North Dakota
Hard Work and Hope Keep IAM Jobs Alive in Rural North Dakota – IAMAW
This article was featured in the IAM Summer 2024 Journal and written by IAM Communications Representative Angela Colaizzi.
Pembina is a rural town of 500 people in North Dakota just three miles south of the Canadian border. It is home to only one major employer in the region, the Motor Coach Industries (MCI) bus plant.
Jennifer Winkler, IAM Local W384 President, MCI electrician.
MCI has been operating in Pembina since 1963 and has provided family-supporting IAM union jobs to residents of its surrounding areas for decades. So when MCI’s parent company, New Flyer Inc., announced in May 2022 that it would be shuttering the Pembina plant and moving its work to their Crookston, Minn. and Winnipeg, Manitoba facilities, workers and community members were shocked, heartbroken and in disbelief.
“One or two of us left the same day they announced the closure,” said Jennifer Winkler, president of IAM Local W384, which represents the 175 members who work at MCI.
“It was shocking. We thought they were just reviewing the process here or making sure we were meeting our goals,” said Winkler. “We didn’t know the stand-up meeting was over a closure. So when they announced it, everybody was shocked. A few people were swearing, and others were crying.”
Local W384 members, who decided to continue working up until the last day in hopes that New Flyer would change its mind, asked the company what they could do to keep work in Pembina.
IAM District 5 Directing Business Representative Jeremy Pearson and Assistant Directing Business Representative Joe Schwartz were on the phone immediately with Winkler. The union had suspected the year prior that MCI was taking steps toward closing the plant and was prepared to fight it in every way possible, and at minimum, make sure that Local W384 members were taken care of up until the end.
IAM BRINGS THE FIGHT
The plant was set to close on June 8, 2023, a year after the announcement, and the union entered into effects bargaining with the company, but also jumped into action to try to change the company’s decision and keep jobs in Pembina.
“That was just the attitude most of us had, to continue to do our work well, and do what we needed to do,” said Winkler.
“These members have worked hard. They’ve never given up,” said Schwartz. “In every labor-management meeting we went into, we talked to about keeping the plant open. We asked them what the Machinists Union can do to keep the plant open.”
The plant manager gave hope to those who stayed that the company could reverse its decision.
“[The plant manager] always had that enthusiasm at our labor-management meetings that we could keep the plant open,” said Winkler. “He kept saying ‘I plan to retire from here. We have to do what it takes. You guys keep doing what you’re doing, and we can turn this around.’ I think that kept people working hard, hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst,” said Winkler.
Just a few days after the closure announcement, the IAM penned a letter to North Dakota’s congressional delegation asking for their assistance in saving MCI’s 175 IAM jobs.
The IAM Political and Legislative Department also raised the union’s concerns to North Dakota’s congressional delegation about the effect this plant closure would have on the area’s economy and surrounding communities.
Schwartz met with all of North Dakota’s legislators while at the IAM’s Legislative Conference. He had conversations with them about what could be done to give MCI incentives to stay in Pembina.
“One of the costs associated with this plant is that its energy comes from oil fuel that is very expensive,” said Schwartz. “They do have a natural gas line that is close by them,
and that’s one of the things that we’ve been pushing on legislators and local officials: to get that natural pipeline brought into Pembina so that the company could cut their costs as far as running the plant goes.”
The IAM Communications Department made sure the union’s efforts to fight the company’s plans were publicized in the press. The IAM launched a letter-writing campaign to North Dakota’s congressional delegation, asking for the legislators to push back against MCI’s decision and rethink devastating these North Dakotans and their families.
U.S. Sens. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) and John Hoeven (R-N.D.), along with U.S. Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-N.D.) joined the IAM’s fight and expressed their desire to work with MCI, IAM members in Pembina, and state and local officials to preserve these jobs and ensure the continued success of the Pembina facility, which MCI said is one of the company’s two facilities that “made goals” and “were profitable” during the first quarter of 2022.
HOPE FROM HARD WORK
The continued strong work ethic from Local W384 members, combined with pressure from the union and North Dakota’s legislators, held off closure in the short term. In April 2023, MCI announced the Pembina plant would operate until at least 2025.
