Minnesota Building & Construction Trades Council

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Laborer Nick Schneider’s Worksite: Wherever the Wind Takes Him

Elgin, Minnesota — Nick Schneider, a laborer out of Local 405 in southeastern Minnesota, says more Minnesotans should consider the benefits of wind energy -- for both their source of electrical power and their future career plans. Schneider’s seen enough wind turbine sites and builds across Minnesota and the greater Midwest region to advocate for the benefits they bring to communities and professionals in the construction ... View Article

Earth Day: Minnesota Construction Workers Helping Minnesota Make the Transition to a Clean Energy Future

Each year, Earth Day (April 22, 2021) reminds people all over the world about the value and importance of caring for our planet and taking action to protect it. As Minnesota transitions to a clean energy future, someone has to build and maintain Minnesota’s energy infrastructure – the wind farms, solar farms, carbon capture systems, hydrogen power plants, and natural gas power plants that will be part of that cleaner energy future. Those ... View Article

Statement from the Minnesota Building Trades on the National Guard Leaving the St. Paul Labor Center

April 16, 2021 (St. Paul, MN) – The Minnesota Building Trades issued this statement following the National Guard leaving the St. Paul Labor Center Building on Wednesday evening. “The National Guard was called to duty by Governor Tim Walz to keep our communities safe, following civil unrest after the death of Daunte Wright. Leaders of the St. Paul Labor Center offered its building as a place of rest and preparation as the Guard ... View Article

Local 49 Operating Engineer Apprentice Helps Build Minnesota’s Wind Energy

When Rosey Grab decided to make a mid-life career-changing decision to become an operating engineer, the last place she envisioned herself would be helping to build one of Minnesota’s newest wind farms.   Grab is among the thousands of union construction workers throughout Minnesota and the Upper Midwest who are building Minnesota’s next generation of energy infrastructure – wind farms, solar farms, utility-scale battery storage and ... View Article

Minnesota’s Construction Trades Critical to a Reliable, Efficient Energy Future – Building Trades lay out Energy Infrastructure Priorities

Saint Paul, Minnesota -- As Minnesota develops public policy to transition to a reliable, carbon-free energy future, Minnesota construction trade unions representing 70,000 union construction professionals, are advocating for secure, reliable, accessible and cost-affordable energy to ensure the long-term success for Minnesota workers and communities. “We need a strong, statewide strategy for investments in reliable energy that ... View Article

Minnesota Pipefitter’s Energy Impact: Exploring Deanna’s role at a Nuclear Plant

Deanna Thomas’ career as a pipefitter for St. Paul Local 455 has taken her to places that she had never imagined — such as the control room of a nuclear power plant. “It’s a rare experience that I’m very proud of,” Thomas said. “I get to work on or in some of the coolest places that most people just overlook on their drive home.” Most recently, Thomas worked at the Flint Hills Pine Bend Oil Refinery in Rosemount, Minnesota. The refinery ... View Article

Statement on Unemployment Insurance Special Additional Benefits Passed by the Minnesota Legislature

December 14, 2020 - On behalf of union construction professionals across the State, the Minnesota Building and Construction Trades would like to thank the Legislature and Governor Walz for their work in passing 13-weeks of special additional unemployment benefits. According to DEED, more than 87,000 construction trades workers have applied for unemployment insurance since March 2020.  This is more than any other occupation in our ... View Article

Brock, first year Apprentice, Operating Engineers

Brock is in his first year as an Operating Engineer Apprentice. After graduating with a four-year degree, he couldn’t work in his field of study. “I bounced around from one dead end job to another,” he says. In the beginning of 2020, Brock learned about a program called Building Strong Communities, an apprenticeship readiness program sponsored by the union construction industry, the Metropolitan Council, the McKnight ... View Article

Bre Ana, a first year apprentice with the Iron Workers

Bre Ana is a first-year apprentice with the Iron Workers. She says the best part of being an apprentice is getting to see the results of your work. “Even after an 8-hour shift, you can see your work. The beams you raised, the welding you finished. I never dreamed there was a job like this out there.” Bre Ana is currently working at the Metro Transit Rail Yard on Hiawatha Avenue and says it is her favorite job so far. “When I ... View Article

Mahaila, 3rd Year Apprentice

Mahaila, a 3rd year registered union apprentice with the Operating Engineers from Cloquet, is 1,000 training work hours away from becoming a journeyworker. The majority of Mahaila’s work has been on the road in International Falls rebuilding roads from the Canadian border. “I like to travel, and this job has me travelling a lot. I like going to new places, enjoying the scenery,” Mahaila says. The best part of being a 3rd year ... View Article

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