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Hundreds of Nurses Take to the Streets to Protest Essentia & Aspirus

 This past Wednesday hundreds of nurses took the streets of Duluth to demand safe staffing levels and fair compensation.  Pickets were held in front of the Aspirus St. Luke's Hospital from 8am to noon and in front of the Essentia St. Mary's Hospital from 2 to 6pm.   The nurses are members of the Minnesota Nurses Association, and they are currently locked in tough contract negotiations with both employers.  For years, the MNA has been fighting to get both companies to commit to hiring enough staff to better guarantee patient safety, something that is seriously threatened by the dramatic staff reductions and workload increases that are becoming the norm across the healthcare industry.  And they also point out that the refusal to offer competitive wages and benefits stands in stark contract to the astronomical pay increases the CEOs and other top brass are giving themselves (In 2022, Essentia CEO David Herman received $3.07 million in compensation!). 
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“Selena Would Be Right Here with Us”: Dispatches from Los Angeles

The combative resistance to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids and deportations in Los Angeles continued on Sunday, June 8. Tens of thousands of the city’s multi-racial working class took to the city’s streets, led by Latino youth, and stood down against police at detention centers.  Police — some of whom were on mounted horses — deployed flash bang grenades and rubber bullets, and arrested 27. The protesters fired off bottles and rocks, and wore masks and keffiyehs to protect themselves and to support Palestine, defying Trump’s no-mask order. Thousands took over the 110 freeway, cheering and marching and waving Mexican and Palestinian flags. Protesters threw motorized scooters from a bridge above the cops, busting the windshields of their cars. 
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Palestine Solidarity in the Twin Ports

 As Israel continues its genocidal campaign to try and wipe Gaza off of the map, activists in the Twin Ports continue their efforts to stand in solidarity with the beleaguered people of Palestine.  Here is a brief summary of recent and upcoming solidarity events in our region. This past Saturday, more than 50 folks gathered at the Pilgrim Congregational Church in Duluth for a teach-in titled " Resisting Genocide & Zionism ".  The event was organized by the Palestine Solidarity Working Group.  It consisted of a series of workshops on topics like the history of ethnic cleansing in Palestine & North America, the economic history of Zionism and the Boycott, Divest & Sanctions movement.  The event also hosted a picnic and a brainstorming sessions for future actions. This month there are five Palestine solidarity protests planned:
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City of Duluth Shuts Down Safe Bay

 The City of Duluth has a terrible track record of dealing with our housing crisis, especially when it comes to people who are unhoused.  Police patrol city parks at night to drive away anyone sleeping in their cars.  Homeless encampments are regularly torn up and shut down.  And this past year the City passed a whole slew of new laws further criminalizing being unhoused, and increasing the punishment for violating these laws.  At the same time it has basically outsourced dealing with the problem of local housing activists and non-profits.  Many of these folks do thankless work that is making a real impact.  Among them is Stepping On Up .  One of their programs is Safe Bay , which is a staffed parking area where folks living in their car can access basic services and sleep safely.  This year it is located at the Vineyard Church's parking lot.  However, this week the City of Duluth shut it down.
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Nakba Day Marked With Protest at Duluth Chamber of Commerce Event

May 15 is Nakba Day - which commemorates the 1948 ethnic cleansing of over a million Palestinians from what is now Israel. Activists in Duluth marked the day by gathering outside of the Depot, where the Chamber of Commerce was holding a gathering. The protest called for an end to the carnage in Gaza, and for companies to divest from Israel. The event was organized by Anti-Imperialist Action, and endorsed by the Northwoods Socialist Collective, DSA, Grandmothers for Peace, Communities United Against Police Brutality and Twin Ports Against Weapons Trade.
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One Day Strike Held at North Shore Estates in Duluth

At 7am on May 13 the LPNs went out on strike at the North Shore Estates.  The strike is set to go for 24 hours.  Picketing took place from 7am to about noon, with a rally and press conference held at 11am. North Shore Estates is part of Monarch Healthcare.  The LPNs (Licensed Practical Nurses) joined the Service Employees International Union last year, and have been negotiating with the company ever since to get their first contract.  Most of the rest of the workers at the site are already part of SEIU.
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Duluth Protest Held in Support of Forest Service Workers

About 75+ folks attended today's rally in support of the Superior National Forest and Forest Service workers. The jobs of these workers, and the services they provide, are currently under attack by the Federal Government. The protest was held next of the National Forest HQ, which is located between the Riverside and Smithville neighborhoods on Grand Avenue in west Duluth. The event received a fantastic response from passing motorists. Among the unions represented at the event were National Federation of Federal Employees, MN Nurses Association, United Steelworkers and the Operating Engineers. Zenith City Indivisible provided stewards and other volunteers.   Thank you to everyone who attended! At the same time that this protest was going on, protests against the Trump administration were also be held on overpasses up down Hwy 35, from Duluth to the Twin Cities.
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