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Here’s what labor policy bills will likely pass in Minnesota — and other labor news
Minnesota Capitol. Photo courtesy House Information Services.

Here’s what labor policy bills will likely pass in Minnesota — and other labor news

By Max Nesterak, Minnesota Reformer Take a seat in the Break Room, our weekly roundup of labor news in Minnesota and beyond. This week: Minnesota’s labor policy package; AG gets temporary injunction for dairy farm workers; Nonprofit hospitals get more than they give; law enforcement’s recruitment crisis; Amazon

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MyPillow is getting evicted from a warehouse, but Lindell says it’s not used anymore
Mike Lindell watches a new million-dollar machine in the MyPillow factory in Shakopee, Minnesota on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023. Nicole Neri/The Minnesota Reformer

MyPillow is getting evicted from a warehouse, but Lindell says it’s not used anymore

By Deena Winter, Minnesota Reformer MyPillow is getting evicted from one of two Shakopee warehouses it leases, but CEO Mike Lindell told the Reformer that the building has been sitting empty since last fall. The company’s main manufacturing warehouse — about a mile away ­— is where all of the Minnesota

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Minnesota governor says public option won’t happen this year — and other labor news
House Majority Leader Jamie Long, DFL-Minneapolis, speaks at a news conference in support of a public option on Feb. 14, 2024. Photo by Max Nesterak/Minnesota Reformer.

Minnesota governor says public option won’t happen this year — and other labor news

By Max Nesterak, Minnesota Reformer Take a seat in the Break Room, our weekly round-up of labor news in Minnesota and beyond. This week: governor throws cold water on public option; Minneapolis roiled by Uber and Lyft threats; lawmakers look to raise state minimum wage; U of M students could

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Minneapolis police chief: We may have to stop investigating property crimes
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara announces a restructuring Monday in downtown Minneapolis. Photo by Deena Winter/Minnesota Reformer

Minneapolis police chief: We may have to stop investigating property crimes

By Deena Winter, Minnesota Reformer Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara has had a relatively successful tenure since arriving in December 2022, at least by the standards of the Minneapolis Police Department. Crime is down, none of his officers has been convicted of murder, and he still has the job,

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Walz proposes $226 million supplemental budget
Gov. Tim Walz gives remarks at Minnesota Management and Budget’s economic forecast announcing a $3.7 billion surplus on Feb. 29, 2024. Courtesy of Senate Media Services.

Walz proposes $226 million supplemental budget

Walz said his proposal for this year’s supplemental budget is intentionally small and will keep Minnesota on “solid fiscal footing.”

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Minnesota’s fiscal outlook improves; budget agency urges caution
Gov. Tim Walz on Feb. 29, 2024, said the state’s economic outlook is positive during a presentation on the state’s budget at the Department of Revenue Building in St. Paul. Photo by Michelle Griffith/Minnesota Reformer.

Minnesota’s fiscal outlook improves; budget agency urges caution

However, the state still faces a looming deficit — or “structural imbalance” — in future years, as spending will outpace revenue.

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Lawmakers pushing for child care subsidy program
Sen. Grant Hauschild, DFL-Hermantown, testifies in front of the Senate Education Policy committee on Feb. 26, 2024. Hauschild is one of the lead authors on a bill that would expand child care subsidies. Photo by Madison McVan/Minnesota Reformer.

Lawmakers pushing for child care subsidy program

By Madison McVan, Minnesota Reformer Most Minnesota families with young children could qualify for child care assistance under a subsidy program proposed by DFL state lawmakers. If passed by the Legislature, the Great Start Affordability Scholarship program would assist families making up to 150% of the state median household income

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Compromise reached on school resource officers bill
Minnesota Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson testifies before the House Education Policy Committee Feb. 12 about the school resource officer bill authored by Rep. Cedrick Frazier (left). (Michele Jokinen/House Information Office)

Compromise reached on school resource officers bill

By Deena Winter, Minnesota Reformer Republican and Democratic-Farmer-Labor lawmakers appear to have struck a compromise on rules to govern cops’ use of force in Minnesota schools. DFL lawmakers have been working on legislation that would scale back a law passed last session that limits how school police can physically restrain

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More criminal suspects are shooting at Minnesota police officers, data show
Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images.

More criminal suspects are shooting at Minnesota police officers, data show

By Christopher Ingraham, Minnesota Reformer Violent assaults on police officers have risen sharply in recent years, according to the comprehensive data included in the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension’s Uniform Crime Reports. But those assaults rarely turn fatal: From 2004 to 2023 only 11 Minnesota police officers died in the

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ERA, Mardi Gras and apple blondies: Day 1 of the 2024 Minnesota legislative session
Senate President Bobby Joe Champion, DFL-Minneapolis, spoke at an ERA rally at the Capitol, joined on stage by U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum (left) and state Sen. Mary Kunesh, DFL-New Brighton, on Feb. 12, 2024. Photo by Michelle Griffith/Minnesota Reformer.

ERA, Mardi Gras and apple blondies: Day 1 of the 2024 Minnesota legislative session

By Michelle Griffith, Minnesota Reformer Hundreds of advocates for gun restrictions, making Minnesota a sanctuary state and passing the Equal Rights Amendment welcomed lawmakers back to the Capitol Monday, bursting with cheers, chants, prayers, songs — and requests for funding for their causes. During even-numbered years, the Minnesota Legislature typically passes

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What to watch for this 2024 Minnesota legislative session
The Minnesota Capitol Building. Courtesy of Minnesota House Public Information Services.

What to watch for this 2024 Minnesota legislative session

By Michelle Griffith, Minnesota Reformer Minnesota lawmakers gavel in the 2024 legislative session on Monday, armed with a short list of priorities compared to last year’s historic session — and carrying a far smaller pot of money. Democratic-Farmer-Labor legislators, who control both the House and Senate with narrow majorities, last

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Attorney general, governor to push for medical debt reform
Attorney General Keith Ellison announced his support for legislation that would rein in medical billing at a press conference on Feb. 9, 2024. Photo by Madison McVan/Minnesota Reformer.

Attorney general, governor to push for medical debt reform

“Medical debt isn’t like a mortgage or car loan. You apply for those. You seek them out. But you don’t apply for medical debt — you incur it because you have no other choice.” -- Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison

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Nurses union attacks hospital executive pay after legislative defeat — and other labor news
Minnesota Nurses Association President Chris Rubesch announces the union’s 2024 “Healing Greed Agenda” at the Minnesota state Capitol on Feb. 5, 2024. Photo by Max Nesterak/Minnesota Reformer.

Nurses union attacks hospital executive pay after legislative defeat — and other labor news

By Max Nesterak, Minnesota Reformer Take a seat in the Break Room, our weekly roundup of labor news in Minnesota and beyond. This week; the Minnesota Nurses Association goes after hospital executive pay at the state Capitol as it faces its own internal strife; Minneapolis considers various pay models for

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