Insight News ::: 2.14.11

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Adrift on the Mississippi NOW THROUGH FEB. 27 The powerful true story of Reverend Robert Hickman, who led a group of slaves out of Missouri, up the Mississippi River on a raft in search of freedom. Now through Feb. 27. Thur. and Fri. at 10am and 7:30pm; Sat. at 7:30pm; Sun. at 2pm. Adults: $25-30 Seniors: $22-28 Students with college ID: $15 Children: $10. Concordia University, St. Paul E.M. Pearson Theatre 312 Hamline Ave. N. St. Paul, MN 55104.

INSIGHT NEWS February 14 - February 20, 2011 • MN Metro Vol. 37 No. 6 • The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • www.insightnews.com

Lunds: Escucha;

estamos

en la lucha By Ivan B. Phifer Staff Writer These were the chants of Lunds and Byerly’s workers. A message to Lund’s that translates to: “Lunds, listen, we are in the struggle.” Last week in Edina, 30 CTUL workers and allies gathered at Lunds Headquarters, 4100 West 50th Street, to address the company regarding workers concerns to clean stores. After marching in front of the headquarters, they marched across the street to the Lunds grocery store. While the protestors were outside, National Floor Maintenance worker Eduardo Davalos and CTUL (Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en Lucha) organizer Brian Payne, met with Lunds representatives inside their office to discuss workers’ concerns in addition to providing a letter. The concerns and demands included that Lunds address serious problems that occur during the cleaning of their stores; regarding reported sexual harassment by a National Floor Maintenance supervisor, the recent abrupt firing of about 12 cleaning workers, and the human rights violations that retail cleaning workers face every day on the job. “You guys have been advised of this and have not taking any action,” Payne said. “Lunds will be held accountable for this and this will end up reflecting badly on your store,” he said.

The Human Resources representative of Lunds Food Holding Inc put strong emphasis on remaining unanimous and would not give her name. She repeatedly kept telling Payne and Davalos to “take it up with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.” Additionally, she stated that in October of 2010, Lunds began a bidding process with cleaning companies and chose the one who gave them the most competitive bid. This was why they switched four of their store’s contractors from National Floor Maintenance, to Carlson Building Maintenance (Carlson). As a result, about 12 National Floor Maintenance workers lost their jobs with absolutely no notice on Sunday night. Mario Colloly Torres, a Carlson worker at Cub Foods and CTUL member, explained the changes in salary made in wages to the workers to cut costs. “In the last ten years, wages at Carlson have dropped from about $10$11 an hour to about $7.50 an hour and the workload has nearly doubled. Unfortunately, this is the industry standard in retail cleaning,” he said. Anallely Vivar Chiman also a CTUL member has worked with National Floor Maintenance for four years. According to her, Lunds repeatedly denies responsibility for what happened to the workers.

LUNDS TURN TO 11 Suluki Fardan

Second Chance lobbies legislature By Lydia Schwartz Contributing Writer In 2009, former MN Gov. Tim Pawlenty signed into law a requirement for public employers to remove questions about criminal history from initial employment applications, also known as “Ban the Box.” During the 2011 Legislative Session, the

MN Second Chance Coalition hopes to lobby state legislators to expand this requirement to private employers, and to credit history as well. Current MN Statute (364.021, 2010) states, that a “public employer may not inquire into or consider the criminal record, or criminal history, of an applicant for public employment until the applicant has been selected for an interview by the employer.” Only

the Department of Corrections, and other certain public employers, who have a statutory duty to conduct a criminal history background check, or otherwise take into consideration a potential employee’s criminal history during the hiring process, is exempt from this law. Public employers are still able to notify applicants that they may be later disqualified because of a particular criminal history background for

certain positions. The proposed expansions to criminal history protections in the private sector during initial employment application processes would push employers towards eliminating discriminatory practices. Banning the box for private employers reinforces the idea that our communities are safer and stronger when everyone has

BAN TURN TO 2

Urban League reports financial gains The Minneapolis Urban League, among the oldest community organizations in the Twin Cities, said that it will end 2010 with a surplus after experiencing deficits. Its financial position today demonstrates a $240,000 turnaround from the close of 2009. “In an economic crisis, demand for our services goes up while revenue goes down. At the Minneapolis Urban League, however, we have utilized fewer resources more efficiently,” said CeLois Steele, Minneapolis Urban League Board Chair. Since the beginning of the current recession in 2007, the nonprofit sector has suffered

Scott Gray

CeLois Steele

under considerable financial strain. According to The Minnesota Nonprofit Economy

Report, an annual study by the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits (MCN), 48% of the

Business

My boss is a bully! Managing mean managers

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Education

School seeks to broaden children’s horizons

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1500 nonprofit organizations for which data is available reported an operating deficit in 2009. The Report also found that in the Twin Cities metro area between 2007 and 2009, nonprofit revenues fell an average of two percent per year, while expenditures increased an average of eight percent per year. During that same period of time, assets fell an average of three percent per year. According to the most recent Nonprofit Current Conditions Report, a biannual survey of MCN

MUL TURN TO 3

Jeff Rutherford with jsfordphotography

Patricia McGovern

Ramsey County launches study to examine environment’s impact on children’s health and well being By Chris Garner Contributing Writer Last month, January 24, Ramsey County launched The National Children’s Study at the Wilder Center in St. Paul. Ramsey County is one of many counties in Minnesota participating in what is said to be the largest and longest study created which will examine children’s family history. The project is also looking at children’s

Kam Williams Van Jones on the state of the “Carbon Nation”

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environments including, but not limited to, the air they breathe, the food they eat, and the neighborhoods where they live and play to better understand what influences their health and well-being. Over 100 health care professionals, students, state representatives, and parents gathered to hear University of Minnesota doctors discuss their plans for Ramsey County in this nation-wide study.

STUDY TURN TO 5

Lifestyle

Solve clutter problems: Have a party

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