Teamsters union members who plow snow on runways and maintain streets and walkways at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and other local airports have voted to authorize a strike in a dispute over compensation and severance pay.
Teamsters Local 320 said members are "demanding equity" with other unionized employees who work for the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC), which oversees MSP and six reliever airports in the metro.
By a 95% margin, workers voted Sunday in favor of a strike, which would begin Jan. 20, at the earliest. If the two sides reach a deal, a strike would not occur. About 85 members voted to authorize the strike, but the exact tally was not released.
The current contract expires Dec. 31, and negotiations between the union and MAC have been held for several months. Talks are scheduled to resume Dec. 28 with help from a state mediator.
The Teamsters said in a statement that other unionized MAC employees have been offered higher compensation packages, as well as 200 days of severance, compared with current severance of 85 days.
"Teamster members have sent a clear and forceful message to the MAC commissioners," Brian Aldes, the local secretary treasurer and principal officer, said in a statement Sunday. "Teamsters will no longer be second-class workers when it comes to pay and benefits with other MAC employees."
The MAC said in a statement that it "continues to negotiate in good faith with Teamsters Local 320, and we are confident we can come to an agreement. We look forward to continuing our discussions when mediation begins on [Dec. 28]."
The six reliever airports are Airlake Airport in Lakeville, Anoka County-Blaine Airport, Crystal Airport, Flying Cloud Airport in Eden Prairie, Lake Elmo Airport and St. Paul Downtown Airport (Holman Field).