Local W394 members kept up hope, and the IAM kept pushing for solutions that would keep the plant alive. The Midwest Territory offered to assist MCI in initiating a training program for Local W384 members, who have always worked on building diesel buses but would need to learn how to produce a new line of electric-powered coaches that were intended to be built in Crookston.
The company had invested millions in expanding its Crookston facility for the electric coach line, but that facility was proving to be incapable of fulfilling orders.
While IAM members in Pembina were continuing to exceed goals performing the highly specialized work to build custom coaches, the Crookston facility was failing to meet customer orders. MCI was having to move unfinished and incorrectly manufactured coaches from Crookston to Pembina for Local W384 members to fix and complete.
“At one point this facility that was going to close was the only facility that had met its production goals among all of MCI’s facilities,” said IAM District 5 Directing Business Representative Jeremy Pearson. “Even throughout all that turmoil, they were dedicated up here. They were going to continue to get their work done, produce high-quality buses, and show the company essentially what they’d be missing.”
Pearson contacted MCI’s largest customer, New Jersey Transit, to question if MCI would be capable of supplying the high-quality, custom motorcoaches they were accustomed to without the Pembina plant.
At last, in November 2023, MCI told the union that the plant would remain open indefinitely and that it was because of Local W384 members’ deep dedication and unmatched work ethic.
“It finally came across to the company that this is the plant we need to keep open,” said Schwartz. “This is our bottom line here. These folks know how to build a bus, and they continue with it to this day.”
The pride that Local W384 members take in building a valued and respectable product is what saved their jobs.
“In the end, that was one of the reasons the company gave for staying here,” said Pearson. “Because of the workforce and their dedication, MCI couldn’t leave here. They’d be losing too big of an asset.”
MAKING AMENDS
While the union had been garnering external pressure to keep the plant open in 2022, Schwartz and IAM Midwest Territory Grand Lodge Representative William LePinske had been negotiating with MCI about the implications of its decision to shut down in Pembina, a process called effects bargaining.
MCI had orders to meet before the impending shutdown and agreed to a retention bonus for Local W384 members who would stay long enough to complete the buses.
“The company had been adamant that the plant would be shut down,” said LePinske. “Our priority was ensuring that whether the plant stayed open a month longer or forever, these members were going to be paid for completing its final production orders and not just leaving, despite being told their jobs would be gone in June.”
LePinske negotiated a severance package with a definite payout on June 8, 2023, and even though MCI did reverse course, the company held up its end of the deal, and every employee got their retention bonus and severance pay on the agreed-upon day.
“This is an incredible story with a rare ending,” said IAM Midwest Territory General Vice President Sam Cicinelli. “All levels of our union were deployed in force and worked together. From the Local to the District, the Midwest Territory, and the International, this was a results-driven group of Fighting Machinists who never backed down. With the collective efforts of all involved, we were able to save 175 Machinists Union livelihoods.”
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Another Watertown, South Dakota, standout hopes to follow in Spencer Waege’s footsteps.
North Dakota State added a tight end to the 2027 recruiting class on Monday, as the program’s first FBS recruiting class continues to fill out.
Watertown, South Dakota, standout Hunter Peterson announced his commitment to the Bison on Monday via social media. A 6-foot-3, 225-pound junior, Peterson tallied 28 catches for 365 yards and five touchdowns last season.
“Committed,” Peterson posted on X with a graphic that featured the Bison and his high school.
Before his junior season, Peterson worked with former Watertown and Bison standout Spencer Waege, who had a brief career in the NFL as a defensive end. Waege played for the Bison from 2017 to 2022 before he entered the league as an undrafted free agent with the San Francisco 49ers in 2023. He joined the Green Bay Packers in 2024 and participated in training camp and the preseason.
“He’s a big deal,” Peterson told InForum’s Dom Izzo on April 15 before his official social media announcement. “I got to work with him a little in my sophomore year when he was training for the NFL still, and I would talk to him a lot, and he kept always asking ‘hey, when are you going to commit?’”
