15 arrested during demonstration at MSP Airport at the end of union’s 3-day strike
Fifteen people were arrested during a demonstration at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Wednesday, according to union SEIU Local 26, which represents the workers.
The arrests followed a march and rally of hundreds of workers and their allies, the union said.
This comes on the third and final day of a three-day unfair labor practices strike by 4,000 janitors represented by the union. They will return to work on Thursday morning and will return to the bargaining table on Friday.
8,000 members across different sectors of the union voted in early February to authorize an unfair labor practices strike.
Workers also rallied with striking nursing home workers on Tuesday.
An airport spokesperson said Thursday morning that the 15 people who were arrested after not leaving the roadway after police asked were issued misdemeanor citations for failing to obey a lawful order, presence at an unlawful assembly and trespassing.
The spokesperson said union members applied and received approval to picket in a designated area that wouldn’t impact operations but were cited because they left that area and demonstrated along the upper terminal roadway.
According to airport officials, the workers are seeking more pay and benefits from their third-party employers who operate at MSP and other locations.