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60 CTUL members took a week off of work to join Leadership School and the “What Could We Win Together?” Week of Action. This morning we gathered at CTUL to reflect on the week and to think about where we take the movement from here. During the week, the voices of working class communities rang out loud and clear through dozens of local and national news outlets. Strap yourself in and join us for our summary of the week.
Building up to the week of action, over 13,000 union members authorized a strike, including janitors, nursing home workers, teachers, educational support professionals, city public works employees, security officers, public transit workers, and more. Community organizations, including CTUL, Inquilinxs Unidxs, Unidos MN, New Justice Project and many others, aligned our campaigns to take action side by side with striking union members. Together, tens of thousands of people across the state were poised to take collective action for dignified work, good schools, stable housing and a livable planet.
In the build up to the week and over the course of the week, we saw huge victories for workers:
- More than 2,000 public transit workers with ATU Local 1005 ratified a new contract that will increase wages 13% over the course of the contract.
- Over 400 Minneapolis city public works employees with LIUNA Local 363 ratified a new contract that raises wages nearly 30% over the next three years. According to union leaders, it’s the biggest increase for the local ever.
- Around 4,000 commercial office janitors, 2,000 security guards, and 600 retail janitors with SEIU Local 26 reached tentative agreements that would bring around 20% pay raises over the course of the contract. “These are, far and away, the biggest percent increases that we have accomplished in a contract,” Greg Nammacher, Local 26 President.
- 3,700 teachers and hourly school workers with the St. Paul Federation of Educators reached a tentative agreement on Tuesday of the Week of Action. Details of the agreement are forthcoming.
During the week, community organizations and unions led multiple actions…
On Monday, we packed the room for a listening session with Minneapolis City Council on Labor Standards Boards. Nine CTUL members testified about their workplace experiences, and the need for workers to have a voice in the workplace through Sectoral Boards. Check out CTUL member Veronica Alquisira’s testimony here.
Then on Tuesday we stood with over 1,000 nursing home workers who are members of SEIU Healthcare Minnesota & Iowa and UFCW Local 663 in the largest nursing home strike in Minnesota history.
Still going strong, on Wednesday we marched with airport workers calling for a fair contract…
followed by an action with Unidos MN for the launch of the Block by Block campaign, demanding a clean energy transition.
Tired, but still standing firmly in our power on Thursday, a delegation of female construction workers who are members of CTUL delivered a letter to Solhem, calling on the developer to join the BDR Program. Workers’ stories were featured in this MPR article, in which two crews of workers brought to light wage theft they faced while working on a Solhem project in Edina. Check out this video from Line Break Media, and these photos from Uche Photography.
Moving forward, nursing home workers, airport workers, and Minneapolis teachers and ESPs are still in negotiations, and we are prepared to stand with them as they continue to fight for fair contracts.
Next week, 60 CTUL members will go back to their daily lives and workplaces filled with joy and hope, knowing that a better world is not only possible, but that we are a part of a powerful movement that is winning the better world right now, ensuring dignified work, good schools, stable housing and a livable planet for everyone.
For a more thorough summary of the week, make sure to check out the WorkDay Magazine daily report: “Minnesota’s Labor Spring has Arrived. Here’s What’s Going Down“.