ST. ANTHONY - Operating Engineers Local 49, which lost a member in the collapse of the I-35W bridge, is condemning a new TV commercial promoting U.S. Senator Norm Coleman that uses images of the disaster. The commercial opens with photos of the collapsed bridge and refers to Coleman, a Republican, as an "independent leader." According to the Associated Press, the ad was placed by The American Future Fund, an Iowa-based organization that describes itself as a "multistate issues advocacy group designed to effectively communicate conservative and free market ideals."

After seeing the commercial, Glen Johnson, business manager of the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 49, issued the following statement:

"On August 1, 2007, we lost a friend and a brother. Greg Jolstad, an Operating Engineer who was working on the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis, died when the bridge collapsed without warning. We still mourn the sudden loss of our friend, a devoted husband, father, and a member of our union local.

"But today, an out-of-state political organization is running a campaign ad in Minnesota that uses images of a tragic event to promote a political agenda and the reelection campaign of Senator Norm Coleman.

"Greg's family and the people of Minnesota deserve better than the shameless exploitation of this tragedy for political purposes, which is beneath the standards of our great state. Out of respect for Greg, we ask Senator Norm Coleman to condemn this ad in the strongest possible terms, and call on him to demand that this shadowy organization to pull the ad off the air without delay."

In a related development, the Associated Press reported that Coleman won't challenge the National Transportation Safety Board's decision against holding a public hearing on the Minneapolis bridge collapse. The NTSB is investigating the cause of the disaster.

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Reprinted from Workday Minnesota