Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board approve union worker contract, ending strike
Minneapolis parks workers begin week-long strike
Minneapolis parks workers have begun their week-long strike on the Fourth of July. FOX 9’s Tim Blotz has more.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – A more than three-week-long strike has come to an end after the Minneapolis Parks and Recreational Board (MPRB) approved a new contract with Minneapolis parks union workers on Wednesday.
READ MORE: Minneapolis park workers approve new contract
Contract details
LIUNA Local 363, the union that represents around 300 of the striking park workers, has said its members sought both increased wages and worker protection.
Through back-and-forth negotiations, accusations were leveled by MPRB officials who said picketers threatened workers during their strike.
The union announced the strike ahead of the Fourth of July holiday and extended it throughout negotiations.
The MPRB officially approved the new contract at the Aug. 7 board meeting.
Mpls park workers extend strike indefinitely
Minneapolis park workers walked off the job on the Fourth of July for a week-long strike, but the union says they are going to continue fighting and extend their strike indefinitely, adding they demand contract negotiations from the park board.
Here is what is included in the new contract:
Wages
- 10.25% cost-of-living adjustment over three years.
- $1.75/hour market adjustment.
- $2 million in wages for workers.
- Wages will increase by $5.42 an hour or $11,302 a year on average by 2026.
Workers rights
- Protected existing steward rights.
- Maintained grievance process.
- Kept existing drug testing standards.
Worker benefits
- Expanded contract rights around sick and bereavement leave.
- Protected fair overtime distribution.
- Kept Forestry transfer rights.
Safety
- “Harmful” language taken out.
- Workers are protected from reporting requirements and targeting.
Seasonal employees
- Kept union rights for all seasonal workers.
- Protected seasonal full-time schedules.
The scene of the crash at 26th Avenue North and Emerson Avenue North in Minneapolis. (FOX 9)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – A Minneapolis woman was sentenced for her role in a deadly crash that killed two women and injured two other people in December 2024.
READ MORE: Minneapolis woman charged in fatal high-speed crash faces additional charges
Woman sentenced in fatal Minneapolis crash
Big picture view:
Prosecutors say Teniki Steward drove a Buick Enclave into a bus shelter and a Ford Explorer after speeding through a red light.
Both of the women in the Ford Explorer died in the crash. They were identified as 53-year-old Ester Jean Fulks and 57-year-old Rose Elaine Reece.
During the crash, the Ford Explorer went off the road, injuring a 17-year-old boy who was waiting for a school bus.
The passenger in Steward’s vehicle also suffered injuries.
Minneapolis police said that Steward was also injured in the crash.
Steward pleaded guilty to multiple murder charges.
What they’re saying:
During the sentencing, the daughter of one of the victims had a statement read on her behalf:
“There’s nothing that can truly prepare you for the moment your entire world is taken from you. Losing my mom has left a pain in my heart that words will never be able to explain.”
What’s next:
Minnesota law requires that Steward serves at least two-thirds of her sentence, a bit under eight-and-a-half years, in prison.
Fatal Emerson and 26th crash
The backstory:
According to the criminal complaint, through surveillance videos from the scene of the crash and witnesses, investigators learned that Steward, driving the Buick Enclave, had been driving at a high rate of speed northbound on Emerson Avenue North.
Before the fatal crash, Steward sped through the intersection of Emerson Avenue North and Broadway Avenue North, running a red light and nearly causing a crash, the charges said.
Steward then continued to speed northbound down Emerson Avenue North, and ran another red light at 26th Avenue North, hitting the Ford Explorer, which was traveling eastbound, according to the complaint.
The Ford Explorer had been at the intersection of Emerson and 26th on a green light.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty shared the following statement:
“This was an egregious act that took Rose and Esther’s lives and injured a child waiting to go to school at a bus stop. Ms. Steward was driving at extremely dangerous speeds on city streets and narrowly avoided multiple collisions before the incident occurred. Third-degree murder charges are appropriate to hold her accountable and protect our community.”
The Source: This story uses information gathered from an Olmsted County court appearance and previous FOX 9 reporting.
A motorcyclist is dead after an early morning crash in Minneapolis Friday morning.
The Minnesota State Patrol said that at 1:20 a.m., a Suzuki Motorcycle going north on I-35W at Johnson Street hit the left side of the median guard rail.
The motorcycle continued north for about another quarter mile before coming to a rest on the right-hand side.
State Patrol said the rider came to rest on the left shoulder. He was later identified as 21-year-old Andrew James Neuberger.
ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – The Rochester Spartans boys volleyball team played its second game on consecutive nights. The Spartans beat Minneapolis Camden 3-0.
Rochester’s next game will be Tuesday, April 21, at St. Anthony Village at 7:00 p.m.
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