Governor

Thank you for seeking LIUNA Minnesota & North Dakota's endorsement for Attorney General. We are proud to represent more than 12,000 skilled construction & blue collar Laborers who join in union & raise the bar for all of Minnesota. We are your friends & neighbors improving Minnesota through our work in building construction, heavy & highway construction, construction supervision, environmental remediation, demolition, restoration & city services. We serve the members, families & retirees of five Local Unions: Local 563 (Twin Cities Metro, Mankato, Saint Cloud & North Dakota); Local 405 (Rochester, Red Wing, Winona & Austin ); Local 1091 (Duluth); Local 1097 (Virginia); & Local 363 (City of Minneapolis & Saint Paul public employees).
 
By the Numbers:
  • We represent 12,679 skilled construction LIUNA members
  • We partner with 800 total signatory Union Contractor employers
  • We accumulated 173,580 privately funded training hours in 2016-2017
  • We cover 27,800 participants in our health & welfare plan
  • We pump $780.6 million dollars into Minnesota’s economy annually

LIUNA Minnesota & North Dakota is proud to partner with our signatory contractors to enhance worker skills, promote workplace safety, offer job & career opportunities for a diverse workforce. We are on the side of all working people & working families, fighting for the freedom to negotiate, fair return on work, family-supporting wages, affordable health care, & retirement security, so working people can provide for & have the time to be with our families. We are proud to support leaders who share our values & priorities & protect our freedom to join together in union & freedom to prosper.

Work hard & good luck on the campaign trail. We look forward to working with you in the future.

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* 1. Date:

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* 2. Candidate & campaign information:

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* 3. Are you an active or former union member?

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* 4. What is your plan to win?

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* 5. What is the Attorney General's role in helping to create & protect family-supporting jobs?

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* 6. What is the Attorney General's role in helping to grow the Labor movement?

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* 7. Can we count on you to protect workers' freedom to prosper, speak out affirmatively about the benefits of collective bargaining & publicly oppose any so-called "Right to Work" legislation?

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* 8. Can we count on you to protect Davis-Bacon/Little Davis-Bacon & publicly oppose any changes to Minnesota's Prevailing Wage law that do not have LIUNA's support?

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* 9. Will you support the expansion of Minnesota's Prevailing Wage law to cover projects by local units of government, including cities, counties & school boards, & deploy resources to assist with enforcement?

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* 10. Can we count on you to support the use of Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) on state-funded projects & promote their effectiveness as a project-delivery tool at all levels of government & in the private sector?

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* 11. Can we count on you to protect local control & oppose "preemption" of local laws & policies affecting workers' wages, benefits & working conditions?

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* 12. Will you commit resources & develop expertise within the Office of the Attorney General to uphold standards, address abuses & promote safe, high quality employment within the construction industry?

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* 13. Will you commit to prioritize, dedicate resources, & coordinate with Federal, state & local agencies to support enforcement of labor, prevailing wage, fair contracting, & related laws governing the conduct of construction employers in order to ensure that the rights of workers & the interests of taxpayers and responsible contractors are protected?

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* 14. When advocating for the interests of residential & small business utility customers through the Office of the Attorney General’s Residential & Small Business Utilities Division, will you ensure that the office appropriately considers the importance of responsible contracting, worker safety, and the employment of skilled local labor to the development of high-quality energy infrastructure that serves the long-term needs of residential & small business customers & contributes to a healthy economy that supports said customers.

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* 15. Can we count on you to to support LIUNA's comprehensive "all of the above" energy strategy, which includes sensible infrastructure investments that keep Minnesota's power & fuel supplies safe, reliable & affordable, & protects Minnesota workers during the transition to lower-carbon energy sources?

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* 16. Can we count on you to respect the results of the Public Utility Commission's permitting process for the proposed Line 3 replacement & future proposed pipelines &, if approved, the safe & timely construction of the pipeline(s)?

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* 17. Can we count on you to protect workers in the transition from conventional to low-carbon energy by working to ensure that renewable energy projects create high-quality local jobs & by encouraging utilities to work with Labor on transition plans?

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* 18. In your role as Attorney General & State Executive Council member, can we count on you to support renewal of mineral leases & responsible mining projects, including iron, copper, nickel & precious metals projects, that meet Minnesota's strict standards for protecting the environment?

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* 19. Can we count on you to support efforts to ensure large construction projects that are publicly-funded, subsidized, or regulated are built by local Minnesota workers?

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* 20. Will you consider, where lawful and appropriate, a company’s local workforce commitments & practices as part of the Office of the Attorney General’s pursuit of equitable settlements with companies against which the Office has taken that legal action?

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* 21. Can we count on you to oppose the use of Guest Worker programs, such as H2-B visa programs, in the construction industry?

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* 22. Can we count on you support efforts to end wage theft, protect the rights of immigrant workers & hold employers accountable with funding for enforcement & coordinated deployment of state resources?

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* 23. Can we count on you to use the power of the Office of the Attorney General to defend the rights of immigrants, including publicly supporting comprehensive immigration reform & deferred action for childhood arrivals (DACA), & opposing immigration enforcement programs that contribute to the exploitation of immigrant workers?

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* 24. Can we count on you to use the power of the Office of the Attorney General to protect access to quality, affordable healthcare for all Minnesotans?

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* 25. Can we count on you to protect public employees' retirement security & use the power of the Office of the Attorney General to protect Social Security & Medicare?

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* 26. Can we count on you to support the adoption by the Minnesota Board of Investments of responsible investment policies designed to protect state pension funds from risks associated with the use of non-responsible contractors?

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* 27. Can we count on you to use the power of the Office of the Attorney General to protect apprenticeship standards, licensing & OSHA laws?

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* 28. Can we count on you to use the power of the Office of the Attorney General to ensure thorough, predictable, timely & fair processes for approving energy, mining, water & construction projects?

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* 29. Will you use the power of the Office of the Attorney General to support the aforementioned comprehensive energy strategy & ensure that maintenance of workforce, safety, & quality standards are incorporated into Public Utility Commission decision-making?

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* 30. Can we count on you to support public employees by opposing budget cuts, budget freezes, privatization schemes, TABOR-like & Scott Walker-style attacks that hurt workers & the Labor movement.

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* 31. Can we count on you to expand voting rights & oppose Photo ID/Voter Restriction laws?

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