Minneapolis, MN
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.
Sunshine and comfortable temperatures return Thursday before a weekend warm-up sends highs into the 90s. Heat index values could reach the triple digits early next week. FOX 9 meteorologist Jared Piepenburg has the forecast.
Posted
A 28-year-old St. Paul woman who admitted in federal court to assaulting law enforcement officers during a protest last year in South Minneapolis has been ordered to pay a $25 fine.
Isabel Lopez was sentenced Tuesday by U.S. District Judge John Tunheim in Minneapolis after accepting a plea agreement to a lesser misdemeanor charge of assaulting, resisting and impeding a U.S. officer in connection with a protest that broke out while authorities were executing a search warrant that a crowd mistook for an immigration raid in June 2025.
Lopez was originally charged by indictment with three felony counts of assaulting, resisting and impeding officers and one felony count of obstruction of law enforcement.
Lopez faced up to one year in prison on the misdemeanor conviction, however, the defense and prosecution both asked Tunheim for no prison time. The prosecution requested one year of probation, which Tunheim turned down.
According to court documents, law enforcement officers from multiple federal agencies were executing eight search warrants in the Twin Cities on June 3, 2025, related to an investigation into narcotics trafficking, money laundering, human trafficking and related offenses.
The investigation began with the discovery of 900 pounds of methamphetamine in a Burnsville storage unit, with a street value of between $22 million and $25 million.
Shortly after a search warrant execution began at Cuatro Milpas restaurant on Lake Street, a crowd began to gather.
“The crowd appeared to be under the mistaken belief that law enforcement was present to arrest individuals illegally present in the country for immigration offenses,” the criminal complaint said. “This was incorrect.”
After recognizing the apparent misunderstanding, law enforcement explained the nature of the search warrant to the crowd, according to prosecutors.
As part of her plea agreement, Lopez admitted to hitting an FBI SWAT agent with her arms and closed fist, and kicking another agent. The officers were not injured. As law enforcement attempted to leave the scene, Lopez threw a softball at the back of a Hennepin County sheriff’s deputy.
An Arctic explorer from Minnesota shares tales of his adventures, including a recent 800-mile journey that he just made at 81-years-old. Plus, we get some tips on how to help your pets prepare for the 4th of July.
-
Los Angeles, Ca36 minutes agoBoyle Heights warehouse cleanup begins as crews face 85 million pounds of spoiled food
-
Detroit, MI56 minutes agoWould Detroit Lions Salary Cap Be Wrecked If Terrion Arnold Gets Cut?
-
San Francisco, CA1 hour agoTwo more Presidio Heights homes reach $10M range as luxury supply dwindles
-
Dallas, TX1 hour agoOne Dallas Cowboys Contract That Will Age Poorly in 2026
-
Miami, FL1 hour agoLive updates: Today’s South Florida News
-
Boston, MA1 hour agoA federal judge in Boston has blocked parts of Trump’s order to limit voting by mail
-
Denver, CO1 hour agoDenver Transplant Games sets Guinness World Record for most living donors, recipients in one place at one time
-
Seattle, WA2 hours ago17-year-old boy shot in High Point, multiple suspects seen running from crashed car
