Welcome back to The Flyover, your daily digest of important, overlooked, and/or interesting Minnesota news stories.
A Union Decades in the Making
When the University of Minnesota's 4,500 or so graduate students voted to form a worker union in April of 2023, it was a move decades in the making. But it would still face challenges in the nearly two years that followed, including the union voting to reject a proposed contracts with the school. By October of 2024, the university had successfully petitioned the Minnesota Bureau of Mediation Service to "suspend all bargaining indefinitely."
But things are looking up again, as the Board of Regents unanimously passed an agreement with the Graduate Labor Union on Tuesday. “The agreement sets the minimum pay rate to $27 an hour,” writes Mady Leick for the Minnesota Daily, noting that it took around 55 days of bargaining and mediation sessions to get there. “It also guarantees annual wage increases, among other benefits. Union members will now receive three personal days each term and there will be an increase in healthcare benefits.”
“No. 1 at the top of most people’s list is pay; we’re dramatically underpaid," third-year PhD candidate Anya Auerbach told Racket in 2023. Grad worker salaries typically hit around $25,000. "I’m in the college of Biological Science, so we’re not at the lowest end of the pay spectrum, and I’m still making $10,000 less than the living wage for a single adult in the Twin Cities.”
Another Minneapolis Mayoral Candidate Just Dropped
New day, new candidate: App developer Jazz Hampton announced via YouTube video this morning that he is also running for Minneapolis mayor. The former lawyer is probably best known for co-founding TurnSignl, an app that can be used to record police traffic stops and connect users with lawyers and resources, and he's also served on the Minneapolis Foundation's board of trustees since 2023. In his online announcement, Hampton says he has “lived in the same 10-mile radius” of Powderhorn Park his whole life, describes city government like “watching tires spinning in the snow,” and is centering his campaign on education, the housing crisis, and policing. He’s currently an adjunct professor at Mitchell Hamline School of Law.
So far, the mayoral race includes Minnesota Senate chaplain Rev. Dr. Dewayne Davis, Sen. Omar Fateh (DFL-Minneapolis), Ward 11 Minneapolis Council Member Emily Koski, incredible oversharer Brenda Short, and, in theory, strong Mayor Jacob Frey, who told Axios in December that he plans to run, but hasn’t made it super official yet.
Trump Executive Order Already Impacting Local Vets
On his first day back in office, Trump signed off on a federal hiring freeze mandate. One immediate and obvious problem? No one, including Doug Collins, Trump’s nominee for VA secretary, seems to know if that applies to veterans’ services and, at least in the case of Minneapolis, the department is erring on the side of caution.
“I just got a report that the Minneapolis VA has stopped hiring workers thanks to a hasty Trump Executive Order,” writes Sen. Tina Smith via BlueSky. “They’ve rescinded offers to dozens of people who were going to fill critical roles to care for vets.”
That’s bad, especially in terms of VA medical care. According to public records, the Veterans Health Administration hires 40,000+ new workers a year. Ceasing to fill positions and maintain proper workforce levels could impact things like hiring a new cardiologist, staffing suicide hotlines, getting back to vets with questions in a timely manner. “In many cases, staff cuts equal benefit cuts,” noted Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) at Collins’s hearing, “because if there’s nobody there to answer the phone, or if the process is delayed to the point where the veteran dies or just gives up, that’s in effect, a benefit cut.”
Open Streets Expands To 4 Events in 2025
Back in August of 2023 the future of Open Streets seemed uncertain, and things got pretty messy between the city of Minneapolis and Our Streets, which founded the popular series in 2011. But by the summer of 2024 the event was back at three locations, run by a variety of neighborhood associations rather than Our Streets. The results were mixed. While the North Side and south Nicollet Avenue Open Streets were pretty fun, the Lyndale Avenue fest was kinda empty.
Four events are up for grabs in 2025, with applications open until February 21. Where would these events happen? The city has presented applicants with a list of 13 eligible routes, which include northeast Minneapolis, downtown Hennepin Avenue, Lake Street, West Broadway, and Franklin Avenue. The sky’s the limit! Wait, nevermind: $50K is the limit. That’s the max you'll get from the city if your proposal is selected. (Worth noting: In 2019, Our Streets hosted six events, and received no funds to host Open Streets during the 12 years the organization oversaw the series; their request for $851,000 to host 10 events in 2024 led to the rift with the city.)
