Some Crystal Sugar works return to work More than 400 American Crystal Sugar Co. workers who have been locked out of their jobs for nearly two years are back to work.May 28, 2013
Daycare unionization bill heads to Minn. House floor Legislation to allow for the unionization of in-home child care providers and personal care assistants cleared its final Minnesota House committee Thursday night, and is headed for a floor vote.May 3, 2013
Labor, reeling elsewhere, poised for gains in Minn. As economic changes batter organized labor nationwide, eroding its membership and political power, Minnesota has emerged as one of the few places where unions are faring well.April 28, 2013
20-month lockout over, sugar workers brace for return to work Locked-out American Crystal Sugar union members are headed back to work after the union voted over the weekend to accept the company's contract offer. Union members, who have been locked out at five factories in the Red River Valley since August 2011, expect a bumpy return to their old jobs.April 15, 2013
US jobs report could signal weakness in Minn. Minnesota's chief labor market analyst said he is concerned that the nation's recent jobs report could signal weakness in the state's employment numbers, due out this week.April 14, 2013
US companies are posting more jobs but filling few U.S. employers have more job openings than at any other time in nearly five years. That's in part because they seem in no hurry to fill them. Why so many openings yet so few hires?April 9, 2013
In Wis., pay raises higher but go to fewer In the first round of pay raises since Wisconsin all but ended collective bargaining rights for state workers, supervisors issued average pay boosts of 6.52 percent -- but only about one of 14 eligible workers saw increases.April 7, 2013
Dropouts: Discouraged Americans leave labor force Nearly four years after the Great Recession ended, many Americans are still so discouraged that they've given up on the job market. Older Americans have retired early. Younger ones have enrolled in school. Others have suspended their job hunt until the employment landscape brightens. Some are collecting disability checks.April 6, 2013
Austin food company to lay off 125 workers Austin Packaging Co. plans to eliminate its frozen pizza manufacturing business, laying off about 125 employees.March 26, 2013
Unfit for work: The startling rise of disability in America In the past three decades, the number of Americans who are on disability has skyrocketed. The rise has come even as medical advances have allowed many more people to remain on the job, and new laws have banned workplace discrimination against the disabled. Every month, 14 million people now get a disability check from the government.March 23, 2013
Employees misclassified as contractors can cost firms a bundle In the wake of the Great Recession, some employers are choosing to use independent contractors instead of hiring permanent employees. But that cost savings strategy can result in lawsuits or hefty fines. Federal agencies and private law firms are going after businesses that misclassify employees as contractors as a way to save money.March 22, 2013
Average for US jobless claims at fresh 5-year low The number of people seeking U.S. unemployment aid barely changed last week, while the average over the past month fell to a fresh five-year low. The decline in layoffs is helping strengthen the job market.March 21, 2013
Poll: Low-wage workers, bosses at odds on training As they struggle to get ahead, many low-wage workers are not taking advantage of job training or educational programs that could help them make the leap to better-paying jobs.March 21, 2013
Poll: More working women want full time work Working mothers increasingly want full-time jobs, and tough economic times might be a big reason, according to a national survey. The poll comes amid a national debate on women in the workplace ignited by a new book from top Facebook executive Sheryl SandbergMarch 14, 2013