McCarthy Elected Next President Of Minnesota AFL-CIO

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A Minneapolis area labor leader has been elected the next president of the Minnesota AFL-CIO.

The Minnesota AFL-CIO General Board on Tuesday elected Bill McCarthy to head the state labor federation.

McCarthy is currently president of the Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation, an umbrella organization of Minneapolis area local unions that he has headed since 2002. He will be sworn in Oct. 13 to succeeding retiring Minnesota AFL-CIO President Shar Knutson.

A Minneapolis native, McCarthy joined Local 17 of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees union in 1985. He eventually was elected president of the local and led hundreds of Minneapolis hotel workers in their strike in 2000.

McCarthy also is a board member of the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority, which is building and will operate the new Minnesota Vikings stadium.