Minnesota State Employees Anxiously Anticipates Shutdown, Layoffs

As Minnesota attempts to balance its state budget, a stalemate on how to balance the budget has grinded talks to a standstill. As a result, it is being anticipated that the majority of state workers could be laid off.

Listen to the story here from Minnesota Public Radio.

Failure to Reach State Budget Deal Will Likely Mean Minnesota Construction Projects Will To Grind To A Halt

As a state shutdown looms in Minnesota, the failure to reach a budget deal will do more damage to the state's economy. The state sent layoff notices to 36,000 state employees earlier this month. Without some of those workers, construction all across Minnesota will come to a halt. That will include road construction, commercial development and housing developments.

Listen here to the report from Minnesota Public Radio (MPR).

Protests At Trenton, New Jersey Budget Hearings

An upcoming vote in the New Jersey state legislature about public worker benefits highlights a rift between elected officials in the state Democratic party, with one faction opposed to cuts in public worker benefits and the other faction favoring the GOP position of cutting public worker benefits.

Watch protesters at the Trenton, New Jersey budget hearings.

New Jersey Education Association President Criticizes Dem State Senator's Bill That Raises Pensions And Benefits Costs For Public Workers

What is the difference between the Democrats and the Republicans? That question is getting harder to answer in states like New Jersey where some Democratic state legislatures are advocating the same policies of the GOP, increasing the burden on working class Americans to balance state budgets while refusing to ask wealthy Americans to pay a penny more to help.

Watch Barbara Keshishian, President of the NJEA, talk about this bill.

Minnesota Unions Launch TV Ads

Unions in Minnesota launch television ads to support a budget compromise that will avoid a shutdown.

Listen to the report on this story from Michigan Public Radio here.

Labor Online News Channel

Labor has its first online news channel called National Workforce Network (NWN). The channel will be covering news effecting middle class families in North America. The mission of NWN is to connect middle class families and individuals, labor organizations and their allies who are confronting similar issues.

Here is a preview of what you will see on the network. Watch.

Here is the link to the online news channel.

Minnesota State Employees Could Face Layoffs

If Gov. Mark Dayton and the Legislature fail to agree on a state budget by June 30, it could lead to what would arguably be the largest single layoff in state history.

Listen to the report here.