From ND AFL-CIO: February 26 Update

Hundreds of union supporters rally at Minnesota Capitol Hundreds of union members, including teachers, nurses and construction workers, rallied inside the State Capitol in St. Paul on Saturday to draw attention to a Supreme Court case that could deliver a major blow to organized labor. The Working People’s Day of Action rally was organized in response to the Janus vs. AFSCME Council 31 case, scheduled to be heard by the high court on Monday. Arming teachers isn't the solution It has now been more than a week since the tragic events unfolded at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. There, 14 students and three staff members were killed and many others were injured, some seriously. At North Dakota United, the news of this Valentine’s Day massacre hit all of us very hard. Children, after all, are at the heart of everything we do. From teaching children to providing the public services that strengthen their families, NDU is undeniably child-centered. So like millions of families across the nation our NDU family stopped what they were doing and tried to make sense of what we were seeing on the news. How after Columbine, after Sandy Hook could this be happening again? Zaleski: Senate race will be down, dirty as it gets Congressman Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., now a wannabe U.S. senator, has never won a tough election. He's been in only two that were real tests, both against Rep. Earl Pomeroy, D-N.D., (1996 and 1998), and Cramer handily lost both. One of those losses was distinguished by Cramer's odious concession speech in which he spat into the camera, "I will be watching you, Earl Pomeroy." He shredded decency and good manners, opting instead for an angry poor-loser performance that exposed a streak of smarmy nastiness. Letter: Why should we give Cramer a promotion? Rep. Kevin Cramer announced he's running for Senate, which left us thinking — why should we give him a promotion? Cramer's record in Congress has been dismal. So why is he trying to jump jobs when he can't even do the one he has? Just last month, he said it was best for North Dakota if he stayed in the House. He said he couldn't be an effective congressman if he had to run a Senate campaign. Video: ND AFL-CIO President on Harold Hamm as Rep. Cramer Campaign Finance Chair Labor Town Hall: Unions, Politics & Power - Bismarck Edition The North Dakota AFL-CIO will host a town hall-style meeting with the theme of "Unions, Politics and Power" for union members and their families at the Bismarck Labor Temple on Feb 27th at 6:00 pm. Come learn and discuss how we can use our freedom to join together to build better lives for North Dakota union families and to build a better North Dakota for all workers. Pizza, Pop, Coffee and Cookies will be served. NOTE: This discussion will be geared specifically towards North Dakota union members, retired union members and union family members. Similar Labor Town Halls for the general public are forthcoming. Locations for Grand Forks, Minot TBA. Stand Up for SNAP! On any given day 54,000 North Dakotans rely on SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) to put food on their table. SNAP is set to be reauthorized in the 2018 Farm Bill. Based on past Farm Bills and what we are hearing from Congress, we expect the program will be at risk of significant cuts and damaging policy changes. Mobile Messaging for North Dakota Workers! We are happy to introduce a new tool in the fight for workers' rights in North Dakota! Text NDLABOR to 235246 to join our new mobile messaging service and stay up-to-date on upcoming actions and events for working people!