Minnesota Unions Rally Against Project 2025 at State Capitol Event

Minnesota Union Members Protest Against Project 2025

In the heart of St. Paul, Minnesota, union members converged at the state Capitol to voice their concerns over Project 2025. The initiative, which proposes to overhaul various public service frameworks, has been met with significant opposition from labor groups, including AFSCME Council 5, AFSCME Council 65, and several other unions.

Participants highlighted that the project aims to significantly undermine union influence, jeopardize overtime protections, and remove the $35 insulin price cap for seniors. The plan also threatens to dismantle ongoing efforts to negotiate lower prescription drug prices, among other critical issues.

“Project 2025 is about one thing, it’s about dismantling the rights we’ve fought for, taking away our power and leaving us vulnerable,” stated Shannon Douvier, executive director of AFSCME Council 65. She emphasized the necessity for collective action to safeguard their future.

Adding to the discourse, Bart Andersen of AFSCME Council 5 remarked, “They want to outlaw public service unions completely. They want to take away the tools we use to keep our workplaces safe, our families healthy, maintain our standard of living and ensure we have the equipment we need to make sure we go home to our families at night.”

The event gathered support from a spectrum of labor organizations, including AFGE, the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees (MAPE), the Minnesota AFL-CIO, and Education Minnesota, all voicing their apprehensions about the potential impacts of Project 2025.

In a symbolic act of resistance, union members tore up signs that symbolized the looming threats to essential freedoms, such as unionizing, accessing affordable healthcare, and securing dignified retirement, should Project 2025 be implemented.