Minneapolis parks workers will start weeklong strike on July 4

The union representing more than 300 Minneapolis parks workers announced Tuesday they will strike for one week beginning on the July 4th holiday after seven months of negotiations with the city yielded no new labor contract.

But hours after the announcement, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board said it would block any employee who walks off the job from returning to work until a new contract is ratified.

At a news conference Tuesday, AJ Lang, the business manager for Laborers’ International Union of North America Local 363, said that for now, the union is keeping the strike to a week to minimize disruptions for residents, although he acknowledged the July 4th holiday is the “busiest” time of year for parks in the city.

“We love our parks,” Lang said. “We want to minimize the disruption to residents as much as possible, hopefully by not having to walk at all. That’s the idea of limiting it.”

Should contract negotiations go nowhere before or after the holiday, “we reserve the right to file another strike notice,” Lang said.

Hours later, a statement from board spokeswoman Robin Smothers said no employee who walks off the job would be allowed to return to work until the union approves a new contract.

The press contact for the union did not have a response to that late Tuesday.

Barring inclement weather, the July 4th holiday is expected to bring plenty of residents to the city’s parks. After five years of no fireworks shows for Independence Day, the board is hosting the return of its “Red, White & Boom” show Thursday.

Smothers said the strike would not affect the fireworks show and the board developed a plan to adjust maintenance services to minimize the impact of the strike on park visitors.

Lang said it is unclear how big the impact could be on visitors, but he suspected that trash collection may be disrupted, pools could close and debris or damage from rainstorms may not be quickly resolved.

“It’s in the board’s hands to fix that,” he said.

For years, Minneapolis’ park workers have called for improved wages, health insurance and safety precautions. The union represents more than 200 permanent and more than 100 seasonal employees.

In late 2022, a strike among workers was averted when both sides agreed to a two-year contract that included a nearly 5% wage increase, expanded benefits and additional paid holidays.

Tuesday, union members said their pay continues to lag behind both inflation and that of parks workers of other nearby cities. They said they also lack safety precautions for arborists, who work near energized conductors, and other employees who work closely with encampments of unhoused people.

“We deserve a lot better,” said Lanel Lane, a parks worker of 10 years.

The two sides negotiated for up to 16 hours Monday. Smothers said the board’s final offer included a 10.25% wage increase over three years. It also included a $1 hourly market adjustment.

Lang called that offer “insufficient,” and specified that workers are looking for a $5 hourly market adjustment.

“Parkkeepers” in Minneapolis earn an average of $30.99 an hour. That compares to the $35.55 to $44.98 an hour that “park maintenance workers” earn in 20 suburbs, according to the League of Minnesota Cities’ 2023 local government salary survey.

In April, Smothers said the board’s budget “is tighter than ever” while property tax collections are down. Property taxes account for 80% of the board’s general fund.

But workers on Tuesday accused the board of devaluing its employees for decades.

“This is a long time coming,” Lang said. “This is a decadeslong erosion of benefits and the degradation of the value of this position. People used to line up out of the door. These were coveted jobs.”

Star Tribune reporters Susan Du, John Nguyen and Zoë Jackson contributed to this report.