Many workers across the United States will take it easy on Monday, Sept. 7, to celebrate Labor Day.
This includes local labor leader Shawn Braford with the Laborers International Union of North America, or LiUNA.
Braford represents Local No. 1097 based in Virginia. Braford said his chapter represents over 900 workers predominantly in the mining and construction industries in Northern Minnesota.
LiUNA represents a complex and vast group of workers with some opposing interests.
Last month, LiUNA condemned DFL Gov. Tim Walz's executive order banning nonferrous mining in the Rainy River Headwaters watershed, which includes the Boundary Waters, stating the order "betrays workers, communities, science."
However, LiUNA endorsed DFL gubernatorial candidate Amy Klobuchar back in March.
In an interview with KAXE Arrowhead reporter Emma Krab, Braford spoke about the union's political divide. They also spoke about the benefits of being a union member, the tenuous nature of employment on the Iron Range and more.
Edited for length and clarity.
Emma Krab: Let's start out with this: tell me a bit more about your role with LiUNA. What do you do?
Shawn Braford: Okay, so I'm the business manager and financial secretary of the local in Virginia, Minnesota.
My role is to dispatch workers, negotiate their wages, and anytime there's issues on the job site, I work through it with the contractor and the member themselves to try to get everything straightened out.
We renegotiate our contracts every three years.
We did a lot of our billers negotiations and our highway heavy negotiations this year. Both of those were finalized.
We still have our Northern Environmental Agreement that is coming up this year. We'll be looking to negotiate that, I would imagine, and that goes into effect on Jan. 1.
EK: LiUNA is an important presence up north, especially in the Arrowhead. What do unions specifically do or offer for their members?
SB: For our members, we offer livable wages, very good benefits in health and welfare, and our pension is outstanding.
The way everything is structured through the union, nobody's getting lowballed, none of the local workers or anybody like that.
Our work is usually done under budget and on time, at least 95% of the time. There are quirks once in a while where something pops up, and it will take a little longer, but the work is always done safely and on time as close as it can be.
EK: Could you speak to the membership in LiUNA a little bit more? Have you seen any changes in membership lately? More people? Less people?
SB: I'm seeing more people. Every local throughout the state of Minnesota seems like they're gaining some membership.
We have our ups and downs when there's down times in work. Then when the work is up, like it is right now with building Mesabi Metallics and everything, the membership really increases.
EK: You mentioned those ups and downs that happened and have happened, particularly on the Range. Could you speak to the attitude of LiUNA, of your union members — how do you navigate those?
SB: It's not as hard dealing with members that have been in the union for a long time. They're used to the ups and downs. They're used to it not being a year-round, 40-hour a week job.
That's what I try to explain to a lot of our new members when they get in. I think they get a misconception that it is a full-time job year-round, and it's really not. It all depends on what the demand for workers is.
EK: In the past few years, we've seen a public and political resurgence in interest in unions.
I know as I've been covering this midterm election, it's been really interesting to see political candidates in Minnesota vie for endorsements, for instance, from unions.
Could you speak to or talk a little bit more about why the public has become more interested in union and labor issues over the last few years?
SB: I think the reason — we have a very big presence down in the Capitol and whatnot. And I think that's where a lot of the interest comes from, just hearing it on the airwaves and whatnot about what's actually going down at the Capitol.
There's a lot of unions and there's a lot of union power throughout the state of Minnesota. I believe that the candidates know that the unions have a lot of backing, a lot of power, and a lot of membership, and that's why they're looking for our endorsement.
To me, it's like a political football game. They're both promising you something, and that's the hardest thing about it.
You may have a group of candidates that are excellent for down in the metro area. And so our unions down there are backing them with their issues, But then when it comes to Northern Minnesota, Northern Minnesota is a totally different, totally different game.
EK: I'm curious about how that dynamic works out. You're a local leader up in Northern Minnesota, but also this is a larger organization, and so how does that dynamic work out? How does that communication happen or not happen?
SB: Down at our district council, we have a lot of good conversations and whatnot. And that's how we kind of make our decisions on who they're looking to endorse and who they're not looking to endorse.
I butt heads with the leadership down in the cities and the other locals down there on various occasions on some of the people they endorse.
I just try to explain to them. I say, "They may do a good job for you guys down here, but they're not doing anything for my membership up north." It's a struggle.
EK: Is there anything else you think is important for folks to know about LiUNA or about how labor unions operate in general?
SB: To me, I think the labor union and unions in general are wonderful. Once you get into the union, it is life-changing.
EK: Well, thank you so much for speaking with me, Shawn.
SB: Not a problem. Thank you very much.
