Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis teachers, support staff ratify two-year contracts with significant pay increases

Published

2 years ago

May 11, 2024

Minneapolis teachers, support staff ratify two-year contracts with significant pay increases

Minneapolis educators approved a pair of two-year contracts Friday that will give teachers and support staff the highest pay raises they’ve seen in years.

For the Minneapolis school district’s teachers, the salary hikes — 4% this year (retroactive to July 2023) and 5% in the next school year — amount to the biggest pay increase in 25 years, according to a statement from Greta Callahan, president of the teacher chapter of the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers. She said the contract will draw new teachers to the district and slow their move to nearby districts offering more pay.

According to the federation, the contract for education support professionals (ESP) includes a large pay increase and the restoration of “steps” to retain educators. “We’re creating a compensation system that recognizes the value of experience in the district,” said Catina Taylor, president of the federation’s ESP chapter.

According to a news release issued Friday night by the federation, both teachers and support staff voted “overwhelmingly” to ratify the contracts, which now go to the school board for final approval.

It’s unclear how the contracts might affect the 2024-25 school district budget, now projected to show a $110 million deficit. But district officials have said the deal meets board-approved budget parameters.

The vote, which was held Wednesday through Friday, came before a strike authorization vote by teachers. The ESP charter had already voted to authorize a strike. Negotiations on the contracts took about 10 months.

Education Minnesota officials have said that teachers in the state are seeing their biggest pay hikes in 20 years. As of May 1, average salary increases were 4.3% this year. St. Paul teachers struck a two-year contract in March that includes a 4% raise next year and a fixed increase of $3,500 retroactive to January.

Annual teacher pay in Minneapolis this year ranges from about $49,000 for a starting teacher with a bachelor’s degree to about $107,000 for the most experienced and educated instructors. Next year, that salary range would be $54,000 to $112,000.

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Minneapolis, MN

Bystanders throw snowballs at ICE agents dragging woman on the ground in Minneapolis – video

Published

10 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Press Room

Bystanders throw snowballs at ICE agents dragging woman on the ground in Minneapolis – video

US federal agents were filmed dragging a woman and pinning her down in the snow for several minutes in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Monday. Bystanders pleaded with the agents to let the woman go and threw snowballs at them. The Minneapolis police chief, Brian O’Hara, criticised the ICE tactics after the incident

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Minneapolis, MN

‘She’s pregnant’: Trump’s immigration agent drags woman through Minneapolis street, kneels on her; video goes viral

Published

22 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Press Room

‘She’s pregnant’: Trump’s immigration agent drags woman through Minneapolis street, kneels on her; video goes viral

United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents violently dragged a woman in Minneapolis this week, and pinned her face down on snow-filled streets as onlookers screamed. According to ICE officials, they were deployed for ‘targeted vehicle stop,’ when protesters swarmed the agents. Soon after several onlookers including journalists saw an ICE agent holding a woman on the ground. The video of the incident has now gone viral on social media with people criticising ICE for their violent methods. The Minneapolis police chief criticised federal immigration enforcement tactics after the chaotic scene.

What exactly happened?

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According to the video, ICE agents handcuffed a pregnant woman, and violently pinned her to the ground by forcing her onto her stomach and pressed their body weight into her even as the crowd shouted that she was pregnant. According to ICE, the incident happened during ‘Operation Metro Surge.’

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said that ICE did not appear to take steps to de-escalate the situation as bystanders shouted at agents and threw snowballs in an attempt to save the woman. “We have been training our officers for the last five years very, very intensely on de-escalation, but unfortunately that is … often not what we are seeing from other agencies in the city,” O’Hara said. O’Hara also accused ICE of stoking fear, including the practice of hiding their identities with masks and unmarked clothes.

This comes as US President Donald Trump’s administration has increased immigration enforcement in the Twin Cities of Minnesota – Minneapolis and Saint Paul. Trump called Somali immigrants there “garbage” and said they should be deported after dozens of people, including Somali immigrants, were charged in a fraud scheme.

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Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis PD chief worries about ‘instability’ created by ICE operation

Published

1 day ago

December 17, 2025

Press Room

Minneapolis PD chief worries about ‘instability’ created by ICE operation

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara expressed concerns about the “instability” created by the ongoing ICE operations in Minneapolis during a sit-down interview on FOX 9 All Day on Wednesday.

O’Hara on ICE operation

What they’re saying:

Speaking with FOX 9’s Amy Hockert, Chief O’Hara said the issue isn’t necessarily what the agents are doing in enforcing federal law but rather the tactics they are using to go about their business.

“I think it’s been very destabilizing for a lot of people in the community,” explained Chief O’Hara. “A significant portion of the city are immigrants and that sort of instability is something that criminals and bad actors can take advantage of and that’s been the concern.”

Identifying ICE

Big picture view:

O’Hara says he is also concerned about masked federal authorities. Often, ICE agents will be masked, in unmarked squads, and not wearing visible identification of their law enforcement status. Chief O’Hara said a bad actor posing as law enforcement is a legitimate concern, pointing to the murders of Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband at the hands of a man posing as a police officer.

“Two or three months ago, the FBI put out a law enforcement bulletin saying that there were people committing violent crimes in cities around the country that were posing as ICE,” O’Hara said. “And it urged ICE to better identify themselves during law enforcement operations. And so that’s not just something I came up with – that’s something the FBI has been recommending.”

O’Hara says the department has also responded to calls from people who’ve encountered federal law enforcement and were unsure if they were legitimate.

“We have had calls from people who aren’t sure,” said O’Hara. “We’ve responded, and it turns out it was federal law enforcement. In other cases, it turns out it wasn’t. It was someone with a gun. We’ve had it happen both ways.”

ImmigrationMinneapolis Police DepartmentCrime and Public SafetyMinneapolis

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