SEEN A NATIONWIDE SURGE OF UNION ORGANIZING AND LABOR STRIKES, AND MINNESOTA HAS BEEN NO EXCEPTION.

THAT TREND CONTINUED THIS WEEK AS THOUSANDS OF JANITORS IN MINNEAPOLIS AND HUNDREDS OF NURSING HOME WORKERS ACROSS THE METRO WALKED OUT ON THE JOB.

BUT PLANNED STRIKES BY SECURITY GUARDS AROUND THE TWIN CITIES AND THE ST. PAUL TEACHERS UNION WERE AVERTED.

ALFONZO GALVAN HAS BEEN FOLLOWING THIS LABOR STORY FOR THE "SAHAN JOURNAL."

WELCOME TO "ALMANAC."

SO, LOOKS LIKE TWO STRIKES HAPPENED, RIGHT?

THEY WERE SHORT.

I MENTIONED THE TWO THAT DID NOT APPEN WITH THE St. PAUL TEACHERS AND THE SECURITY GUARDS AND SOME OF THE JANITORS.

BUT ARE THESE ACTIONS, ARE THERE COMMON THEMES AROUND THESE ACTIONS?

>> YEAH, IT SEEMS TO BE A COMMON THEME, I THINK YOU GUYS TALKED ABOUT IT EARLIER, JUST INFLATION IS REALLY HITTING WORKERS HARD.

THEY WANT TO BE ABLE TO MAKE MORE MONEY, PAY FOR THEIR GROCERIES.

A LOT OF THEM HAVE BEEN TELLING ME THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY CAN'T AFFORD GROCERIES THAT THEY COULD AFFORD SIX MONTHS AGO, RIGHT, SO A LOT OF THEM, THE NUMBER ONE THING THAT THEY WANT WAGES.

A LOT OF THEM ARE GETTING OLDER, THINKING ABOUT RETIREMENT, SO THEY'RE THINKING ABOUT RETIREMENT PENSIONS, BENEFITS, WHAT CAN THEY GET.

>> Eric: THESE AREN'T, YOU KNOW, DAYS AND DAYS ON THE PICKET LINE, THESE ARE JOB ACTIONS THAT MIGHT TAKE JUST A COUPLE, THREE DAYS.

HAVE THEY BEEN EFFECTIVE?

>> HAVE THEY BEEN EFFECTIVE?

NOW, WHAT'S INTERESTING ABOUT THIS YEAR IS A LOT OF THE UNIONS KIND OF ORGANIZED BACK IN OCTOBER, THEY SAID, HEY, LET'S ALL SET THE SAME DEADLINE, INDIVIDUALLY, AND BEGINNING OF MARCH, AND LET'S TRY TO GET THESE CONTRACTS.

AND LIKE YOU SAID, TWO STRIKES WERE AVERTED.

RETAIL JANITORS, THE St. PAUL TEACHERS WERE BOTH ABLE TO GET NEW CONTRACTS.

BUT TWO OTHERS, LIKE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, THE COMMERCIAL JANITORS IN DOWNTOWN MINNEAPOLIS WEREN'T ABLE TO GET NEW CONTRACTS.

THEY WENT ON A THREE-DAY STRIKE.

UNSURE IF IT WAS EFFECTIVE OR NOT BECAUSE, TODAY, THEY'RE BARGAINING RIGHT NOW, SO WE MIGHT HEAR NEWS BY THE END OF THE NIGHT IF THEY GOT A NEW CONTRACT, IT MIGHT BE THIS WEEKEND OR WE MIGHT SEE SOMETHING ELSE HAPPEN WITH THEM.

>> Cathy: HOW UNUSUAL IS IT TO HAVE THESE UNIONS IN A SENSE, YOU KNOW, COORDINATE AND ORCHESTRATE THESE ACTIONS?

>> IT'S BEEN A COUPLE YEARS IN THE PLANNING.

A LOT OF THE UNIONS KIND OF NOTICED THAT, HEY, OUR CONTRACTS ARE UP AROUND THE SAME TIME.

WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF WE ORGANIZED, IF WE SET A DEADLINE TOGETHER?

COULD WE ACTUALLY GET WHAT WE WANT.

SOME OF THEM HAVE GOT WHAT THEY WANTED IN TERMS OF PAY RAISES AND BENEFITS, FLOATING HOLIDAYS, TIME OFF, BUT OTHERS ARE STILL STRUGGLING.

>> Eric: IS IT TOO EARLY TO SAY THIS IS REVITALIZING THE LABOR MA.

IN MINNESOTA, OR HOW WOULD YOU SAY FROM 30,000 FEET HOW THE LABOR PICTURE LOOKS.

>> NOW, IT'S INTERESTING.

