‘Labor News’ Archives
MASSACRE AT FLOUR CITY!
Violence Evolved from Employee Requests vs. Owner and Police Responses By TOM BEER “Massacre at Flour City: The Deadly Battle over Labor rights Summer 1935.”This exhibit tells the story of when “All Hell broke loose” in the south Minneapolis area nicknamed the Hub of Hell at 26th Av. & 26th St. 90 years ago, September 11, 1935. The graphic historical display uses photos, newspaper clippings, maps, and first-hand accounts to recount the local, violent labor struggle. It will be shown at the Vine Arts Gallery in the Ivy Building for the Arts, 2637 27th Av. So.—the former Flour City Ornamental Iron— where the dramatic events described here, happened. Flour City Ornamental Iron Building, 1935, windows damaged during the Strike. The business moved from its 1893 start-up blacksmith shop at 506 4th Av. S. to the 27th Av. 5 acre site in 1901 and operated there until moving to Tennessee in 1991 (MN Historical Society). Saturdays July 12, 19, & 26 at Vine Arts [...]
MASSACRE AT FLOUR CITY!
The Deadly Battle over Labor Rights in the Streets of Seward, Summer of 1935. By MARILYN MATHENY The two bronze doors in photo on Page 1 lower left corner, were made at Flour City Ornamental Iron Company in Seward Neighborhood for the Plummer Building at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Charles Brioschi, an Italian immigrant who worked for an architectural firm in St. Paul, was inspired to create the sculptural reliefs while hospitalized at Mayo. The 42 panels represent maternity and motherhood, agriculture, fine arts, education, and mechanical arts. The doors are 16 feet high, 5.25 inches thick, and each weighs two tons. Vine Arts Center Art GalleryIvy Arts Building, 2nd Floor2637 27th Avenue SouthMinneapolis, MN 55406Saturdays, July 12, 19, and 26, 2025, from 11:00 to 5:00. Free and open to all. This graphic historical exhibit uses a timeline of photos, newspaper clippings, maps, and first-hand accounts to retell the story of the violent labor struggles that [...]
5 Worker-Cooperative Owners ANNOUNCE
May Day Cafe OPEN Again!
MAY DAY CAFE Press Release Adapted ABOVE: ‘Now Worker Owned!’ banner proudly displayed. Photo: Laura Hulscher The May Day Cafe Workers Cooperative is Minneapolis’s newest Worker Co-op. The Cafe reopened to the public on Friday, February 7th 2025. FamiliarityThe new owners are excited to welcome you back into this beloved and longstanding neighborhood establishment with a new vision of intentionally deepening the space as a community resource.You will see lots of familiar faces as most of the employees have stayed on and are on their way to becoming worker-owners. While sustaining a commitment to affordability and the bakery staples that regulars have come to know and love, over time you will also see some new menu items and fresh ideas. Founding worker-owners from left: Sonja Felsch, Tyler Diethart, Cassandra Hendricks, Sunny Draves-Kellerman, and Mira Klein. How It Happened“The last 12 months of work to make this cooperative transition has been exhausting, but [...]
