Minneapolis, MN – More than 200 public employees, Aircraft mechanics and other workers rallied here, August 30, to support the strike at Northwest Airlines. Initiated by AFSCME Local 3800, the clerical workers union at the University of Minnesota, the protest targeted scabs who are housed near campus. A large number of the participants were members of AMFA, the union of striking airline mechanics.

Minneapolis, MN – More than 100 people gathered here May 1, May Day, for a celebration of International Workers’ Day. Speakers from key Minneapolis and St. Paul battles, including organizers of the clerical workers’ strike at the University of Minnesota and the 46-day transit workers’ strike, addressed the standing room-only crowd. The event was organized by Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Minneapolis, MN – At a packed fundraiser for striking bus drivers on Saturday, March 27, almost $15,000 in contributions from local unions and individuals was collected for the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1005 strike fund. Participants also contributed three truckloads of food for the Local 1005 strikers' food bank.

The following is a speech delivered by Phyllis Walker, the President of AFSCME Local 3800, at a Dec. 10 forum organized by Freedom Road Socialist Organization. The program focused on the lessons of the clerical workers’ strike at the University of Minnesota, and featured talks by strike leaders. Many in the audience had participated in strike. The speeches were followed by a wide-ranging discussion on the strike, the state of the labor movement and the need for socialism.

Minneapolis, MN – A sharp battle is under way between University of Minnesota workers and a university administration that's pushing an agenda of layoffs, benefit cuts and a wage freeze.

Minneapolis, MN – More than 150 clerical workers at the University of Minnesota protested Governor Tim Pawlenty when he came to campus on Feb. 28. Pawlenty had the nerve to show his face on campus just a week after he proposed to cut the University’s budget by $185 million. He was also pushing a wage freeze for University workers and yet another large tuition increase for students, who have already suffered two years in a row of 13% tuition increases.

Minneapolis, MN – Nurses at two hospitals, Fairview Southdale and Fairview Riverside, went on strike demanding better pay, along with better and safer working conditions. 13 other area hospitals ended up settling their contracts.

Minneapolis, MN – More than 400 clerical workers showed up in the mid-February cold to celebrate the growth of their union and to kick off their contract campaign. The event coincided with the ten-year anniversary of the founding of AFSCME Local 3800 at the University of Minnesota.

Minneapolis, MN – For 13 days, members of Hotel and Restaurant Employees Union (HERE) Local 17 walked the picket lines at Twin Cities hotels. The strike for better wages, dependent healthcare and dignity on the job garnered national attention. “This was a fight for the lowest paid and the most exploited worker,” said Jaye Rykunyk, principle officer of Local 17.

Minneapolis, MN - 14 demonstrators were arrested here, May 15, after committing civil disobedience in solidarity with the Palestinians of Jenin. The demonstration, called by the Anti-War Committee, slammed U.S. funding of the Israeli military and demanded justice for the Palestinians massacred by the Israeli army in the Jenin refugee camp.

Minneapolis, MN – The Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War hosted a Rock Against the War benefit concert here, July 24. More than 100 people packed the Triple Rock Social Club, listening to the bands The Usual Suspects, Truthmaze, Bad Accident, and Death Ray Scientific. The show was co-sponsored by Substance, a non-profit bookings and promotion group devoted to merging independent art, music and social justice activism.

Minneapolis, MN – On July 16, Federal Judge Joan Ericksen, a Republican appointee, denied a motion for a preliminary injunction that would have ordered the city of Saint Paul to grant the permit originally requested by the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War for a national demonstration on Sept. 1. Her ruling made no modifications to a permit issued by the city that would restrict demonstrators to a route along Cedar Street and require them to end the demonstration before the Republican National Convention begins.

Minneapolis, MN – With the courtroom packed and many waiting in the hallway, attorneys from the National Lawyers Guild and the American Civil Liberties Union presented a case in federal court, July 9 on behalf of the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War. The Coalition is seeking a preliminary injunction requiring the city of Saint Paul to a issue realistic permit for the Sept. 1 anti-war march.

Minneapolis, MN – The Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War celebrated their new offices with an open house, June 20. The group is planning a massive anti-war protest for the first day of the Republican National Convention in Saint Paul in September.

Minnesota

Minneapolis, MN – Presidential candidate John McCain was met by 100 anti-war protesters and trade unionists at a fundraising event at the Minneapolis Hilton, June 19. The demonstration was organized by the Anti-War Committee.

Minneapolis MN – Attorneys from the National Lawyers Guild and the American Civil Liberties Union returned to federal court on the evening of June 9, on behalf of the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War. The Coalition is seeking a preliminary injunction requiring the city of Saint Paul to issue adequate permits for the Sept. 1 anti-war march.

Minneapolis, MN – In a great display of unity and solidarity, activists from around the country gathered on the University of Minnesota campus, Feb. 9-10, for an organizing conference to plan the anti-war protests at the Republican National Convention.

Minneapolis, MN – About 2000 people filled the streets here, March 15 for an anti-war march to mark the fifth anniversary of the U.S. war in Iraq with a call for an end to the occupation.