U.S. Senate & U.S. Representative

Thank you for seeking LIUNA Minnesota & North Dakota's endorsement for U.S. Senate or U.S. Representative. LIUNA - the Laborers' International Union of North America - is a strong & proud union founded by immigrants in 1903. A half-million strong, we are united through collective bargaining agreements which help us earn family-supporting pay, good benefits, & the opportunity for advancement & better lives.

LIUNA members engage in political action to protect their livelihoods. Every year, tens of thousands of LIUNA members make personal phone calls, talk to fellow members, & visit elected leaders to advocate for good jobs & to hold politicians accountable. LIUNA members also vote & give of their hard-earned wages in voluntary political contributions to the LIUNA national Political Action Committee. The candidates who benefit from LIUNA's political support are from both political parties, & they understand that LIUNA works with those who work with us.

LIUNA members, retirees, & their families are looking for candidates who will do more than support our wages & benefits. We are looking for champions of the working class who can be counted on to fight for LIUNA members.

In Minnesota & North Dakota, we are proud to represent more than 12,000 skilled construction & blue collar Laborers who join in union & raise the bar for all Minnesotans & North Dakotans. We are your friends & neighbors improving Minnesota & North Dakota 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 area, Saint Cloud area & North Dakota); Local 405 (Rochester & Southeast Minnesota); Local 1091 (Duluth, Superior, Northeast Minnesota & Northwest Wisconsin); Local 1097 (Iron Range & Northern Minnesota); & Local 363 (Minneapolis-Saint Paul Metro & Greater Minnesota city & county 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 prosper.

The following questionnaire includes questions from both LIUNA International & the District Council. International questions are preceded with background to inform your answers. For more information, please contact Russ Hess, Legislative Director, at 507-261-6546 or rhess@mnldc.org, or Kris Fredson, Campaigns Director, at 651-235-4459 or kfredson@mnldc.org. Please complete & submit the questionnaire & we will be in touch re: scheduling a visit and/or endorsement.

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

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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 your plan to create jobs?

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* 6. What is your plan to grow the Labor movement?

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* 7. Collective bargaining can be the cornerstone of an employees' wages, benefits, & working conditions. It provides workers the opportunity to have a say on decisions affecting their pay, working conditions & benefits. Collective bargaining is under attack by right-wing extremists, who are pushing for legislation at the state & federal level, to deny workers the right to join unions.

Can we count on you to support the rights of workers to organize & collectively bargain?

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* 8. Prevailing wage laws have ensured a living wage for construction workers for decades, giving Americans the chance to get ahead & prosper. The Davis-Bacon Act, state prevailing wage laws, the Service Contract Act, & related statutes require locally prevailing wage rates & benefits be paid to construction workers on projects that are taxpayer funded. Prevailing wage laws establish a wage floor to keep low road contractors from driving down local standards of living. These laws protect paychecks, defend taxpayers & create jobs. Across the nation prevailing wage laws are under attack.

Can we count on you to oppose legislation that undermines prevailing wage laws?

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* 9. Can we count on you to support the expansion of Minnesota's Prevailing Wage law to cover projects by local units of government, including cities, counties & school boards, & vote for 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 federally-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 support the vigorous enforcement of Minnesota's Responsible Contractor law, & advocate for resources to assist state agencies & local units of government with implementation, & support efforts to strengthen & expand upon the law?

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

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* 13. Nearly one fourth of U.S. bridges are deficient or obsolete. The average bridge has been in use longer than its originally prescribed lifespan (typically 50 years). Poor road conditions contribute to a third of all traffic fatalities. LIUNA is open to any practical options to address the crisis facing our infrastructure; however, raising the gas tax (the primary funding mechanism for federal transportation programs) remains the most realistic, viable & sustainable solution. The current 18.4 cent tax has lost nearly half its value since it was adjusted 22 years ago, contributing to our deteriorating & increasingly unsafe surface transportation system. LIUNA is open to any discussion that helps provide continuous funding to transportation infrastructure. One effective tool is Private Public Partnerships (PPPs). When used correctly, with proper labor standards, PPPs are an effective method to raising adequate revenue for construction projects.

Can we count on you to support increasing the gas tax & indexing it to inflation to help address our transportation infrastructure crisis?