Peterson also had an offer from Air Force, which also plays in the Mountain West Conference. The Bison will play their first season in the Mountain West this year and open conference play with Air Force.
“Ever since I’ve gone up there, I just felt like it’s been a fit every time,” Peterson told Izzo. “I love the coaches, facilities, and like the competitiveness they had. I think their mindset and approach is like pretty similar to mine.”
The All-State standout played both tight end and defensive end for the Arrows last season. He tallied 34 tackles on defense, as he helped his team reach the Class 11AA state quarterfinals amid a 5-5 record.
NDSU Has Produced NFL Tight Ends Before
NDSU has enjoyed success in developing tight ends who can reach the pros.
Ben Ellefson entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2020. He also played for the Minnesota Vikings between 2021 and 2022 before he joined the offensive staff. Ellefson won three FCS titles with the Bison between 2015 and 2019.
Noah Gindorff made it as an undrafted free agent in 2023, and he played briefly for the Seattle Seahawks and Pittsburgh Steelers. Gindorff played for the Bison from 2017 to 2022 and won four FCS championships.
Josh Babicz played for the Bison between 2017 and 2021 with three FCS titles before he tried his hand at the NFL. He first signed as an undrafted free agent with the Carolina Panthers in 2022, and he also spent time in the Green Bay Packers practice squad that year and in 2023.
How NDSU’s Tight End Room Looks Going Into 2026
Tight end has been a critical part of the NDSU offense over the years, NDSU will look to build the tight end room in Year One as an FBS program.
Last season, Reis Kessel was the go-to tight end in the passing game with 15 catches for 335 yards and a touchdown as a freshman. The Bison also have upperclassmen tight ends such as senior Luke Kokat, who played a major blocking role in 13 games last season. Fellow senior Kaden Zenzen also played in 13 games last year and had two starts.
Junior tight end Abraham Myers appeared in three games last year after he moved from defensive end. Younger tight ends in the room include sophomore Jett Zabel, who played in nine games last season, and redshirt freshman Gabriel Cunningham, who played one game last year.
Matthew Davis covers the NFL, WNBA and college sports for Heavy.com. As a contributing writer to the StarTribune, he has also covered Minnesota prep sports since 2016. More about Matthew Davis
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North Dakota rancher John Otto is bottle-feeding a belligerent baby bison that’s has millions of people watching him get bullied by the little guy.
It’s been only eight days since John and Makayla Otto brought a bison calf to their ranch near Plaza, North Dakota.
He already has a very strong personality, and Otto is often on the receiving end of that strength.
“I’ve had my ass handed to me about four different times by now,” he said. “There’s nothing I can’t tame, but this thing might be the first.”
Otto decided to share his struggle with Georgie on social media. As of Monday, his videos of being headbutted and knocked over by the baby bison have been viewed more than 6 million times.
“He’s been the most photographed animal on this farm here for the last two weeks,” he said. “Maybe I’ll get paid for it and get my money back out of this little tear.”
Bully Baby
This is Otto’s second attempt at bottle-feeding bison on his “hideaway hobby farm” near Plaza. He and wife Makayla bottle-fed a female bison that met a sudden and tragic end.
“We got the heifer as tame as a lap dog,” he said. “When she was about a year old, she tried to run through the barn door and broke its neck. Died on the spot.”
Despite that “freak accident,” the Ottos were determined to raise another bison. They acquired this bull calf from a feedlot in South Dakota.
“The exotic animal dealer said this was the most lovable one,” he said. “For whatever reason, he loved the guy that had it, and he knows my wife, so he sent that one.”
“Loveable” wasn’t the impression John got when he went to pick up his new baby bison.
“From the time I walked up to the truck, that thing was butting and kicking through the pen that we had it in,” he said. “I wonder if I got lucky on the first (bison) and I’m getting the full taste on this one.”
Nevertheless, Georgie made it to his new home on the Ottos’ ranch. It’s been nothing but an adorable bully since.
“He started out as Richard on Day One, for obvious reasons, but now it’s Georgie,” John said.
