Minnesota Is Headed For A Major Labor Fight This Summer

This spring, thousands of workers across Minnesota will have expired contracts all at the same time. Among them are healthcare workers, janitors, security officers, airport workers, construction workers, educators, education support professionals, and public workers. Organizers within Minnesota’s labor movement are making use of this unique moment to exert joint pressure on employers across sectors to meet workers’ demands.

Over the past decade, unions and community groups in Minnesota have been creating partnerships with a shared analysis of power, and holding employers and leaders accountable, all while building an alignment strategy that they say grows their organizations and wins more for their members. It’s culminating in a joint escalation, with a deadline of March 2 kicking off a week of action. At that time, potentially six unions will have expired contracts at once, meaning they would legally be allowed to strike at the same time, and allied community groups, workers centers, and unions have agreed to push social demands. On February 3, SEIU Local 26, representing more than 8000 essential workers, voted to authorize an unfair labor practice strike at any time during ongoing negotiations. Metro Transit drivers with ATU Local 1005, whose members authorized a strike last September, have yet to vote on a tentative agreement offered on February 7. The Saint Paul Federation of Educators Local 28 (SPFE) has also scheduled a strike authorization vote for February 15.