News
Pioneer Press Editorial: More progress on St. Croix bridge south of Stillwater
Submitted by JohnSee on Wed, 01/25/2012 - 4:59pm(Editorial in Jan 25, 2012 issue) In June, we went on record on these pages in support of an imperfect solution to a real problem. The solution is a four-lane freeway-style bridge crossing the St. Croix River south of Stillwater that would help solve the town's longstanding traffic-congestion problems. It needed exemption from the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to allow the project to go forward. Read more »
Unions split on Obama rejection of Keystone pipeline
Submitted by JohnSee on Fri, 01/20/2012 - 11:30amUnion leaders split on President Barack Obama’s Jan. 18 denial of a federal permit to build the 1,700-mile Keystone XL oil pipeline from the U.S.-Canada border to the Texas Gulf Coast. Construction unions called Obama’s ruling a “job killer,” but at least five unions sided with environmental groups against Keystone. Read more »
New video dispels 8 myths about Keystone XL Pipeline project
Submitted by JohnSee on Thu, 01/19/2012 - 11:41amJobs Can't Wait-8 Myths about the Keystone XL Pipeline project are dispelled in this video featuring Harry Melander, Pres, MN Building Trades; Glen Johnson, IUOE 49; Carl Crimmins, MN Pipe Trades; and Terry Wiederich, Laborers.
St. Croix River Crossing: Not an albatross, a necessity
Submitted by JohnSee on Thu, 01/12/2012 - 4:28pmAn opinion piece by Minnesota State Building and Construction Trades' President Harry Melander appeared in the January 12 issue of the Minneapolis StarTribune. An excerpt of "St. Croix River Crossing: Not an albatross, a necessity" is reprinted here. Read the entire editorial at StarTribune.com. Read more »
From the Center for American Progress: 20 Ideas for Job Creation
Submitted by JohnSee on Wed, 01/04/2012 - 1:46pmHere are 20 recent ideas from CAP’s policy teams to create middle-class jobs and promote an economy that works for everyone, not just the privileged few. Many of these ideas build on the ideas presented in our "Meeting the Jobs Challenge" initiative launched in 2009. It begins with upgrading our nation’s roads, bridges, and other basic infrastructure: 18,000 new jobs for every $1 billion invested. Read more »
Star Tribune editorial: St. Croix holdouts, kindly step aside
Submitted by JohnSee on Fri, 12/30/2011 - 11:17amOne of our New Year's hopes is that Congress will approve the St. Croix River Crossing bridge, a proposed four-lane project spanning from Minnesota to Wisconsin just south of Stillwater.
After 80 years, the current two-lane Stillwater Lift Bridge is rapidly deteriorating. It can't be torn down, however, because it's a protected historic landmark. At the same time, growth along the Wisconsin and Minnesota border is creating more traffic. Read more »
Health assessment provides comprehensive overview for 49ers
Submitted by KatieSanders on Wed, 12/28/2011 - 10:42amby Katie Sanders An 8 a.m. health assessment is just the thing to jump-start your day, I think with some annoyance, as I maneuver the car through the snow. I’m dressed in gym clothes and have a snack tucked in my bag to eat after the fasting blood draw. I’ve signed on for this activity to better understand the model and process of preventative health care used by the Operating Engineers Local 49. Read more »
Operating Engineers are changing the landscape of health care
Submitted by KatieSanders on Wed, 12/28/2011 - 10:29amBy Katie Sanders Members of Local 49 of the International Union of Operating Engineers are accustomed to reshaping huge tracts of land with heavy equipment. But the union is also changing a different kind of landscape – health care – through an innovative approach that focuses on prevention. Union officers said the steps they began taking more than five years ago have not only saved lives – they saved millions of dollars and helped Local 49 keep health care costs under control. Read more »
Jobless Rate Falls to 5.9 Percent says DEED
Submitted by JohnSee on Thu, 12/15/2011 - 11:11amThe Minnesota unemployment rate fell by 0.5 percent in November to a seasonally adjusted 5.9 percent, according to figures released today by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). The unemployment rate was the lowest in Minnesota since October 2008 and well behind the U.S. rate of 8.6 percent in November. Read more »
Categorizing the Unemployed by the Impact of the Recession Caused by the Financial Crisis
Submitted by JohnSee on Thu, 12/08/2011 - 10:31amIn August 2009, the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers began following a nationally representative sample of American workers who lost a job during the height of the Great Recession. The study resulted in descriptions of five groups: Workers who Made it Back; those who are On Their Way Back;the Downsized;the Devastated;and those Totally Wrecked. Read more »