Mommy’s Boy
The Ottos have been taking shifts raising their baby bull bison. So far, it’s clear that Georgie has a favorite.
“He loves my wife,” he said. “Every time he sees me, he runs. She walks up, and that thing will chase her all around the yard.”
Since it’s important that Georgie get acclimated to everyone, Georgie has been getting round-the-clock bottles from the Ottos. That doesn’t make John’s shifts any easier.
“I try to do the night shift when its quiet and everybody’s asleep,” he said. “That way, I get some time with him, but there’s no drawing straws. (Makayla) knows when she’s going to go do it, because I cherish my knees.”
According to John, Georgie is “all heart and few pounds,” but he packs a serious punch.
He seems cute and cuddly on approach, but John knows it’s all a ruse so he’ll get close.
When John reaches out to touch Georgie’s head, the baby bison goes into hellion mode with enough force to knock Otto over.
“Everybody keeps saying don’t touch its head, but that’s kind of what you have to do,” he said. “If I can touch his head, I can start lovin’ on him.”
It’s worth noting that Makayla can touch Georgie’s head and his entire body without any issue. The bison’s adorable ire is exclusively targeted at John.
“This thing’s had a personal vendetta against me for some reason,” he said. “He’s like a deer, pound for pound. When he hits, it’s not like a calf. That thing hits to go through you.”
Breaking In The Baby
There’s no official guide on how to turn a baby bison into a “field puppy,” as the Ottos intend for Georgie.
John might have met his match, but he’s determined to prevail.
“It’s pretty comparable to a Mustang that’s never been handled,” he said. “It’s all about persistence.”
The first thing the Ottos did was to split Georgie’s feedings in half. Instead of four bottles per day, the baby bison is getting seven or eight bottles, so there’s more one-on-one time.
“They’re smaller, more hands-on feedings,” he said. “When they’re closer together, there’s more interaction.”
Ultimately, John said he’s going to have to “keep making Georgie uncomfortable” until he settles into his perpetually privileged life on the ranch.
Georgie might see John as his bullying buddy, but that attitude can’t be allowed to endure.
“It’s like breaking a horse,” he said. “Sometimes, you’ve got to hook him up and drag him, and other times you’ve got to tie a leg up or tie their head over.
“You have to make them uncomfortable and keep making them uncomfortable until they accept their fate.”
And what will be Georgie’s fate? A life of loving and luxury as a glorified pet on the Ottos’ ranch, which comes with plenty of friends, lots of pets, and other perks.
The other occupants of the Ottos’s ranch include Hereford and Black Angus cattle, goats, a pet deer, and some other “oddballs.”
Georgie will spend the rest of his life with this eclectic collection of friends.
“I’ve got two steers actually that I was raising to sell for processing, but they’ve turned into 1,800-pound yard dogs,” he said. “It’s pretty embarrassing that I still have them, but at the same time, I guess they’ll have their buffalo buddy to roam around with.”
It’s also worth noting that Georgie hasn’t been banded yet. That might improve his disposition toward John, but only time will tell.
“They say it’s no different than a heifer once it’s banded,” he said. “Well, we ain’t got him banded yet, so he’s just planning his next assault.”
Social Media Star
John and Georgie didn’t get off to a good start, but John thought his Facebook friends might enjoy following his struggle with the baby bison.
He didn’t anticipate the viral response to his videos.
“I always kept my Facebook around 200 followers, because it’s family and friends I knew,” he said. “When I posted the first video, it had 4,000 views the next morning. By the end of that day, it had 10,000 views. It had 14,000 views the next day.”
John’s first video with Georgie, “Taming of the Dick,” has been viewed 1.1 million times. His Day Two update, where Georgie butts John onto his butt, has been viewed over 4.5 million times.
“I guess we’ll just keep riding this thing, and I’ll keep posting videos since people find it entertaining,” he said.
Some ranchers have successfully saddle-trained their bison so they can be ridden in parades and rodeos. The Ottos don’t think that’s in the stars for Georgie.
“We joke about it, and it’d be funny as heck to ride Georgie in (the North Dakota State Parade) in Minot, but on the other end, I’ll stick with a halter on it. I used to ride bulls. I didn’t ride buffalo,” John said.
