In the first big Minnesota case concerning wage theft and labor trafficking, Ricardo Batres was recently charged with recruiting and exploiting Twin Cities construction workers. Yesterday, one day before his trial, Batres pled guilty to two of three charges against him. “We are grateful that the legal system is holding those who commit wage theft and illegal trafficking of construction workers seriously,” said Jessica Looman, Executive Director of the Minnesota Building and Construction ... View Article
Man accused of Exploiting Twin Cities Construction Workers Pleads Guilty to Labor Trafficking and Insurance Fraud
Sitting in a Required College Class, Christian Realized he Missed his Summer Job
After Christian graduated from high school, he became a summer helper at a mechanical contracting company learning about and working on plumbing projects. As the summer came to an end, Christian got ready to go to college. Midway through his freshman year, sitting in a required class for graduation, he thought about the fact that he was paying to sit and learn. Working at the mechanical contractor, he was paid to learn. “I didn’t like book learning. I knew I really liked hands on learning and ... View Article
Laci Traded in Her Desk Job for Heavy Machinery
About 2 years ago, Laci realized she no longer found her desk job fulfilling. Wanting a new challenge, she stopped at her local workforce center in St. Charles to see if there were any interesting jobs for her. She learned that Operating Engineers run heavy machinery on highway and construction projects. Laci thought that becoming an Operating Engineer was just the type of challenge she was looking for. She wanted a chance to be outside and to make a difference. She enrolled with the ... View Article
Emily Graduated from College Unable to find a Career, then She Found the Ironworkers.
Emily has two college degrees, one in business and one in theater. After college she looked for jobs where she could apply the skills she learned in school, but after working in customer service and at a coffee house, she decided to do some soul searching to find her true career path. Emily thought a lot about what she enjoyed about her high school and college classes. “I realized that I missed building things,” she said remembering her theater tech classes where she got to build sets ... View Article
Second Year Sheet Metal Apprentice First in Family to Purchase Home
Chevy As a second-year union registered apprentice with the Sheet Metal Workers Local 10, Chevy spent the last few last weeks cutting custom pieces of metal for an elementary school construction project in Spring Lake, Minnesota. Working full time, he comes into the apprenticeship training center twice a week for classes, learning the specialty trade. “For years I had dead end jobs with no opportunity for advancement,” he said. “But now, I get to go to work, I love what I do and I learn ... View Article
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