For DFLers preparing to take the reins of both legislative chambers, there was good news in Minnesota’s November economic forecast. And the forecast’s bad news — well, that was good news for Democratic leadership too.

On Tuesday afternoon, officials from the United Food and Commercial Workers union met at the DFL headquarters in St. Paul with Senate Minority Leader Tom Bakk and House Minority Leader Paul Thissen.

The Apple Valley-area seat is open due to Chris Gerlach’s retirement.

The rejection of the new collective bargaining agreement for nearly 28,000 state workers by a House-Senate subcommittee on Thursday is the latest example of the divide between Republicans and DFLers over how to make the state an attractive employer.

Despite their minority status in both the state House and Senate, the DFL caucuses significantly outperformed Republicans in fundraising from the beginning of January until the end of July.

Senate District 59, which encompasses the Minneapolis campus of the University of Minnesota and northeast Minneapolis, is home to one of the most concentrated DFL constituencies in Minnesota.

The political battle at the Capitol over the unionization of child care providers has been building for months, but on Monday it entered a new venue: Ramsey County District Court.

For nearly six years, union officials have been working to build support for representing the state’s in-home day care providers. Now that campaign will come down to a one-month effort to convince roughly 4,300 small business owners that union representation is in their best interest.

Thirteen unions representing approximately 43,000 workers are locked in difficult negotiations with the state over health care insurance premiums for the next two years.

No one seemed to see Larry Pogemiller’s departure coming. Not even him. Gov. Mark Dayton announced late last week that the Minneapolis senator of nearly 30 years would move to the Office of Higher Education to replace former Director Sheila Wright, who resigned suddenly in September.