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* 14. Can we count on you to support Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) on projects with good labor standards that put construction workers to work on repairing our nation's infrastructure?

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* 15. Will you publicly support a Constitutional amendment dedicating the sales tax on auto parts & repairs to fix roads & bridges?

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* 16. What other options for supporting transportation infrastructure financing do you support?

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* 17. Can we count on you to support increased funding for community infrastructure, including water systems, schools & hospitals?

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* 18. The Nation's domestic energy production is at an all-time high, & LIUNA members are at the forefront, building our energy infrastructure in order to meet current & future demand. In fact, the energy industry is not the second largest sector for LIUNA, providing thousands of family-supporting careers for members across the country. But in order to stay economically competitive while meeting our Nation's energy needs, we must embrace an all-of-the-above approach to energy policy. Whether it is constructing power plants, building pipelines, raising wind turbines or installing solar fields, LIUNA members are hard at work, keeping the lights on for all Americans.

It is unfortunate that what was once a bipartisan issue has now turned into a controversial debate, forcing many Members of Congress to cater to ill-informed environmental extremists by blocking major energy projects, particularly within the pipeline sector.

These politically motivated delays have kept family-supporting careers out of reach for thousands of workers. Furthermore, we continue to see unintended consequences in the approval process being used to derail crucial pipeline infrastructure. These attacks are nothing more than political strategy aimed at finding loopholes within the approval process. This kind of politicking is simply unacceptable & hinders job creation, economic benefits, & domestic energy use.

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 & North Dakota's power & fuel supplies safe, reliable & affordable, & protects Minnesota & North Dakota workers during the transition to lower-carbon energy sources?

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* 19. Can we count on you to support efforts to streamline permitting & environmental review, so that the United States can benefit from all its domestic energy resources, specifically when a pipeline project has proper labor standards & is using skilled union workers?

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* 20. Recently, we have seen more clever tactics by far-left Members of Congress who have introduced legislation that would appoint arbitrary & aimless deadlines on our production & use of fuels such as natural gas. Legislation such as "100 by 2050" states that we must only use 100% renewable energy by the year 2050. This kind of legislation is merely a message bill.

While LIUNA supports the use & growth of renewables, placing an erratic & arbitrary timeline discredits our members' work, primarily within the oil & natural gas sectors.

North America's development of oil & gas resources has sparked rapid growth in production that could enable the U.S. to become energy independent by 2030. LIUNA support responsible drilling & believes fracking can be done both safely & responsibly to protect workers & nearby communities.

The growth in pipelines to transport natural gas from production sites has increased work hours for LIUNA members in the traditional rust belt states. Over the last five years, LIUNA members have worked more than 80 million hours in the pipeline sector. However, as projects to harness these resources are put in jeopardy by fracking bans & other legal hurdles at the state & local level, the promise of energy independence, & the jobs it would create, are threatened.

Can we count on you to support responsible natural gas extraction & energy development, & oppose political efforts to stop the development of domestic energy?

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* 21. Can we count on you to support the timely replacement of Enbridge's outdated Line 3 with a safer & more reliable pipeline?

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* 22. If the Line 3 replacement pipeline is approved by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, can we count on you to publicly support the safe & orderly construction of the project?

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* 23. 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 pressing utilities to work with Labor on transition plans?

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* 24. 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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* 25. Can we count on you to support responsible mining projects, including iron, copper, nickel & precious metals projects, that meet Minnesota's strict standards for protecting the environment?

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* 26. Can we count on you to support the PolyMet land exchange?

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* 27. Can we count on you to 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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* 28. LIUNA was founded more than a century ago by immigrants struggling for citizenship & trying to improve their lives. These proud men & women helped build our nation just as many immigrants do today. But our current immigration policy is failing both citizens & immigrants. LIUNA supports comprehensive immigration reform that includes an earned path to citizenship for undocumented workers. Labor standards must be enforced to protect workers' rights so that immigration does not depress wages or working conditions. LIUNA opposes expansion of guest worker programs because they create an exploited class of workers, driving down wages & standards for all workers.

Can we count on you to support comprehensive immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship for undocumented workers & blocks the expansion of guest worker programs, such as H2-B visa programs in the construction industry, that undermine standards for all workers?

