Establishing a Workers Center in St. Cloud

AFL-CIO Labor Union Education for St. Cloud Somali Workers

(text and photos shared with permission of Stephen Philion)

On January 18th, a labor rights and union education session was held in St. Cloud, which featured a discussion with Garat Ibrahim, an organizer wtih SEIU Healthcare MN. A second meeting was held at the St. Cloud Labor Home, which discussed problems Somali workers face in the workplace and with temprary agencies in the St. Cloud region. Information about the non-profit support organization for refugees in Central MN, Hands Across the World, was also presented. These discussions are the beginning stages toward establishing a workers center in St. Cloud, MN.

The list of issues recorded on a white board that Somali workers raised at the meeting at the Labor Home in St. Cloud during the evening meeting.

 

Casey Hudek, AFL-CIO representative, explaining labor rights and law, with Abdul Kulane interpreting

  

"Ask a Somali"

The Twin Cities Daily Planet has a column called "Ask a Somali", written by Ifrah Jimale.  Ms. Jimale answers all kinds of questions about Somali customs--many that people would be afraid to ask someone face to face.  Her responses, whether serious or snarky, give non-Somalis an accessible, light-hearted starting point to gather some knowledge about Somali culture.    

Ifrah Jimale's column appears in two Somali-American publications, and is often cited in the blogs of others.  When she is not writing, she works at a Caribou Coffee, does speaking gigs, and volunteers her time for many causes.