Archive for January 17th, 2013

Writing in the Grand Forks, North Dakota Herald, the AFL-CIO’s Shar Knudson (via Sally Jo Sorensen at Bluestem Prairie) points out an interesting fact or two about the ongoing Crystal Sugar lockout:

First, let’s be clear what a lockout is: It’s the opposite of a strike. The employer withholds work in order to gain concessions from workers.

While we see the National Hockey League player lockout coming to an end, Minnesota still has three major lockouts on its hands. Musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra have been locked out since the fall. And one of the most egregious examples is in the Red River Valley, where 1,300 skilled and highly trained workers who turn beets into sugar have been locked out for nearly 17 months by their already profitable employer — American Crystal Sugar.

Besides the fact that these employers all are located in Minnesota, there is another common thread. All three employers are represented by the Minneapolis law firm of Felhaber, Larson, Fenlon and Vogt at the bargaining table.