The Saint Paul Regional Labor Federation, AFL-CIO unites nearly 50,000 union members in the East Metro area of the Twin Cities. The mission of the Saint Paul Regional Labor Federation is to improve the lives of working families by acting locally to organize workers, build political power and advance worker-friendly legislation.

The Saint Paul Regional Labor Federation is a key part of the nation's largest and strongest labor federation – the AFL-CIO, which unites 10.5 million working women and men of every race and ethnicity and from every walk of life.

The Saint Paul Regional Labor Federation is a formidable voice for working families in Ramsey, Washington, Dakota and Chisago counties. Our professional staff members support local political, organizing and issue-oriented campaigns by mobilizing – and growing – a network of committed union volunteers. Read more ...

More than six months ago, American Crystal Sugar Co. locked out more than 1,300 sugar beet workers in the Red River Valley of Minnesota and North Dakota. Two months ago, Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. locked out more than 1,000 workers in Findlay, Ohio. Last week, Caterpillar announced it would shut down a plant in Ontario, just over one month after locking out 500 workers. Rio Tinto Alcan locked out 750 workers in Quebec Jan. 1. HealthBridge locked out 800 nursing home workers in Connecticut in December. As Laura Clawson at the Daily Kos notes, “For evidence of a war on workers, look no further than the rise of the lockout.” Read more >>>

Speaking to hundreds of progressive activists in Saint Paul, Larry Cohen, president of the Communications Workers of America outlined an aggressive vision for building “a grassroots movement for democracy like we’ve never seen in this country.” Read more >>>

A new campaign spearheaded by Working America is spreading the Occupy Wall Street movement's message from city centers into the suburban areas of the Twin Cities and beyond. The goal, organizers say, is to show the Occupy movement can’t be dismissed as a group of complainers who “need to take a shower and get a job.” Read more >>>

Starting tomorrow and continuing next week, jobless workers in 15 states who face cut off of their unemployment insurance (UI) Feb. 29 will ask members of Congress to “Walk a Mile in My Shoes.” The mobilization is aimed at lawmakers who are back in their districts for the President’s Day Recess that begins tomorrow, and it’s a partnership between USAction, the AFL-CIO, the National Employment Law Project (NELP), community and other groups. Read more >>>

The $25 billion foreclosure settlement with five of the nation’s biggest banks, announced this morning by federal and state officials, is a “step in addressing the housing and foreclosure crisis that plagues our country,” says AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka. Read more >>>

Registration is open for Labor Bowl 2012, a team-bowling fundraiser to benefit the Saint Paul Labor Studies and Resource Center on May 3 at Midway Pro Bowl in Saint Paul’s Midway Shopping Center. Read more >>>

Operation Christmas Solidarity, spearheaded by the St. Paul Regional Labor Federation and local representatives of American Income Life, provided toys, clothing, diapers and gift cards to every child and grandchild of workers locked out of their jobs since Aug. 1 by American Crystal Sugar. Read more >>>

Workers briefly occupied the Wells Fargo tower downtown Saint Paul January 24, shaming the giant bank for using loopholes in the corporate tax code to avoid paying its fair share. Read more >>>

Infrastructure investments, workforce training initiatives and tax credits for businesses that hire unemployed Minnesotans are among the proposals included in a jobs plan floated by Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton and DFLers in the Legislature. Read more >>>

The labor assemblies of the Saint Paul Regional Labor Federation carry out the federation’s work on the local, grassroots level. Whether it’s volunteering at the local food shelf, supporting an organizing drive or phone banking for labor-endorsed candidates, labor assemblies are a great way for rank-and-file union members to help grow labor’s presence in their communities.

The Regional Labor Federation currently has four labor assemblies, each of which serves a county in the East Metro area: the Saint Paul Labor Assembly, which serves Ramsey County; the Saint Croix Valley Labor Assembly, which serves Washington County; the Chisago County Labor Assembly; and the Southern Dakota County Labor Assembly. All of the assemblies meet monthly and are open to members of Regional Labor Federation-affiliated unions who live or work in their counties. For meeting times and locations, see the Regional Labor Federation calendar. For more information on labor assemblies, call 651-222-3787.