at the Richfield Home Depot and stand with retail janitors! Look for the CTUL signs.

 … Continue reading »

Workers’ Day at Minneapolis City Hall

Workers’ Day will be an opportunity for working people to share their views and experiences with policy makers and city staff. There will be four distinct issues covered including workplace policies, housing, community safety and public health, and immigration.

This event is being co-hosted by the City of Minneapolis along with the Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation, Neighborhoods Organizing for Change, Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en Lucha, Jewish Community Action, Minnesota Nurses Association, SEIU MN State Council, AFSCME Council 5, 15NOW, and TakeAction MN.… Continue reading »

Wage Theft Rally

Wage theft hurts families who just want to pay their bills, it hurts good businesses that follow the rules, and it hurts all of us when people are cheated out of money they would otherwise circulate back into our communities.

CTUL is leading a coalition of organizations who have collaborated with the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry to present a Wage Theft Initiative in the state legislature. Governor Mark Dayton is also getting behind this initiative after meeting with community and labor groups. The Wage Theft Initiative proposes policy changes to give the Department more enforcement tools and an increased budget to hire four additional wage and hour investigators to do proactive outreach across the state.

The campaign continues to grow momentum! Lieutenant Governor Tina Smith is teaming up with workers who have been victims of wage theft to hold an event in the Capitol Rotunda from 2-3pm on Wednesday February 15th. We hope you can be there! … Continue reading »

Tipping Point: Why the Minneapolis Minimum Wage Debate Matters

You are invited to a talk by Saru Jayaraman. In this talk, Jayaraman will explore the little known history of tipping in the United States, and place contemporary minimum wage debates in Minneapolis and Minnesota in a national context of the fight to improve pay and working conditions for all workers. As the city debates wages, the hospitality industry, tip penalties, and back of the house wages have become centers of conversation. Jayaraman will help provide a national perspective on these issues from the point of view of a researcher and practitioner. This talk is sponsored by 15 Now Minnesota, CTUL, MN Neighborhoods Organizing for Change (NOC), SEIU MN State Council, ISAIAH

 … Continue reading »

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