ONE OF THE THINGS THE UNION HAS DONE IN RECENT YEARS IS THEY'VE REALLY BRANCHED OUT, THEY'VE REALLY TRIED TO BRING IN IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES, RIGHT, TRADITIONALLY NON-SPEAKING PEOPLE, AND IT'S BEEN EFFECTIVE, RIGHT.

WE TALK ABOUT THE 4,000 JANITORS IN DOWNTOWN MINNEAPOLIS WALKING OUT.

THE MAJORITY OF THEM DON'T REALLY SPEAK ENGLISH, THEY SPEAK SOMALI, THEY SPEAK SPANISH, THEY SPEAK A MULTITUDE OF LANGUAGES AND THAT'S ALL THANKS TO THE UNION BEING ABLE TO HAVE PEOPLE THERE TO REALLY TRANSLATE AND INTERPRETER THE INFORMATION AND BRING THEM OUT, RIGHT.

A LOT OF THEM I SPOKE TO WERE STILL KIND OF NERVOUS EVEN IF THEY WERE OUT THERE.

MAYBE THEY DIDN'T WANTS O JOIN THE PICKET LINE, HOLD A SIGN BECAUSE THEY WERE STILL A LITTLE NERVOUS ABOUT WHAT CAN HAPPEN IF I GET CAUGHT HERE.

>> Cathy: SAME SITUATION WITH THE NURSING HOME WORKERS, TOO?

BECAUSE THOSE FOLKS WHO WORK IN THE NURSING HOMES ARE ALSO PEEK DIFFERENT LANGUAGES.

SAME SITUATION OR SOMETHING DIFFERENT?

>> NOW, NURSING HOMES ARE INTERESTING.

UNLIKE JANITORS, JANITORS THERE IS A LOT OF PEOPLE FILLING THOSE OBS BUT IN THE NURSING HOME, NURSING HOME ASSISTANTS, THEY'VE STRUGGLED TO MAINTAIN STAFFING ISSUES, RIGHT?

THEY'VE HAD THAT ISSUE WHERE JUST THIS WEEK, I TALKED TO SOME OF THE THEM WHO SAID, NOT ONLY AM AM I A NURSING ASSISTANT I ALSO HELP WITH THE LAUNDRY, I HELP WITH HOUSE CLEANING, I DO MULTIPLE JOBS.

>> Eric: UBER AND LIFT, SEEMS TO ME THEY'RE NOT ORGANIZED AS A UNION BUT THEY HAVE ORGANIZED AMONG THE DRIVERS.

DO YOU SEE THAT AS A TEST CASE OR WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THAT?

>> UBERG AND DRIVER ARE SAME THINGS, THEY WANT MORE PAY.

A LOT OF DRIVERS HAVE BEEN ORGANIZING NOW, ITS BEEN TWO YEARS.

THEY FINALLY WERE ABLE TO GET A IN YESTERDAY AT MINNEAPOLIS CITY COUNSEL SILT.

THEY GOT NINE VOTES, THEY GOT AN ORDINANCE FOR A PAY INCREASE, RIGHT, MINIMUM WAGE STANDARDS.

GOT VETOED TODAY BY THE MAYOR BUT UNSURE IF THE VETO WILL BE OVERRIDDEN.

>> Eric: WE'LL BE LOOKING FOR YOUR STUFF AT THE SAHAN JOURNAL -- >> Cathy: QUICK QUESTION BEFORE WE SAY GOOD BUY.

I WANT TO ASK THIS.

IN TERMS OF A MINNEAPOLIS SITUATION.

THAT WAS IMPORTANT BECAUSE UBER AND LYFT WERE SAYING THEY WERE GOING TO PULL OUT, IS THAT CORRECT, IF THIS OCCURRED?

>> YES.

>> Cathy: IT'S ALSO KIND OF A STATEWIDE THING, TOO, NOT JUST THE TWIN CITIES?

>> YEAH, SO IT'S MOSTLY BEEN FOCUSED IN THE TWIN CITIES AREA, THE METRO AREA IS WHERE YOU SEE THE MOST OF YOUR UBER AND LYFT RIDES, SO A LOT OF THE DRIVERS ARE CONCENTRATED HERE.

THERE HAVE BEEN THREATS OF UBER, LYFT PULLING OUT.

SOME OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE KIND OF SEEN THAT AS A BLUFF AND SAY IT'S NOT REALLY GOING TO HAPPEN, THE MAYOR KIND OF FEELINGS IT WILL HAPPEN SO THAT'S WHY HE DID THE VETO.

>> Cathy: YES, READ ALL PHONE TO'S EXCELLENT REPORTING, -- ALL PHONES SO'S EXCELLENT REPORTING IN THE