MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Minneapolis park workers approved a new contract with the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) Thursday after striking for 22 days. 

What’s in the new contract?

According to a press release from LIUNA Local 363, the union that represents the park workers, union members voted “overwhelmingly” to approve the new contract. 

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.
• Preserved automatic step increases.

Workers rights

• Protected existing steward rights.
• Kept full negotiating rights.
• Maintained grievance process.
• Kept existing drug testing standards.

Benefits for workers

• 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.
• Doubled comp time benefits.
• Guaranteed permanent positions nearly doubled.
• Protected seasonal full-time schedules.

The MPRB is expected to officially approve the new contract at the Aug. 7 board meeting. 

What they’re saying

LIUNA Local 363 Business Manager AJ Lange released the following statement regarding the new contract: 

“Our members’ sacrifices and solidarity yielded more than improved wages and benefits. We reaffirmed that Minneapolis is a union town. This victory extends beyond our union, demonstrating the power of working people when they stand united.

“We stood up against anti-worker, union busting at the Park Board and sent a clear message all workers deserve dignity and respect.

“Our members’ courage and resilience is truly inspiring and I’m proud to stand beside them. Their sacrifice and solidarity carried this fight.

“This contract fight is only part of our shared struggle for dignity and justice for the working class. Together, we’ll build on this momentum to create stronger, more equitable workplaces for fellow working people.

“To everyone who supported us—joining picket lines, contacting commissioners, signing our petition, and donating to our hardship fund—your solidarity made a crucial difference. This victory belongs to all who stood with us.”

MPRB Superintendent Al Bangoura said in a statement, “The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board is excited to move forward and continue providing great service to our park users and residents of Minneapolis. Parks are about people, and we have always counted on hard working employees. We are glad resolution was reached and we can move forward.” 

Background

The union representing more than 300 park maintenance workers announced the strike just ahead of the Fourth of July holiday and extended the strike after saying the initial offer from MPRB wasn’t enough. 

Read more: Minneapolis park workers extend strike ‘indefinitely’, demand negotiations

The strike was reportedly authorized by 94% of union members back in June. 

Unique dining experiences have a strong grip on the Twin Cities’ culinary scene—lines form out the doors of coffee shops and eateries for Dahlia’s rotating pastry pop-ups; food halls offer an all-in-one sampling of local flavors; the list goes on. So, it’s no surprise that Minneapolis is one of just three locations selected to host La Carte by Le Creuset, a brand-new dinner series collaboration with culinary events company Secret Supper. 

The La Carte series is headed to Minneapolis on Sept. 12, preceded by Santa Barbara, California, on Aug. 8, and the sold-out inaugural event in New York City on June 20. These immersive dining experiences are an extension of Secret Supper’s already well-established “Supper Series,” with the addition of Le Creuset’s iconic cookware and tablescapes.

Here’s how it works: Attendees purchase tickets knowing only the event date and the closest major city to the venue. Coordinates for the supper location are sent out 24 hours before the event, but the menu and bespoke details remain a secret until guests sit down at the table.  

The company typically works with renowned local chefs in each area to curate a regionally inspired menu with sustainable ingredients. At the last Minneapolis supper in January, Chef Yia Vang (of Union Hmong Kitchen and Vinai) curated three courses of Hmong cuisine alongside Basil Hayden cocktails and wine pairings at The Neu Neu in the North Loop. For dessert, the menu featured an inventive twist on the classic Minnesotan bake sale platter, with Miso scotcharoos, Szechuan coffee brownies, and Thai tea custard bars. 

Photo by Kelly Russo Photography

Photo by Kelly Russo Photography

This tradition continues in the La Carte series, and while the upcoming Minneapolis chef will remain under wraps, a few prominent names come to mind: Will dinner guests be greeted with Korean American fusion from Chef Ann Kim? Or perhaps they will enjoy Southeast Asian dishes by Chef Christina Nguyen, who won the 2024 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Midwest. 

The series kicked off with a bang at the New York City event in June. Guests were welcomed to Brooklyn’s Prospect Park Boathouse with live music, drinks, and waterfront views before sitting down for a family-style dinner by private chef and cookbook author Gaby Dalkin. The fresh summer menu featured dishes like Stone Fruit Peach and Nectarine Panzanella, Charred Corn Summer Alpine Flatbread, and Grilled Tomahawk Steak. 

Photo by Hitched Willie

Photo by Hitched Willie

Tickets for the Minneapolis supper will go on sale Aug. 12 at 11 a.m. and are anticipated to go quickly—New York City sold out in less than five minutes. 

MINNEAPOLIS — For the third summer in a row, law enforcement is targeting illegal guns and the most violent criminals in Minneapolis.

WCCO’s Reg Chapman rode along to see what’s being done to cool some of the city’s hottest spots for crime.  

It’s roll call for all local, county, state and federal law enforcement officers working together with a single focus: get the most violent offenders and guns off Minneapolis streets.

The day begins with a moment of silence for a comrade killed in the line of duty.

Then, a quick recap of last night’s activities. A warrant served on a violent offender resulting in a north Minneapolis standoff before an arrest.   

“It’s allof  these jurisdictions working together collaboratively to make sure that they can get the best result possible,” said Mayor Jacob Frey.

On the first two days of Operation Safe Summer, 13 guns were recovered and 44 people arrested.

“What’s so important is not just the illegal guns that are removed from the street, it’s all of the investigative efforts that go into addressing areas that have been problematic for violence, as well as specific people that we know have been active in causing harm in the community,” said Chief Brian O’Hara.

They concentrate on hot spots in the city and the violent criminals who operate there.

Criminal intelligence divisions from local, state and federal agencies work together to compile this information. 

“They identify areas that we should be working, they identify targets. They really dig in deep into the intelligence so that we are really doing intelligence-led policing,” said Major Rick Palaia.

Photojournalist Chris Cruz and Chapman rode with an undercover Hennepin County deputy. He took them to hot spots in south Minneapolis.

“The Franklin corridor from Cedar to Lyndale and in the middle of that is Chicago and Franklin where there’s been a lot of shootings,” said the undercover eputy.

For his safety WCCO is not showing his face or naming him. 

Cruz and Chapman witnessed a narcotics stop near that Chicago and Franklin corridor.

“Undercovers will do the investigation and then call in the marked units to make the stops,” said the undercover deputy.

In the past, law enforcement has taken guns and drugs and arrested the most violent offenders, and they hope to increase their efforts this summer.

Operation Safe Summer kicked off a bit later this year. It was supposed to start the day Minneapolis police officer Jamal Mitchell was killed in the line of duty.