MINNEAPOLIS — “If we fight, we win!” 100 members, family and supporters of Laborers’ Local 363 chanted as they rallied at the Labor Center here July 4. The union, which represents over 300 workers who take care of the park system in Minneapolis, was beginning a one-week strike.
Keith Glenn Jr., a Laborers’ union business representative, welcomed people and chaired the meeting. A.J. Lange, business manager of the local, said, “You are not alone. You are fighting for all working people.” The issues involved, he said, were higher pay, adequate staffing, health care that covers members and their families, and reasonable schedules, as well as dignity on the job. “We have the power because we do the work.”
The union has been negotiating for seven months without any progress.
Brad Lehto, secretary-treasurer of the Minnesota AFL-CIO, announced it was contributing $5,000 to Local 363’s strike fund. He said Minneapolis parks are considered some of the best in the country because of the work union members do.
Arborist Anthony Smith said he has to hold down a second job just to meet the expenses of his family. “We are the backbone of the park system and we won’t back down.”
Ilhan Omar, the U.S. congressional representative from the 5th District, also spoke, urging support for the workers.
Several student members of the Macalester College Undergraduate Workers Union attended. They are fighting to win union recognition from the college. The meeting ended with a march to a local park.
Lange said the Minneapolis Pops orchestra had refused to play at the park in solidarity with the strike. The union has organized rallies at several city parks to get out the word about their fight.
“This is absolutely a fight for all workers. We work for a public employer, but they act like they’re in the private sector — motivated by corporate greed,” he said. “They’re trying to bust the union.”
Lange said the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board is trying to change the seniority-based wage progression to “merit based” raises, decided by the bosses. He said the board president gets a salary higher than Minnesota’s governor.
“The deductibles in our medical plan are so high that many of us just don’t go to the doctor,” Mitchell Clendenen, a shop steward and member of the negotiating committee, said. “We want the right to be covered by the union’s medical insurance plan.” He said injuries on the job are often met with disciplinary actions. “We were forced to go on strike.”
Mary Martin contributed to this article.