A simple definition of labor found in the Merriam-Webster dictionary is “the services performed by workers for wages”. However, in practice labor is anything but simple. Issues in labor relations and rights are inherently intersectional. Whether it be with civil rights as seen through the work of Minnesotan Nellie Stone Johnson, with issues surrounding migrant workers from the Southern U.S. and from Central America, with feminism and women’s rights as seen in stories such as those of Eva McDonald there is no questioning that the issues surrounding labor in Minnesota flux in tandem with many other issues of identity, class, and ideology.
September 19, 2005 - MPR’s Catherine Winter and Stephanie Hemphill present an American RadioWorks documentary titled “No Place for a Woman.” The documentary explores the legal landmark and legacy for women’s rights in the northern Minnesota’s Iron Range.
July 19, 2007 - MPR’s Roseanne Pereria reports that while farming runs deep in the Hmong culture, many Hmong farmers are isolated both by culture and language from the rest of U.S. agriculture. They often have difficulty getting resources and finding information. Pereria interviews one local grower who work towards changing that.
September 2, 2008 - College is a job for student, but many also have other part-time or full-time jobs to help pay for tuition. With funding for students their colleges are scarce in difficult financial economies, these side jobs become even more important for keeping students in college.
August 9, 2010 - As part of MPR News series “Austin at a Crossroads: 25 years after the Hormel strike,” MPR’s Elizabeth Baier profiles Austin, 25 years after the Hormel labor strike that tore apart the town. Baier reports on the changes that took place in the aftermath of 1985 strike, including the reliance on immigrant workers, which some long-time Austin residents struggle with.