Minneapolis park workers reject latest wage offer; strike enters third week

On Friday, Minneapolis park workers represented by LIUNA Local 363 rejected the park service’s latest contract offer by a 91% majority.

The board and union members have been trying to reach an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement for weeks, leading to the current strike that began on July 4. The strike was scheduled to last a week, but the union announced last week it would continue indefinitely.

The announcement also comes days after the park administration filed unfair labor practice charges against striking union members.

“This overwhelming vote leaves no room for doubt,” said AJ Lange, executive director of LIUNA Local 363. “We are ready to end this strike today, but management must stay at the bargaining table and show a real willingness to negotiate. If they are committed, we will resolve this matter in no time.”

Both parties began negotiations on a contract for seasonal Park Board employees Friday morning. After several hours, no agreement could be reached on this contract and the Park Board continued to insist on provisions in the full-time contract.

Local 363 states that it has already accepted the Park Authority’s proposed wage adjustment and is willing to accept the proposed wage plan.

“The remaining problem is that the board insists on using anti-worker language that will cause irreparable harm to workers in the long term,” Lange said.

The union stresses that since negotiations first stalled on July 1, the park administration has taken “several bad-faith actions” that have led to a stalemate in negotiations, including:

• In response to the strike vote by 94% of park workers, the offer was significantly worsened, including anti-worker language. In particular, it proposed that unions would strip the rights to annual wage increases currently guaranteed and subject them to management discretion in the future. This language would allow for nepotism, bias and discrimination. Local 363 resisted Superintendent Bangoura’s request to put the offer to a vote – it is substantially worse than the offer to which members responded by striking.
• There were threats to illegally lock out striking workers.
• Teen teamworks have been tasked with striking worker tasks, exposing young workers, especially youth of color, to complex labor issues and potentially encouraging strikebreaking, undermining the principles of fair labor practices and worker solidarity.
• Left the negotiating table on July 1st.
• The July 17 Parks Committee meeting was canceled, partly due to “the seriousness of ongoing negotiations pursuant to Local 363.”
• As of Friday, the park service continued to pursue proposals that were deliberately vague or complicated in order to obscure the harm they would cause. These include:
  • Restricting shop stewards: Dismissing all but two shop stewards with reduced rights and privileges, imposing further restrictions on their activities, and illegally interfering in the work of the union through invasive surveillance will make it more difficult to achieve fair treatment in the workplace.
  • Probation: Doubling of the probationary period.
• Mayor Frey’s offer to bring both sides back to the negotiating table to negotiate a fair contract and end the strike was rejected.