Payne - Phalen in Saint Paul in Ramsey County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

3M & Labor

Working for Job Betterment

Photographed By McGhiever, September 18, 2020

1. 3M & Labor marker

Inscription.

3M and Labor. Working for Job Betterment. The majority of employees in the Saint Paul Plant worked in the factories and received hourly pay. The company sought to offer competitive wages and working conditions comparable to other companies and factories in the area., Before the hourly employees were unionized, the company worked with the 3M Employees' Association on "employment and working conditions, wages and cost of living, safety and prevention of accidents, health and plant sanitation, hours of labor, recreation and athletics, and other matters of mutual interest and benefit." The association was founded in 1933, two years before Congress passed the National Labor Relations Act., The Congress of Industrial Organizations (C.I.O.), an umbrella union organization, filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board about the legality of the 3M Employees' Association. As a result, the association was dissolved at the end of 1943. The hour employees joined Local 75 of the Gas and Coke Workers Union, C.I.O. in 1944. By that time, the standard work wee was 8 hours a day, 40 hours a week, with time and a half pay for overtime., One of the chief union organizers was Joseph E. Karth, who joined 3M in 1941. After serving in the military, he returned to 3M. He was elected president of Local 75 in 1948, serving until 1958. He was also a member of the Minnesota State House of Representatives between 1950 and 1958. He was then elected to the U.S. Congress representing the 4th District in 1958. He served until 1977., 3M was proud of its good management-employee relationships. In 1946, President William L. McKnight noted that there had never been a work stoppage at the Saint Paul Plant. That record was halted by a bitter two-month strike in the fall of 1967.

Photo Captions: An unending cycle of product research, development and manufacturing created a boom in 3M employment.

Werner von Braun, right, with U.S. Congressman Joseph E. Karth during a visit to 3M.

Since 1999, unionized employees have been represented by the United Steelworkers.

The majority of employees in the Saint Paul Plant worked in the factories and received hourly pay. The company sought to offer competitive wages and working conditions comparable to other companies and factories in the area.

Before the hourly employees were unionized, the company worked with the 3M Employees' Association on "employment and working conditions, wages and cost of living, safety and prevention of accidents, health and plant sanitation, hours of labor, recreation and athletics, and other matters of mutual interest and benefit." The association was founded in 1933, two years before Congress passed the National Labor Relations Act.

The Congress of Industrial Organizations (C.I.O.), an umbrella union organization, filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board about the legality of the 3M Employees' Association. As a result, the association was dissolved at the end of 1943. The hour employees joined Local 75 of the Gas and Coke Workers Union, C.I.O. in 1944. By that time, the standard work wee was 8 hours a day, 40 hours a week, with time and a half pay for overtime.

One of the chief union organizers was Joseph E. Karth, who joined 3M in 1941. After serving in the military, he returned to 3M. He was elected president of Local 75 in 1948, serving until 1958. He was also a member of the

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Minnesota State House of Representatives between 1950 and 1958. He was then elected to the U.S. Congress representing the 4th District in 1958. He served until 1977.

3M was proud of its good management-employee relationships. In 1946, President William L. McKnight noted that there had never been a work stoppage at the Saint Paul Plant. That record was halted by a bitter two-month strike in the fall of 1967.

Photo Captions: An unending cycle of product research, development and manufacturing created a boom in 3M employment.

Werner von Braun, right, with U.S. Congressman Joseph E. Karth during a visit to 3M.

Since 1999, unionized employees have been represented by the United Steelworkers.

Erected by Saint Paul Port Authority, Historic Saint Paul, 3M, United States Environmental Protection Agency. (Marker Number WM-17.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Labor Unions. A significant historical year for this entry is 1944.

Location. 44° 58.01′ N, 93° 3.507′ W. Marker is in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in Ramsey County. It is in Payne - Phalen. Marker is at the intersection of Wells Street and Phalen Boulevard, on the right when traveling north on Wells Street. Located in a small

Marker in a small plaza off Phalen Boulevard and the Bruce Vento Trail image. Click for full size.

Photographed By McGhiever, September 18, 2020

2. Marker in a small plaza off Phalen Boulevard and the Bruce Vento Trail

plaza off the Terracon parking lot. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 955 Wells St, Saint Paul MN 55106, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Machines, Tools, & Engineering (a few steps from this marker); What Did They Do? (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Abrasives Products & Manufacturing (approx. 0.2 miles away); Getting a Job at 3M (approx. 0.2 miles away); Working Women at 3M (approx. 0.2 miles away); 3M & the Community (approx. 0.2 miles away); 3M & World War II: The Products (approx. ¼ mile away); Cornerstones & Time Capsules (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Saint Paul.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 12, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 18, 2021, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. This page has been viewed 285 times since then and 46 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 18, 2021, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. • Mark Hilton was the editor who published this page.