Ring Around The Buffalo
After eight days on the ranch, John and Georgie seemed to have reached an understanding.
The strategy of smaller, staggered feedings seems to be working. Georgie’s new favorite pastime is “Ring Around the Buffalo” during feedings.
“I haven’t been in a boxing match in three days, at least,” he said. “I’ve got to entice him with some milk. Get food, and we’re bros.”
Georgie’s always on his best behavior with Makayla, which John acknowledged as “not fair.”
Meanwhile, the baby bison enjoys frolicking around and getting to know the other occupants of the ranch.
Regardless of his person-to-person temperament, the Ottos realize how important it is to spend as much time as possible with Georgie. It’s the surest way to ensure he lives his best life in their care.
That means John gets to touch Georgie’s head, whether he likes it or not. The alternative wouldn’t make for a fun viral video.
“If somebody’s going to buy one of these, see it in the morning, see it in the evening, and go to bed, yeah, that’s probably a bison that will end up in the freezer,” he said. “We want him to be friendly, so eventually, he’s going to get used to me touching his head.”
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
Former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle, family killed in NC plane crash
The 55-year-old was onboard his Cessna C550, alongside his wife Cristina, son Ryder Jack and daughter Emma in a plane crashed on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025.
State Rep. Liz Conmy, a Democrat from Fargo, died Saturday after a plane crash, North Dakota’s Democratic-NPL Party said Saturday evening.
The crash involving a small plane occurred shortly before noon Saturday in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, a suburb of the Twin Cities, the Brooklyn Park Police Department reported.
The National Transportation Safety Board said a Beech F33A airplane crashed in a residential area shortly after taking off from the Crystal Airport in Minnesota. The Federal Aviation Administration said two people were on board.
Brooklyn Park Police said both occupants died. Police did not identify the victims as of Sunday. No one on the ground was hurt.
KFGO reported the pilot who died was a friend of Conmy’s.
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation, and an investigator was expected to arrive on the scene Sunday to document the site and examine the airplane, said NTSB spokesperson Keith Holloway.
North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong offered condolences Saturday to Conmy’s family, friends and fellow legislators.
“Liz served her state and community with care and compassion, from her service in the Legislature and on the state’s Human Trafficking Commission to her work on education, habitat and immigration,” Armstrong said in a statement.
State Sen. Tim Mathern has represented District 11 in south Fargo alongside Conmy.
“I really see Liz as having a zest for life,” Mathern said Sunday.
Mathern said many people did not realize that Conmy was still actively engaged in agriculture, running the farm near Langdon that she took over from her parents.
“She had one foot out there in rural North Dakota and one foot in Fargo,” Mathern said. “That sort of broad perspective was unique among legislators.”
House Minority Leader Zac Ista, D-Grand Forks, said he is “completely devastated” by the loss.
“She lived life to its fullest, never shying from adventure or speaking her mind — often in refreshingly direct terms,” Ista said in a statement. “As a lawmaker, she championed public education, the environment and transparency.”
Conmy was elected to the House in 2022 and was running for reelection. In a campaign announcement in January, Conmy said she wanted to continue representing south Fargo’s diverse community by focusing on education, housing, childcare and healthcare.
She has four children. Her professional career included work in journalism, corporate communications, and as a faculty member at Minnesota State University Moorhead, according to her campaign announcement. She was active on boards of Audubon Great Plains and CATCH ND, which promotes legal immigration in rural communities.
“I think her death is a reminder that we all ought to engage in life,” Mathern said. “The best way we can honor Liz Conmy is to be engaged in positive things.”
Armstrong directed all U.S. and North Dakota flags to be flown at half-staff on the day of Conmy’s interment.
A preliminary report from the NTSB is expected within 30 days, with a final report detailing the probable cause of the crash expected in one to two years, Holloway said. Witnesses or anyone with surveillance video or other information are asked to contact the NTSB at witness@ntsb.gov.
This story was originally produced by North Dakota Monitor, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network which includes Minnesota Reformer, and is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.
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