Park workers vote down latest contract offer from Minneapolis park board

Striking Minneapolis park workers on Friday evening overwhelmingly rejected the latest contract offer from the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board.

Liz Xiong, a spokesperson for Laborers’ International Union of North America Local 363, said that 91% of the ballots cast rejected the offer. Just under half of the union’s nearly 200 full-time, dues-paying members turned out for the vote, held at Minnehaha Regional Park.

Xiong said Friday’s vote site was chosen because the Park Board insisted the union bring the latest offer to a vote and a number of union members were already present at Minnehaha Falls for a demonstration.

“The Park Board doesn’t have any jurisdiction to govern or interfere with the way a local union chooses to do its business,” Xiong said.

The strike entered its third week Thursday after negotiations between the two sides again broke down Tuesday night. Workers have demanded higher pay, improved benefits and safety precautions.

Xiong said the two sides have agreed on wage adjustments, but that several clauses she called “anti-worker” still remain in the Park Board’s offer. One such clause, she said, would allow management to withhold step increases in employee pay at its discretion.

“That defeats the whole purposes of bargaining a contract,” she said.

The Park Board said Friday that 46% of park workers have not been working during the strike.