Every week, Alliance for a Better Minnesota will highlight the important work being done in the progressive community. Focusing on issues that impact Minnesotans’ lives, this important work helps Minnesota continue moving forward.
Transit: A new website launched by Neighborhoods Organizing for Change, TakeAction Minnesota, ISAIAH, the Sierra Club and the Harrison Neighborhood Association takes a closer look at proposed light rail plans and the impact on neighborhoods across Minneapolis. The coalition is working to make sure transit plans create equity and opportunity across Minneapolis, making sure transit is treated as a public asset that breaks down economic barriers for those living in poverty.
Climate Change: A new report outlines the vast impacts of climate change on the environment and communities. The Executive Director of Blue Green Alliance released a statement on the report emphasizing the need to take action on this growing issues, saying, “In order to avert the increasing severity of extreme weather events, everyone from federal, state and local officials to community leaders and health advocates will have to roll up their sleeves and get to work on these solutions. If we work together, we can make every community a safer and more resilient community.”
Strong Workers: Eighteen grocery stores in the metro area are being sold, and employees will continue to have strong union representation with their new employers. United Food & Commercial Workers Local 1189 represents workers in the east metro stores being sold, including those in Cottage Grove, Inver Grove Heights and Shoreview, and has already started working with members and employers to guarantee that workers experience a smooth transition.
Equal Pay: Governor Dayton signed a package of bills leveling the economic playing field for women into law this weekend on Mother’s Day. Currently, women in Minnesota still earn only 80 cents to every dollar a man makes. This legislation makes sure pregnant and nursing mothers have the accommodations they need at work, and that businesses contracting with the state pay men and women doing equal work the same.
