Backbone Required: Labor’s Message to Minnesota Leaders
From federal cuts and ICE accountability to mining and DFL leadership, AFL-CIO’s Bethany Winkels outlines a Labor movement demanding backbone, policy fluency, and moral clarity.
Blue North Beacon spoke with AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Bethany Winkels to discuss Labor priorities as Minnesota turns toward the 2026 legislative session and midterm elections. The conversation covered a wide range of topics including the affordability crisis facing workers, the harm brought on by federal cuts and delays, Labor’s perception of the DFL party, mining, and how Labor has been impacted by ICE operations across the state.
Below is a summary of our conversation and insights into Labor’s political and policy posture heading into 2026. The full transcript of our interview, which I would strongly encourage readers to check out, can be found HERE.
Federal Spending Cuts & the Trump Administration’s (Political) Delays
In discussing Labor’s priorities, Winkels was unequivocal that Labor’s top priority would be to protect Minnesotans from the harmful cuts and political threats of the Trump administration. She highlighted that the spending cuts included in the Big Beautiful Bill, passed by Congress last July, will compound the affordability crisis already facing working families as crucial services are cut and workers are forced to bear those additional costs; noting that these cuts will be especially painful in the healthcare realm - for workers and patients alike.
Winkels also pointed to the Trump administration’s delays (and attempts to rescind funding altogether) of projects approved by the Biden administration, as a decision that is having real-world impacts on workers as construction sites sit empty and other investments stall. She does not mince words - “there is absolutely an affordability crisis no matter what Donald Trump wants to feed you.”
ICE Operations - Ensuring Accountability and Mitigating Harm
While White House Border Czar Homan announced an end to Operation Metro Surge, it is clear that responding to the impacts of Metro Surge and holding ICE accountable for their actions will be another top focus of the Labor movement.
Winkels noted that “every union in our state has been impacted [by ICE] and the stories I could tell you are overwhelming” and that Labor would continue “to demand that our democracy not only live up to the laws of our land, the Constitution, but also that the administration would be held accountable to adhering to those things.”
Winkels made a passionate and articulate case that the debate around ICE extends beyond immigration enforcement to due process, constitutional norms and the risks of misinformation shaping public perception.
She compared the lies told by administration officials, most notably by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in the immediate aftermath of Alex Pretti’s murder at the hands of ICE agents, to the Big Lie of January 6.
“The fight right now is not just about ICE. It is about the truth and lies.”
“We saw (with) January 6th – if you allow for a lie to become a truth for a section of the population, that is still how they are weaponizing and justifying these actions, because they have a small base of people that still are fixated on big lie, and therefore are willing to go down the road of violence, unconstitutionality, and harm to stay in that sector of the in-group.”
I would encourage readers to take a look at Winkels extended answer on ICE operations in the full transcript HERE.
Through it all, she noted that Labor was “proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with our community” working “in coalition to create infrastructure, to create mutual aid, not just for union members, but also for their families and also supporting the broader communities [from ICE operations]. We have worked hard to make sure that we’re working in close sync with the elected officials who are standing firm with us against these horrific actions.”
Mining - The Moral Imperatives of Being a Global Superpower
Winkels also offered a thoughtful analysis on the question of mining projects in Minnesota.
“The first thing I would say is we have to acknowledge the need to innovate. We have to address the climate crisis. We also have to make sure that we’re not pushing off our needs onto countries and workers that have less safety, that have more exploitation, that is a horrible action for a powerful country to take.”
“When it comes to things like mining, if you are going to Indonesia, if you are going to some other countries, they don’t even have mining equipment. We see small children who are doing this work with their bare hands. And that’s not an overstatement. So we really do need to be honest with ourselves not just about our moral imperatives around climate change, but also our moral imperatives about being a global superpower.”
“Just because we can force others to mine this for us, and then all of us have cell phones, and all of us demand electric cars, what are the real outcomes of that?”
“When it comes to how do we protect our waters, how do we protect our land? Absolutely, we need to follow the science. We need to have strict protocols, which in Minnesota we do, and we can continue to strengthen those as science dictates.”
“We also need to acknowledge when you have a unionized workforce, in and of itself, you are going to have an extra check and balance that doesn’t exist when you don’t. That is a good thing. Anytime we are losing market share for the Labor movement, everyone should be concerned about that.”
“When I think about mining specifically, I just think Minnesota can and should be an innovator and a leader….We have so many resources in this state to think through innovation, safety, standards, how to be a model.”
“We need folks to act from a space of grounded, good faith reality, and not try to simplify very complex conversations. We shouldn’t be afraid of expertise. And too often we see that.”
Labor Perceptions of DFL - Strong Standing but More Work to Be Done
We also discuss Labor’s current perceptions of the DFL party as well as the type of DFL politicians who have been successful in communicating to and representing the Labor movement. Winkels expressed general approval and appreciation for the DFL support of Labor through the years but also noted that there was still work to be done for some DFL elected officials and candidates.
“I think that across the board we’ve had a lot of acknowledgments that the DFL really is working to put working people first. They’re deeply committed to collective bargaining. They have drawn very clear lines about the importance of not just having the opportunity for folks to unionize, but making sure that when we have new units, they’re getting recognized and that the benefits that some of the employers refuse to bargain can get talked about at the state level.”
“We also have too many DFLers who haven’t taken the time to really understand what the Labor movement is, what our unions are, why we have to have conversations around…why shouldn’t they have to use some of their paid time off for part of their paid family medical leave? Well, a lot of those workers didn’t take pay raises because they opted and bargained to have extra paid time off. So now you wanna punish them for that?”
“This isn’t easy to say in context. So when we have to have conversations with folks that just show that they do not understand what a union contract does or why the historic elements of it need to be valued, it can be very challenging.”
“When it comes to the folks who are really speaking to the members, I mean, Melissa Hortman, of course. Such a hero for folks across the movement and was trusted and considered a friend by the entire movement.”
“I think we need folks who are willing to not just vote with us, but lead for us.”
BOTTOM LINE
Labor is entering 2026 with clarity about the stakes: affordability pressures compounded by federal cuts and delays, constitutional lines blurred by ICE operations, and economic debates — like mining — that demand moral seriousness rather than slogans.
Winkels makes clear that Minnesota’s Labor movement sees itself not merely as a political constituency, but as a powerfully stabilizing force — defending due process, demanding economic fairness, and insisting that innovation and worker protections move in tandem.
The throughline is simple: Labor expects leaders who won’t just vote the right way, but who will lead with an understanding of the Labor movement, appreciate the lived realities of working families and bring an organizing mentality to their political and policy agenda. Minnesota Labor will reward leaders who combine policy fluency with backbone. In this environment, neutrality or superficial alignment will not suffice.