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* 29. LIUNA believes in access to affordable healthcare benefits for all working people. Through LIUNA's affiliated non-profit labor management healthcare plans, LIUNA members & retirees have funded their health benefits directly from their own paychecks. Without these plans, most of LIUNA's members & families would have lacked healthcare coverage. However, harmful & unfair provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are putting these hard-earned benefits at risk through increased benefit mandates, administrative costs, & new taxes. The transitional reinsurance tax (known as the belly button tax) & the 40% tax on high cost insurance plans (the so-called Cadillac tax) take money out of the pockets of working families & responsible employers to pay for subsidies that enable low-wage & low-benefit employers to shirk their responsibilities.

The temporary reinsurance tax alone has cost every LIUNA health & welfare fund $63 per person covered by the plan. In 2014, that totaled more than $45 million  out of negotiated health & welfare funds straight into the pockets of for-profit insurance companies.

In conjunction, the Cadillac tax would have hit LIUNA's healthcare plans had we not successfully delayed it until 2020 last Congress. But despite the delay, several employers are already taking this tax into account. The Cadillac tax adversely affects healthcare benefit packages for working men & women across the country. Regardless of what happens to either the ACA or to any ACA replacement legislation, the Cadillac tax must be fully repealed. Continuous delays leave our health & welfare funds unsteady & unable to properly plan future healthcare needs.

Some in Congress are also considering a proposal even worse than the Cadillac tax - a cap on the tax exclusion. Capping the tax exclusion on workers' healthcare plans would hurt over 175 million people with employer-sponsored health insurance. In fact, this plan to cap the exclusion would, for the first time, tax workers covered by ESI, a historic tax increase on millions of hard-working middle class Americans.

Can we count on you to oppose any legislation that taxes employees' healthcare benefits for both LIUNA members & the millions of Americans that use employer sponsored insurance?

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* 30. Can we count on you to protect Social Security & Medicare?

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* 31. Multi-employer pension plans were developed to enable construction workers, who often work for many different employers & change employers frequently, to earn a defined benefit pension. These plans are a product of the collective bargaining process. Pensions are generally negotiated in lieu of pay as deferred compensation & are a legal promise from the employer to preserve workers' retirement security. The shift away from defined benefit plans is recognized as a major contributing factor to retirement insecurity in the United States.

A plan called Solutions not Bailouts was put forward by business & labor to safeguard multi-employer retirement security. LIUNA is supportive of elements of this plan. In December of 2014, Congress passed some pieces of the Solutions not Bailouts proposal & also doubled Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) premiums; raising them from $13 to $26. It is expected that further increases to premiums will be attempted in the future. There needs to be a major debate about the future of the PBGC's multi-employer pension guaranty program. Imposition of higher premiums diminishes the pension resources available to retirees.

The pension premium spiral will undermine the retirement security of millions of workers, retirees, & their beneficiaries. LIUNA opposes increases in PBGC premiums. Financially healthy plans should not be sacrificed in order to save unhealthy plans. This is not sound pension policy.

Can we count on you to oppose legislation & efforts to increase PBGC premiums?

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* 32. LIUNA represents more than 25,000 federal employees in 30 states & Washington, D.C. Federal employees have been subjected to furloughs during recent government shutdowns. They have faced attacks on official time for union representational activities, pay freezes, & attempts to gut their retirement security. They have already contributed more than $182 billion toward deficit reduction through a 3-year pay freeze & pension cuts in the past 5 years.

To help protect federal employees who serve our nation every day, can we count on you to oppose any attacks on their retirement security, pay, job security, & official time?

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* 33. LIUNA is proud to have the National Postal Mail Handlers Union (NPMHU), who represent more than 47,000 men & women employed by the United States Postal Service, as an affiliate.

As the economy recovers from the worst recession in 80 years, the Postal Service continues to face a financial crisis. The loss of revenue resulting from declining mail volume has been compounded by a provision in the 2006 postal reform legislation which requires the Postal Service to prefund its future retiree health benefits at a cost of $5.6 billion annually. This pre-funding requirement has resulted in mounting losses, rising debt, & destructive job & service cuts, even though the Postal Service has had an operating surplus in recent years. The prefunding provision is unprecedented. No other agency or private enterprise is required to prefund its retiree health benefits.

Can we count on you to support legislation to amend the prefunding requirement & to protect the mail processing & delivery standards governing the Postal Service prior to 2015?

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

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